Environmentally Stable Polymer Gels with Super Deformability and High Recoverability Enhanced by Sub‐5 nm Particles in the Nonvolatile Solvent

It remains challenging to satisfy the combined performances for hydrogels with excellent mechanical behavior, high deformability, and super recoverability under harsh environmental conditions. In this study, we first established a strong polymer network via the crosslinking of polymer chains on the surfaces of sub‐5‐nm calcium hydroxide nanospherulites in ethylene glycol solvent. The organic gel expressed excellent mechanical properties such as a recoverable compressive engineering stress of 249 MPa and an elongation stress of 402 KPa, which was attributed to the uniform nanosized crosslinking structure as characterized by SEM. Moreover, the nonvolatile solvent remained in the gel, meaning that the sample can resist a wide temperature range of ?56 to 100 °C without losing the elastic properties. This novel organic gel could provide promising routes to develop the ideal elastic carriers for wearable devices, smart skin sensors, and damping materials. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 713–721     

The impact of environmental regulations on forest product trade in China

Forest product trade plays an important role in the development of the Chinese forest industry. The trading value of forest product has shown a yearly growth rate of 12% during the last five recent years. Stringent environmental regulations in China have a profound impact on raw material supplies and industrial production in the forest sector; however, their impact on the forest product trade is still unclear. This study applies fixed and random effects models as well as a seemingly unrelated regression model to investigate the impact of environmental regulations on the trade of forest product from 2002 to 2015. The results indicate that the stringent environmental regulations promoted the import but restricted the export of forest product in general. Specifically, the stringent environmental regulations stimulated the import but had an ambiguous impact on the export of the paper product. The stringent environmental regulations had also stimulated the import of wood product but inhibited the export. In contrast, wooden furniture had been affected minimally; only export got slightly negatively affected by environmental regulations. Recommendations for resource managers:

• Trade‐offs between economic growth and environmental regulations are needed to smoothly promote the forest product trade in China.
• Paper and wooden furniture product sectors are less likely to be affected by stringent environmental regulations, because high value‐added products could compensate for environmental costs.
• The wood product sector is more likely to be negatively affected by stringent environmental regulations because environmental costs could severely impact the competitiveness of low value‐added products.

     

Exfoliation of 2D Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications

The fascinating properties of single-layer graphene isolated by mechanical exfoliation have inspired extensive research efforts toward two-dimensional (2D) materials. Layered compounds serve as precursors for atomically thin 2D materials (briefly, 2D nanomaterials) owing to their strong intraplane chemical bonding but weak interplane van der Waals interactions. There are newly emerging 2D materials beyond graphene, and it is becoming increasingly important to develop cost-effective, scalable methods for producing 2D nanomaterials with controlled microstructures and properties. The variety of developed synthetic techniques can be categorized into two classes: bottom-up and top-down approaches. Of top-down approaches, the exfoliation of bulk 2D materials into single or few layers is the most common. This review highlights chemical and physical exfoliation methods that allow for the production of 2D nanomaterials in large quantities. In addition, remarkable examples of utilizing exfoliated 2D nanomaterials in energy and environmental applications are introduced.     

Secondary Formation of Aromatic Nitroderivatives of Environmental Concern: Photonitration Processes Triggered by the Photolysis of Nitrate and Nitrite Ions in Aqueous Solution

Aromatic nitroderivatives are compounds of considerable environmental concern, because some of them are phytotoxic (especially the nitrophenols, and particularly 2,4-dinitrophenol), others are mutagenic and potentially carcinogenic (e.g., the nitroderivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, such as 1-nitropyrene), and all of them absorb sunlight as components of the brown carbon. The latter has the potential to affect the climatic feedback of atmospheric aerosols. Most nitroderivatives are secondarily formed in the environment and, among their possible formation processes, photonitration upon irradiation of nitrate or nitrite is an important pathway that has periodically gained considerable attention. However, photonitration triggered by nitrate and nitrite is a very complex process, because the two ionic species under irradiation produce a wide range of nitrating agents (such as ^•NO₂, HNO₂, HOONO, and H₂OONO⁺), which are affected by pH and the presence of organic compounds and, in turn, deeply affect the nitration of aromatic precursors. Moreover, aromatic substrates can highly differ in their reactivity towards the various photogenerated species, thereby providing different behaviours towards photonitration. Despite the high complexity, it is possible to rationalise the different photonitration pathways in a coherent framework. In this context, this review paper has the goal of providing the reader with a guide on what to expect from the photonitration process under different conditions, how to study it, and how to determine which pathway(s) are prevailing in the formation of the observed nitroderivatives.     

Microfunnel‐filter‐based emulsification microextraction followed by gas chromatography for simple determination of organophosphorus pesticides in environmental water samples

A simple and fast method named microfunnel‐filter‐based emulsification microextraction is introduced for an efficient determination of some organophosphorus pesticides including diazinon, malathion, and chlorpyrifos in the environmental samples including the river, sea, and well water. This method is based upon the dispersion of a low‐toxicity organic solvent (dihexyl ether), as the extractant, in a high volume of an aqueous sample solution (45 mL). It is implemented without a centrifugation step, and using a syringe filter and a micro‐funnel, the phase separation and transfer of the enriched analytes to the gas chromatograph are simply achieved. By filtration of the extractant phase, a suitable sample clean‐up is obtained, and the total extraction time is just a few minutes. The factors influencing the extraction efficiency are optimized, and under the optimal conditions, the proposed method provides a good linearity (in the range of 15–1500 ng/mL (R² > 0.996). A high enrichment factor is obtained (in the range of 306–342), and the method provides low limits of detection and quantification (in the ranges of 4–8 and 15–25 ng/mL, respectively).     

Transferkoeffizienten im System Boden—Pflanze in verschiedenen Lokalitäten der Tschechoslovakei

Für die Ermittlung der Transferkoeffizienten im System Boden–Pflanze wurden in drei Stellen der Tschechoslovakei Boden- und Pflanzenproben entnommen. Die niedrigsten Transferkoeffizienten für Getreide und für mehrjährige Futterpflanzen wurden in der Ostslovakei festgestellt. Die Werte der Transferkoeffizienten waren durch den Bodentyp, den Gesamt-Sorptionskapazität und dem Grad der Sorptionssättigung beeinfluβt.

Soil and plant samples were sampled for the determination of soil to plant transfer coefficients in three various Czechoslovak sites. The lowesl transfer factors for cereals and fodder were determined in the site of Eastern Slovakia. Values of transfer factors depend on soil type, cation exchange capacity and base saturation of soils.     

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in marine sediment of Thermaikos Gulf,Greece

Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) concentrations were determined in marine sediment samples collected from 7 different locations around Thermaikos Gulf in north Greece. PBDEs were detected in all sampling sites and their average total concentration (ΣPBDEs) ranged from 0.26 to 4.92?ng?g^?1?d.w. Concentrations were an order of magnitude higher in locations outlining the inner part of the Gulf, which were also closer to industrial areas, sewage treatment plant discharges, the city's harbour and landfill area. These findings suggest pollution in the aquatic ecosystem from industrial and urban activities in the area. Congener profiles exhibit predominance of BDE-209, while concentrations of other PBDE congeners were usually lower, when compared to similar studies from other countries globally, indicating that Thermaikos Gulf is among the low-polluted areas. Statistical analysis showed significant differences among the higher polluted sampling stations. Statistically significant differences also existed between sampling stations with high and low PBDE concentrations. Correlations between congeners suggested local contamination sources; however, specific point sources of pollution were not established.     

Ultrasound-assisted extraction of antimony and cobalt from inorganic environmental samples using a cup-horn sonoreactor prior to their determination by electrothermal-atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple, fast and reliable method is described for the quantitative extraction of Sb and Co from inorganic environmental matrices containing variable amounts of silicates prior to their determination by electrothermal-atomic absorption spectrometry. The method is based on the ultrasound-assisted extraction of both elements using the mixture 20% v/v HF + 20% v/v HNO₃ as extractant. The extraction procedure was carried out in closed Eppendorf vials immersed in a cup-horn sonoreactor for 20?min. Once extraction has been accomplished, the supernatant liquid is separated from the solid phase and subsequently transferred into the autosampler of the instrument. A two-level full factorial design (2⁴) was applied for screening optimisation of the variables influencing the ultrasonic extraction. These variables were: sonication time; amplitude of the ultrasound energy; nitric and hydrofluoric acid concentrations. MLDs were 0.20 and 0.06?µg?·?g^?1 for Sb and Co, respectively. Between-batch precision values, expressed as relative standard deviations (n?=?3), were less than 5.5 and 9.6% for Sb and Co, respectively. The method was evaluated using a wide variety of inorganic certified reference materials, such as SRM 2702 (Marine Sediment), SRM 2782 (Industrial Sludge), BCR 176R (Fly Ash), SRM 1633b (Coal Fly Ash) SRM 2710 (Montana Soil) and SRM 2711 (Montana Soil).     

Environmental effects on nuclear decay rates

The possible change of nuclear decay rates in different environments has long been an interesting topic due to its importance not only in nuclear physics but also in astrophysics, geological dating, condensed matter physics, etc. The progress in the investigation of variations in nuclear decay rates are reviewed.