June 2023. Miss Yiwen Xu recently published an Environmental Science & Technology article exploring the mass transfer of various additives from plastic films to water using experimental and modeling approaches.

https://pubs.acs.org/articlesonrequest/AOR-QQS5UIIJA4XMSANZQDQZ

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c09738

September 2022. Miss Yiwen Xu recently published an article in Science of the Total Environment exploring the co-occurrence and correlations of light microplastics and phthalates in soils across China, including agricultural and urban soils. High quantities of microplastics (1143–5911 pcs kg−1) and phthalates (67.3–1236.64 μg kg−1) were detected in urban park soils!

https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1fif5B8ccuqYn

December 2021. Miss. Yufeng Tao recently published an article in Science of the Total Environment using suspecting screening to find unknown pesticides and their degradation products at pesticide manufacturing sites. We identified 212 pesticides by liquid and gas chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The results also highlight the importance of comprehensive screening at industrial sites and call for improved management and regulation of pesticide manufacturing, particularly for in-service facilities.

 Congratulations!

https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1eCdaB8ccr4UF 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152074

May 2021. Dr. Hang Liu recently published an article in Chromatographia developing a method for analyzing 34 antibiotics (tetracyclines, sulfonamides, macrolides, and quinolones) in soil simultaneously. We compared dispersive and conventional solid-phase extractions (SPE) for sample cleanup. The conventional SPE method had higher recovery and lower matrix effects for most antibiotics analyzed. Our optimized method can be used to screen for and accurately determine the presence of veterinary antibiotics in soil, thereby improving risk assessment and regulation of these chemicals in the agroecosystem. Congratulations!

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10337-021-04064-5

March 2021 was a memorable month for the Lu group. Not less than two master students defended their work. On March 8th, Ailun Hu and Min Qiu defended their thesis on "Analysis and pollution characteristics of phthalates and microplastics in soils" and "Aerobic and anaerobic transformation pathways of florfenicol in soil." Congratulations!

Yiwen Xu has recently published a paper in Chemosphere exploring the occurrence of bisphenol A and thirteen structural analogs in soil. A new method was developed method analyzing bisphenols in 29 agricultural and urban soil samples from 21 provinces in China. The results showed that "hot spots" existed for bisphenol pollution in soil and that further investigations were necessary to avoid regrettable substitutions. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130232

Min Qiu has recently published a paper in the Journal of Hazardous Materials elucidating aerobic degradation mechanisms of florfenicol in soil by stable-isotope assisted nontarget screening. The structures of 12 transformation products were elucidated, and 9 of them were reported for the first time. A total of 8 products were also found in 6 field soil samples with manure application. The strategies demonstrated in this study provide a basis for efficient identification of transformation products of other organic micropollutants in a variety of environmental matrices. The results also shed light on the degradation mechanisms, risk assessments, and regulations of these compounds.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123974

Ailun Hu has recently published a paper in the Journal of Chromatography A developing a new method to analyze 14 phthalate diesters and 11 monoesters in soil. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry was used for quantification, combined with accelerated solvent extraction and in-cell cleanup for sample preparation. The method developed in this study can be used for screening and accurate quantification of phthalate diesters and monoesters in soil and possibly in other environmental matrices. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2020.461347