Progress in the development of biodegradable or biobased ionic liquids (ILs) has led to the design of green compounds for several applications. Herein, four biocompatible dicationic ionic liquids ...(DILs) with ammonium-phosphonium cations and amino acid anions were synthesized and investigated their environmental impact. The structures of the DILs were confirmed by spectral analyses (1H, 13C and 31P NMR). Furthermore, physicochemical properties such as density, viscosity and refractive index were determined. Water content, bromide content and solubility were thereafter determined as the parameters needed for further studies. Subsequently, their antifeedant activity towards economically important pests of grain in storage warehouses: the granary weevil, the confused flour beetle, and the khapra beetle was examined, showing the dependence on structure. Moreover, selected DILs were investigated for toxicity towards white mustard, Daphnia magna, and Artemia franciscana to specify the environmental impact. These studies were complemented by understand the biodegradation of DILs by bacterial communities derived from soil at the agricultural land. The result was DILs with limited environmental footprints that have great potential for further application studies.
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•A novel approach to synthesizing dicationic ionic liquids with ammonium-phosphonium cation was presented.•Spectral analysis (1H, 13C, and 31P NMR) was used to characterize the structure of the synthesized dicationic ionic liquids.•Ecotoxicological assessment of the impact of dicationic ionic liquids on storage pests, plant, and crustaceans was carried out.•The biodegradability of dicationic ionic liquids was investigated to assess their influence in the environment.
The physiochemical properties of nanoparticles (NPs), including surface charge, will affect their uptake, transformation, translocation, and final fate in the environment. In this study, we compared ...the phytoxoxicity and transport behaviors of nano CeO
(nCeO
) functionalized with positively charged (Cs-nCeO
) and negatively charged (PAA-nCeO
) coatings. Cucumber seedlings were hydroponically exposed to 0-1000 mg/L of Cs-nCeO
and PAA-nCeO
for 14 days and the contents, distribution, translocation, and transformation of Ce in plants were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, micro X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF), and X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES), respectively. Results showed that the seedling growth and Ce contents in plant tissues were functions of exposure concentrations and surface charge. Cs-nCeO
was adsorbed strongly on a negatively charged root surface, which led to significantly higher Ce contents in the roots and lower translocation factors of Ce from the roots to shoots in Cs-nCeO
group than in PAA-nCeO
group. The results of μ-XRF showed that Ce elements were mainly accumulated at the root tips and lateral roots, as well as in the veins and at the edge of leaves. XANES results revealed that the proportion of Ce(III) was comparable in the plant tissues of the two groups. We speculated that Cs-nCeO
and PAA-nCeO
were partially dissolved under the effect of root exudates, releasing Ce
ions as a result. Then, the Ce
ions were transported upward in the form of Ce(III) complexes along the vascular bundles and eventually accumulated in the veins. The other portion of Cs-nCeO
and PAA-nCeO
entered the roots through the gap of a Casparian strip at root tips/lateral roots and was transported upward as intact NPs and finally accumulated at the edge of the blade. This study will greatly advance our information on how the properties of NPs influence their phytotoxicity, uptake, and subsequent trophic transfer in terrestrial food webs.
Massive use of plastic products has caused their accumulation in soils, releasing large amounts of endogenous plastic additives (e.g., benzotriazole ultraviolet stabilizers, in short BZT-UVs) into ...terrestrial ecosystems. However, their plant toxicity is little known. Herein, we investigated the occurrence of BZT-UVs in contaminated farmland and selected three BZT-UV congeners to explore their toxic effects on the antioxidant, photosynthetic, and metabolic perturbation on rice (Oryza sativa). Results showed that the mean concentrations of ∑BZT-UVs in soil and plant samples were 180.7 ng/g dw and 156.4 ng/g dw, respectively. UV-P, UV-327 and UV-328 were the dominant BZT-UV congeners in both of soils and plants. Three BZT-UV congeners caused oxidative damages to rice in a dose-dependent manner, especially for UV-328. Functional genes involved in chlorophyll synthetases was inhibited by over 50 % under the stress of BZT-UVs, whereas those responsible for chlorophyll degradation were obviously promoted. The chlorophyll content was thus decreased, leading to a weakened photosynthesis system and an unbalanced carbon metabolism. The transcriptome and metabolome proved that the flux of carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolism were obviously promoted in plants induced by BZT-UVs, which could inhibit the growth of rice. These findings offered insights into the coordinated responses of plants and advanced our understanding of potential ecological risks of BZT-UVs to terrestrial ecosystems.
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•UV-P, UV-327 and UV-328 were dominant in the contaminated soils and plants.•Antioxidant defense system in plants was significantly activated by BZT-UVs.•Photosynthesis was suppressed by BZT-UVs, inhibiting the carbon (C) fixation.•C metabolism (glycolysis and TCA cycle) was significantly promoted by BZT-UVs.•Decreased C fixation and increased C metabolism inhibited the growth of plants.
Iron-magnetic nanoparticles (Fe-NMPs) are widely used in environmental remediation, while porphyrin-based hybrid materials anchored to silica-coated Fe3O4-nanoparticles (Fe3O4-NPs) have been used for ...water disinfection purposes. To assess their safety on plants, especially concerning potential environmental release, it was investigated for the first time, the impact on plants of a silica-coated Fe3O4-NPs bearing a porphyrinic formulation (FORM) - FORM@NMP. Additionally, FORM alone and the magnetic nanoparticles without FORM anchored (NH2@NMP) were used for comparison. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was chosen as a model species and was subjected to three environmentally relevant doses during germination and tiller development through root application. Morphological, physiological, and metabolic parameters were assessed. Despite a modest biomass decrease and alterations in membrane properties, no major impairments in germination or seedling development were observed. During tiller phase, both Fe3O4-NPs increased leaf length, and photosynthesis exhibited varied impacts: both Fe3O4-NPs and FORM alone increased pigments; only Fe3O4-NPs promoted gas exchange; all treatments improved the photochemical phase. Regarding oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation decreased in FORM and FORM@NMP, yet with increased O2-• in FORM@NMP; total flavonoids decreased in NH2@NMP and antioxidant enzymes declined across all materials. Phenolic profiling revealed a generalized trend towards a decrease in flavones. In conclusion, these nanoparticles can modulate wheat physiology/metabolism without apparently inducing phytotoxicity at low doses and during short-time exposure.
Iron-magnetic nanoparticles are widely used in environmental remediation and fertilization, besides of new applications continuously being developed, making them emerging contaminants. Soil is a major sink for these nanoparticles and their fate and potential environmental risks in ecosystems must be addressed to achieve more sustainable environmental applications. Furthermore, as the reuse of treated wastewater for agricultural irrigation is being claimed, it is of major importance to disclose the impact on crops of the nanoparticles used for wastewater decontamination, such as those proposed in this work.
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•FORM@NMP promoted gas exchange and ΦPSII, and down regulated the antioxidant response.•NH2 @NMP increased pigment levels, gas exchange, and ΦPSII.•FORM impaired seedling biomass, increased pigments and ΦPSII, and decreased MDA.•Flavone levels showed a generalized trend do be down regulated.
Antibiotics have revolutionized modern day living with their ability to effectively treat infectious diseases in humans and animals. However, the release of antibiotic compounds into the environment ...has led to toxic consequences. To reduce this environmental impact, it is important to employ an inexpensive and rational technology to reduce the amount of antibiotics released into the ecosystem. This study aims to explore the potential of using a bio-electrochemical system (BES) to remove Amoxicillin (AMX) from artificially contaminated soil using a microbial consortium and pure culture isolates. Under desired conditions, including an initial AMX concentration of 150 mg/L, 5 mg/L tryptone as the nitrogen source, pH of 7, temperature of 29 °C, an applied potential of 0.8 V, and an inoculum dose of 1% w/v, the BES showed a maximum degradation of 97.9% of AMX with the microbial consortium (HP03, HP09, and HP10). High performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to analyse the intermediates formed during the degradation process, and the pathway elucidated revealed complete degradation of AMX. Phytotoxicity studies and degradation efficiency against multiple antibiotics confirmed the environmental significance of the BES with microbial consortium. Overall, this study highlights the potential of BES as a cost-effective and efficient method for reducing the release of antibiotics into the environment and provides valuable insights into the mechanisms and pathways of antibiotic degradation.
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•Bio-electro degradation of AMX using the microbial consortium and pure isolates.•Maximum AMX degradation (97.9%) was achieved with microbial consortium under optimum conditions.•AMX degradation pathway was elucidated by analysing the intermediates.•Phytotoxicity and multiple drug degradation confirmed the environmental applicability.
The widespread use of nanomaterials in agriculture may introduce multiple engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) into the environment, posing a combined risk to crops. However, the precise molecular ...mechanisms explaining how plant tissues respond to mixtures of individual ENPs remain unclear, despite indications that their combined toxicity differs from the summed toxicity of the individual ENPs. Here, we used a variety of methods including physicochemical, biochemical, and transcriptional analyses to examine the combined effects of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) on hydroponically exposed lettuce (Lactuca sativa) seedlings. Results indicated that the presence of GNPs facilitated the accumulation of Ti as TiO2 NPs in the seedling roots. Combined exposure to GNPs and TiO2 NPs caused less severe oxidative damage in the roots compared to individual exposures. Yet, GNPs and TiO2 NPs alone and in combination did not cause oxidative damage in the shoots. RNA sequencing data showed that the mixture of GNPs and TiO2 NPs led to a higher number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the seedlings compared to exposure to the individual ENPs. Moreover, the majority of the DEGs encoding superoxide dismutase displayed heightened expression levels in the seedlings exposed to the combination of GNPs and TiO2 NPs. The level of gene ontology (GO) enrichment in the seedlings exposed to the mixture of GNPs and TiO2 NPs was found to be greater than the level of GO enrichment observed after exposure to isolated GNPs or TiO2 NPs. Furthermore, the signaling pathways, specifically the “MAPK signaling pathway-plant” and “phenylpropanoid biosynthesis,” exhibited a close association with oxidative stress. This study has provided valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying plant resistance against multiple ENPs.
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•GNPs facilitated the accumulation of Ti as TiO2 NPs in the roots of lettuce seedlings•Mixtures of GNPs and TiO2 NPs caused less severe oxidative damage to seedling•GNPs and TiO2 NPs in mixture increased the amount of differentially expressed genes•MAPK signaling pathway/phenylpropanoid biosynthesis contributed most to oxidative stress•Seedling roots were more responsive to the combination of GNPs and TiO2 NPs than the shoots
The present study investigates ameliorative effect of silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) and indole acetic acid (IAA) alone and in combination against hexavalent chromium (CrVI) toxicity in rice ...seedlings. The results of the study revealed protective effects of SiNPs and IAA against CrVI toxicity. The 100 μM of CrVI imposed toxic effects in rice seedlings at morphological, physiological and biochemical levels which coincided with increased level of intracellular CrVI and declined level of endogenous nitric oxide (NO). The CrVI enhanced levels of superoxide radicals (SOR) (59.51% and 50.1% in shoot and root, respectively) and H2O2 (19.5% and 23.69% in shoot and root, respectively). However, when SiNPs and IAA were applied to plants under CrVI stress, they enhanced tolerance and defence mechanisms as manifested in terms of increased biomass, endogenous NO, photosynthetic pigments, and antioxidants level. It was also noticed that CrVI arrested cell cycle at G2/M phase whereas growth was restored as compared to control when SiNPs and IAA were supplemented. Thus, the hypothesis that combined application of SiNPs and IAA will be effective in alleviating CrVI toxicity is validated from the results of this study. Moreover, in SiNPs and IAA-mediated mitigation of CrVI toxicity, endogenous NO has a positive role. The importance of the study will be that the combination of SiNPs and IAA can be utilized against heavy metal stress and even when supplied alone, they will enhance the crop productivity parameters with and without stress conditions.
•Evaluation of synergistic action of silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) and indole acetic acid (IAA).•SiNPs and IAA together is capable in mediating CrVI stress in rice seedlings.•CrVI enhanced the levels of reactive oxygen species whereas ROS were detoxified by SiNPs and IAA application under stress.•SiNPs and IAA enhanced tolerance and defence mechanisms of plants.
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•Landfill leachate was efficiently treated by a sequential process (EC + EO + SR-AOP).•Sequential process removed 95.6 and 99.8% of COD and ammonia respectively.•Phytotoxicity was ...reduced after each process treatment.•Biodegradation of the final effluent was improved significantly.
Landfill leachate is well known as one of the most serious environmental problems due to the high concentrations of organic and inorganic compounds. Several methods have been reported for the treatment and detoxification of landfill leachate. However, high organic load and the presence of refractory organic pollutants resulted in inefficiency of those methods when at least applied alone. The present work recommended a sequence of processes: electrocoagulation (EC), electrooxidation (EO) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS)/UV/CuFe2O4 (sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation process, SR-AOP) for treatment of landfill leachate. A parametric evaluation was conducted for each process including pH, current densities, electrode type, catalyst loading, PMS dosage and reaction time. Al and Fe electrodes for the EC process and Pt, PbO2 and graphite for the EO process were investigated. The results showed that Fe and PbO2 were more efficient than other electrodes for EC and EO respectively. COD removal efficiencies were up to 60.0, 50.0 and 77.9% for EC, EO and SR-AOP, respectively. Removal efficiencies for the sequential process were 95.6, 90.5, 91.6 and 99.8% for COD, TOC, BOD and ammonia (NH4-N) respectively. Biodegradability was significantly enhanced according to the BOD/COD ratio and the average oxidation state of carbon (AOSC). Biodegradation test indicated that the organic matter was completely degraded by activated sludge in seven days. Phytotoxicity experiments also demonstrated a considerable reduction in phytotoxicity after each process. The results confirmed that the proposed sequence is efficient for COD removal, phytotoxicity reduction and biodegradability improvement being an acceptable treatment for landfill leachates.
Microplastics and nanoplastics are distributed in the environments universally. The interrelationship between vascular plants and micro/nanoplastics began to attract attention in recent years. Based ...on the relevant literatures collected from various databases, this review focuses on two topics: 1) the effect of vascular plants on the fate of micro/nanoplastics; 2) the effects of micro/nanoplastics on vascular plants. The review of the available studies reveals that vascular plants can act as sinks for microplastics and nanoplastics as their surfaces can adsorb these plastics; moreover, nanoplastics can be internalized by plants. Plastics on the surfaces and in the interiors of vascular plants can cause various phytotoxicity effects, including impacts on growth, photosynthesis, and oxidative stress. Furthermore, the results and mechanisms of phytotoxicity effects caused by microplastics or nanoplastics can be very different. However, knowledge gaps still exist in the relationships between micro/nanoplastics and vascular plants based on the analysis of available studies; thus, potential subjects for future studies were proposed, including the fates, analysis methods, influencing factors, mechanisms of phytotoxicity, and further influences of microplastics and nanoplastics in the vascular plant ecosystems. This study presents a review of micro/nanoplastics–vascular plant research and reaches a basis for future research.
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•Microplastics and nanoplastics can be adsorbed on the surface of vascular plants.•Nanoplastics can be internalized by vascular plants under certain conditions.•Both microplastics and nanoplastics can lead to phytotoxicity on vascular plants, though the mechanisms are different.•The mechanism of phytotoxicity caused by micro/nanoplastics remains to be studied.
Microplastics and nanoplastics have significant interactions with vascular plants.
Exposure to excessive SO2 will induce severe phytotoxicity to plants. Dissecting mechanisms of SO2 phytotoxicity is vital for preventing adverse effect of SO2. But unfortunately, the mechanisms of ...SO2 phytotoxicity remain elusive. We speculated that interaction of SO2 derivatives with mitochondria might be an important mechanism for SO2 phytotoxicity. To authenticate this speculation, it is urgently need to detect SO2 derivatives in plant mitochondria when it is suffering from SO2 phytotoxicity. Herein, we presented a novel ratiometric NIR fluorescent probe for highly sensitive and selective detection of SO2 derivatives in plant mitochondria. Notably, the probe not only could target into the mitochondria, but also can immobilize in the mitochondria to continue detecting SO2 derivatives even when the mitochondrial membrane potential was collapsed by high concentration of SO2 derivatives. Importantly, the probe has been successfully employed for monitoring high concentration of SO2 derivatives in the plant mitochondria when the plant is suffering from SO2 phytotoxicity. The results demonstrated that the SO2 derivatives level in plant mitochondria is strictly associated with SO2 phytotoxicity. Thus, the interaction of SO2 derivatives with plant mitochondria could be considered as an important mechanism for SO2 phytotoxicity.
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•The first fluorescent probe that can detect SO2 derivatives in plant mitochondria has been rationally developed.•The probe not only targets into mitochondria, but also retains in mitochondria when membrane potential is collapsed.•The interaction of SO2 derivatives with mitochondria was firstly proved as a key mechanism for SO2 phytotoxicity.
