Plants are a rich source of therapeutic compounds that have tremendous applications in the pharmaceutical industry. This study aimed to identify the phytochemicals present in the seven selected medicinal plants as well as their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.  Phytochemical screening, total phenolic, and flavonoid contents were determined using standard methods. The antioxidant activity of plant extracts was determined using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl (OH), and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging assays. The antimicrobial activity of the plant extracts was determined by the broth microdilution method. Psychotria peduncularis showed the highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents . All plant extracts showed very strong antioxidant activity against DPPH and NO radical scavenging with IC50 values ranging from 0.55 to 49.43 µg/mL and 0.65 to 13.7 µg/mL, respectively. The extracts of Tristemma mauritianum and P. peduncularis displayed significant antibacterial activity with MIC values ranging from 16 to 1024 µg/mL. T. mauritianum extract showed bactericidal activity against all tested species. The extracts of Alsophila manianna and P. peduncularis showed significant antifungal activity (MIC = 64 µg/mL) against Candida albicans strain.  The results of phytochemical analysis showed the presence of phenols, flavonoids, and steroids in all plant extracts. The extract of  The screened extracts of medicinal plants used in our study can be used as potential antioxidant and antimicrobial agents, and resources for the development of new drugs. The emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens that have acquired new resistance mechanisms, leading to antimicrobial resistance, continues to threaten our ability to treat common infections . EspeciaIn addition, the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been implicated in the development of various chronic and degenerative diseases such as cancer, respiratory, neurodegenerative, and digestive diseases . Under pHeterotis decumbens, Lavigeria macrocarpa, Tristemma mauritianum, Cyanthillium stelluliferum, Alsophila manianna, Crassocephalum bougheyanum, and Psychotria peduncularis are promising underinvestigated medicinal plants from Cameroon  carbonyl) benzoic acid and sitosterol with antibacterial activity [C. stelluliferum, also called Triplotaxis stellulifera, belongs to the Asteraceae family. Traditionally, it has been used for the treatment of polyhydramnios and amnionitis affecting newborns. It is also known to have immunomodulatory properties [A. manianna synomyn Cyathae manianna is a species of tree fern belonging to the Cyatheaceae family. Its leaves and seeds have been used to treat filariasis, while its stembark has been used for the treatment of backache [A. manianna has been reported [C. bougheyanum is a species of herb in the family Asteraceae. A previous study showed that C. bougheyanum did not produce any toxicity effect on Swiss albino mice [P. peduncularis is a plant in the Rubiaceae family. It has been traditionally used in several countries to treat toothache, convulsion, yellow jaundice, stomachache, earache, backache, and skin infection [Cameroon . Althougstralgia . L. macrrodisiac . T. maurtivities . Phytochactivity . C. steloperties , 20. A. backache , 23. In reported . C. bougino mice . P. pedunfection .Despite the traditional use of these medicinal plants, very little work has been done to investigate their phytochemical constituents. In addition, there are few studies on the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of these medicinal plants. Therefore, in the present study, we evaluated the phytochemical constituents of extracts of these medicinal plants, and determined their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities against microbial pathogens.α-tocopherol, Folin-Ciocalteu's reagent, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), p-iodonitrotetrazolium chloride (INT), quercetin, gallic acid, ascorbic acid, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), ciprofloxacin, and ketoconazole were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. The solvent and all reagents used in the analysis were of analytical grade.DPPH , (±)-Candida albicans (ATCC 90029), Candida parapsilosis (ATCC 22019), Candida krusei (ATCC 6258), and Candida tropicalis (ATCC 750) were used. The bacterial spp. used were Escherichia coli (ATCC 10536), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), and Enterobacter aerogenesis (ATCC 13048), and three clinical isolates, namely, Providencia stuartii, P. aeruginosa, and Vibrio cholerae C06. Fungal and bacterial strains were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) while the clinical bacterial isolates were obtained from the Pasteur Institute Yaoundé (Cameroon). Mueller Hinton agar  and Mueller Hinton broth  were used for the activation of bacteria and antimicrobial assays, respectively. Sabouraud Dextrose agar  and Sabouraud Dextrose broth  were used for the activation of yeasts and antimicrobial assays, respectively.Four fungal strains: H. decumbens, L. macrocarpa, T. mauritianum, C. stelluliferum, A. manianna, C. bougheyanum, and P. peduncularis) (Seven fresh plants (cularis)  were colThe collected plants were washed with water and dried in the shade at room temperature. Dried plant samples were powdered and 100 g of each plant sample powder was macerated with 800 mL of methanol. Then, each sample was filtered using Whatman No. 1 filter paper and from each filtrate the methanol was removed using a rotary evaporator (Buchi R-200) under reduced pressure. The extracts were stored at 4°C for further studies.The presence or absence of different constituents, such as alkaloids, steroids, glycosides, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and terpenoids in each plant extract was determined using the method of Harbone (1984) . DetermiµL of DPPH solution (0.2 mM) prepared in methanol was mixed with 100 μL of each plant extract sample at various concentrations (12.5 to 200 μg/mL). After incubation in the dark at room temperature for 30 min, the absorbance of the mixture was measured at 517 nm using a spectrophotometer. Ascorbic acid was used as a positive control, methanol as a negative control, and extract without DPPH as a blank. The percent of inhibition of DPPH radical scavenging (%I) was calculated using the formula: %I = ((AbsorbanceControl − AbsorbanceSample)/AbsorbanceControl)) × 100. The concentration of each plant extract necessary to scavenge 50% of radicals (IC50) was calculated by plotting inhibition percentages against concentrations of each sample.The DPPH assay was performed using the method described by Dzoyem and Eloff . Brieflyµg/mL) was mixed with 90 µL of FeCl3 (4 mM) and 60 µL of 1, 10-phenanthrolin (1 mM). Then, 2.4 mL of phosphate buffer saline (0.2 M pH 7.4) and 150 µL of H2O2 (0.17 M) was added. The reaction mixture was incubated for 10 min at room temperature and the absorbance of the mixture was measured using a spectrophotometer at 560 nm. Buffer was used as a blank, and ascorbic acid was used as a positive control. The percent of inhibition of hydroxyl radical and IC50 were calculated as described above in the DPPH radical scavenging assay.The hydroxyl radical scavenging assay of each plant extract was determined using the Fenton reaction as described by Sowndhararajan and Kang with slight modifications . Brieflyµg/mL) was incubated at room temperature for 1 h. Then, 1.2 mL of Griess reagent (1 mM) prepared in distilled water was added, and the reaction mixture was incubated at room temperature for 5 min. The absorbance was read using a spectrophotometer at 546 nm. The buffer was used as a blank, and ascorbic acid was used as a positive control. The percent of inhibition of nitric oxide radical and IC50 was calculated as described above in the DPPH radical scavenging assay.The nitric oxide radical scavenging activity of each plant extract was measured as described by Kamble et al. with slight modifications . The reaμg/mL) was serially diluted two-fold with MHB in a 96-well microplate at a total volume of 100 µL. The concentrations of plant extracts ranged from 4096 to 2 μg/mL. Then, wells were filled with 100 µL of inoculum , and the microplate was incubated for 24 hours (bacteria) and 48 hours (yeast) at 37°C. Wells containing bacteria or fungi were used as the negative control while wells containing microorganisms and standard drugs (ciprofloxacin or ketoconazole) were used as the positive control. A volume of 40 μL of INT solution (0.2 mg/mL) was added to each well and the microplate was incubated at 37°C for 30 min. Viable bacteria or yeast reduce the yellow dye of INT to a pink color. The MIC was recorded as the lowest extract concentration that prevented the color change in the medium. The MBC or MFC was determined by adding 50 μL from the wells that did not show growth after incubation for the MIC test to 150 μL of MHB (bacteria) or SDB (yeast). Then, the microplate was incubated at 37°C for 48 hours. MBC and MFC were defined as the lowest concentration of extract that killed all bacteria or yeast, respectively. The test was performed in triplicate and repeated three times.The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of the extracts were determined by the broth microdilution method . BrieflyThe antibacterial activity of plant extracts was characterized as bactericidal (MBC/MIC ≤4) or bacteriostatic (MBC/MIC <4) . Additiomacrocarpa extract had all phytochemical constituents except anthraquinone. Additionally, saponins were present in all plants except A. manniana and P. peduncularis.The results of qualitative analysis of phytochemicals of the methanolic extracts of seven medicinal plants are shown in P. penduncularis and T. mauritianum presented the highest TPC . However, the extracts of C. bougheyanum and H. decumbens presented the lowest TPC . The plant extract of P. peducularis (1.38 ± 0.06 mg QE/g) presented the highest TFC while the plant extract of L. macrocarpa (0.11 ± 0.01 mg QE/g) showed the lowest TFC. The TFC of the C. stelluliferum (0.36 ± 0.02 mg QE/g) extract was similar to that of the A. manniana extract (0.39 ± 0.04 mg QE/g).The quantities of phenolic and flavonoid contents in the different medicinal plants are presented in 50 values of the plant extracts ranged from 0.55 to 49.43 μg/mL and 0.65 to 13.7 μg/mL in the DPPH and NO methods, respectively. Compared to ascorbic acid, the IC50 values of the P. peduncularis extract in the DPPH and NO methods were similar.The antioxidant activities of medicinal plant extracts as determined by the DPPH, OH, and NO radical scavenging assays are shown in T. mauritianum and P. peduncularis showed the highest antibacterial activity with MIC values ranging from 16 to 1024 µg/mL. Additionally, the H. decumbens extract showed important antibacterial activity with MIC values ranging from 32 to 1024 µg/mL. However, the L. macrocarpa plant extract presented the lowest antibacterial activity . T. mauritianum extract exhibited bactericidal activity against all tested species with an MBC/MIC ratio equal to 2. Ciprofloxacin was used as a control drug, and its MIC and MBC values ranged from 0.25 to 32 µg/mL and 0.5 to 64 µg/mL, respectively.H. decumbens displayed the best activity  followed by the extracts of P. peduncularis and T. mauritianum with MIC values ranging from 32 to 512 µg/mL and 64 to 512 µg/mL respectively. In addition, the extracts of H. decumbens, T. mauritianum, and P. peduncularis showed fungicidal activity against all fungal strains. However, the lowest antifungal activity was obtained for L. macrocarpa, with MIC values ranging from 256 to ≤2048 µg/mL. Ketoconazole exhibited fungicidal activity against all tested fungal strains.Concerning antifungal activity, the extract of A. manniana contained flavonoids, quinones, tannins, terpenoids, and steroids [C. stelluliferum [C. stelluliferum and P. peduncularis. Plant extracts containing saponins have been used to treat inflammation, cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases, gastric ulcers, and ultraviolet damage [The use of medicinal plants for their pharmacological properties is being increasingly reported in the different countries. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 25% of prescription drugs derived from plants , 35. In steroids . In addiuliferum . Our rest damage . In addit damage . The preP. penduncularis presented the highest TPC and TFC. The high amounts of phenolic and flavonoid compounds in this plant could increase its biological properties compared to other studied medicinal plants. The antioxidant activity should not be concluded on the basis of a single method [50 < 50 µg/mL), strong (50 ≤ IC50 < 100 µg/mL), moderate (100 ≤ IC50 < 150 µg/mL), and low (IC50 > 150 µg/mL) [C. stelluliferum and C. bougheyanum extracts exhibited strong OH scavenging activity with IC50 values of 79.06 µg/mL and 67.29 µg/mL, respectively. This antioxidant activity observed in the studied medicinal plants could be attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds such as phenolic acids and flavonoids. These phenolic compounds act as antioxidants by hydrogen-donating properties of their phenolic group hydroxyls [A. manniana [T. mauritianum [The total phenolic and flavonoid contents in selected medicinal plants were also investigated. The extracts of e method . In orde0 µg/mL) . On thisydroxyls . Additioydroxyls . Our resmanniana . Additioritianum .μg/mL), moderate (100 ≤ MIC ≤625 µg/mL), and low (MIC >625 µg/mL) [H. decumbens extract showed significant antibacterial activity (MIC = 32 µg/mL) against P. stuartii isolates. In addition, the extracts of T. mauritianum and P. peduncularis displayed significant antibacterial activity (MIC = 16 µg/mL) against S. aureus strain. Concerning antifungal activity, the extracts H. decumbens, T. mauritianum, and P. peduncularis exhibited significant activity against C. krusei strain. Additionally, A. manianna and P. peduncularis showed significant antifungal activity (MIC = 64 µg/mL) against C. albicans strain. However, the majority of plant extracts exhibited moderate antibacterial and antifungal activities. The different antimicrobial activities of plant extracts could be attributed to the presence of phytochemical compounds such as phenolics, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, steroids, and triterpenes, which have antimicrobial properties and cause damage of the cell membrane, leading to cell death through its disruption [T. mauritianum against Salmonella [Plants are a good source of new medicine. In our study, we also tested the antimicrobial activity of seven medicinal plants against bacterial and fungal pathogens. The antibacterial or antifungal activity is considered significant (MIC <100 5 µg/mL) . On thissruption . In addisruption –46. Sevesruption –49. Limilmonella .The results of this study revealed the antibacterial and antifungal potential of the studied medicinal plants against drug-resistant pathogens. Additionally, these medicinal plants could be used as a natural source of antioxidants. Further purification and isolation of the bioactive compounds in these plant extracts would provide possible identification of the mechanism of action and possible lead compounds for the development of new drugs.


The addition of LA, CA, or MA in gelatin dispersions significantly (p < 0.05) weakened their gel strengths, leading to a 14.3–62.2 reduction in gel strength. The gel strength, elastic (G′), and viscous (G″) moduli, as well as the gelling (TG) and melting (TM) temperatures of gelatin dispersions decreased with an increased level of acid added, implying the weakening effects of these acids on junction zones of the gelatin network in aqueous media. The addition of LA had less effect on these rheological properties of gelatin dispersions as compared to that of MA and CA, which were consistent with their effects on the pH of gelatin dispersions. Moreover, the reductions of TG and TM for gelatin dispersions with a higher gelatin concentration  due to the addition of LA, CA, or MA were less pronounced compared to those with a lower gelatin content , likely attributing to the stronger buffering effect of the high gelatin dispersion and less percentage reduction in the junction zones in the dispersion due to the addition of an acid. Incorporation of the effects of acids on the linear relationships (2R = 0.9959–0.9999) between the square of gelatin concentrations and G′ or G″ could make it possible to develop a model to predict G′, G″, phase transition temperatures of gelatin dispersions containing different amounts of gelatin and acid (within the tested range) in the future.This study aimed to evaluate the effects of lactic acid (LA), citric acid (CA), and malic acid (MA) varying in concentration (0.5–2.0%  Gelatin is a type of high molecular weight, fat-free, and cholesterol-free natural peptide polymer obtained through moderate hydrolysis of collagen . Due to The physical, chemical, and physicochemical properties of gelatin dispersions, including sol and gel states and phase transitions (sol-gel and gel-sol transitions), have been widely studied ,9,10. Sow/w), and found that the gel strength was continuously decreased with a decrease in pH from 8 to 2. However, there is still a lack of systematic study regarding the dynamic rheological properties of fish-based gelatin dispersions as affected by the addition of acidulants. Acidulants, such as lactic acid (LA), citric acid (CA), and malic acid (MA), are widely employed in various types of food mainly to improve sensory properties and extend shelf lives of the products ,18,19,20Oreochromis mossambicus) skin gelatin dispersions as affected by three different acidulants, including LA, CA, and MA. Tilapia is among the most harvested freshwater fish throughout the world, providing a relatively large quantity and continuous supply of tilapia skins for extraction of high-quality fish gelatin [Therefore, the objective of this research was to investigate the dynamic rheological properties of tilapia , provided by Xiangtai Aquatic Products Co., Ltd. , were stored at −80 °C before use. The extraction of gelatin was conducted as described by Niu [2 pieces, washed with ice water, and pretreated with NaOH  and acetic acid  at 4 °C for 1 h. Afterward, the gelatin was extracted in deionized water , filtered with a vacuum pump filter, and dehydrated at 50 °C in a drying oven.The skins of tilapia (d by Niu  with minw/w) were prepared. Firstly, accurately weighed gelatin was swelled in distilled water , followed by being heated at 50 °C for 30 min with stirring (170 rpm). Next, analytical grade malic acid (MA), citric acid (CA), or lactic acid (LA)  was added into a gelatin solution, and further heated at 50 °C for 30 min while stirring (170 rpm). The gelatin solutions were immediately used for the measurements of their pH values and viscoelastic properties. Gelatin solutions with four concentrations  with or without acid was measured based on the standard method of GMIA . In shorG) or melting temperature (TM) was defined as where G′ and G″ curves were crossed over for the first time during the cooling or heating processes [A Physica MCR 301 rotational rheometer  equipped with a cup-and-bob  was applied in order to perform the dynamic studies. The controlled strain applied was 0.5% and the frequency used was 1 Hz so that the dynamic rheological tests were conducted within the linear viscoelastic region of the gelatin gels, based on some preliminary experiments. In order to perform a dynamic rheology test, a gelatin solution (2.2) was transferred into the sample cup, held at 40 °C for 10 min, cooled to 2 °C at a rate of 0.5 °C/min, held at 2 °C for 10 min, then heated back to 40 °C at the same rate, and held for 10 min. The changes of elastic (G′) and viscous (G″) moduli were collected during the temperature ramp test. The gelling temperature (Trocesses . All samp < 0.05) in the strength of gelatin gels. This was followed by a multiple pair comparison with the Tukey test if significant difference was found. The ANOVA and other data analysis (such as model fitting) presented in this study were conducted with SPSS 20.0 .Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed in order to evaluate whether the addition of LA, CA, or MA resulted in significant differences , MA , and CA  are monobasic, binary, and triprotic acids, respectively  on their gel strengths. The gel strength of gelatin decreased when an increased level of LA, CA, or MA was added. Depending on the acid type, the introduction of 0.5% of acid led to a 14.3–25.5 decrease in the strength of gelatin gels, while the introduction of 1% and 2% of acid resulted in 23.2–43.1 and 44.3–62.2 decreases in the gel strength, respectively. The impact of the three acids on the strength of gelatin gels followed similar patterns to that on the pH of gelatin solutions. The gelatin gels with LA (1% or 2%) added had significantly (p < 0.05) higher gel strength compared to those with CA or MA at the same level, and the corresponding pH levels of gelatin solutions with LA were higher than those with CA or MA. The results were consistent with those reported by Choi [Gel strength is an important physical parameter which is used to evaluate the grade level and quality of gelatin . The eff by Choi , which i by Choi  showed t by Choi ,28. Ther2R = 0.9981, 0.9971, and 0.9959, respectively). A similar relationship also existed between G′’ values and the square of gelatin concentrations . A gelatin gel (≤20 °C) with a higher gelatin concentration corresponded to higher levels of G′ and G″ , which wtrations B , 19.5 °C (4% gelatin), 14.8 °C (2% gelatin), and 11.8 °C (1.5% gelatin), while the corresponding melting temperatures were 29.3 °C, 28.2 °C, 26.9 °C, and 26.0 °C, respectively. This clearly showed that the higher the gelatin concentration was, the higher the TG and TM of the gelatin dispersion were, which was consistent with the results reported by Joly-Duhamel [-Duhamel . A highe-Duhamel ,37. 2R = 0.9985 or 0.9964). Eldridge and Ferry [0 is the melting enthalpy (J/mol). A plot of the logarithm of gelatin concentrations against the reciprocal of the melting temperatures (K) based upon the equation (2) showed a good linear relationship  decreased (G from 21.8 °C to 20.2–21.4 °C (LA), 18.7–20.4 °C (CA), or 18.7–20.3 °C (MA), depending on the concentration of the acid added. For the 4.0% gelatin dispersions, the corresponding TG decreased from 19.5 °C to 15.4–17.4 °C (LA), 13.3–16.4 °C (CA), or 13.3–16.1 °C (MA). For the 2.0% gelatin dispersions, the corresponding TG decreased from 14.8 °C to 3.5–7.7 °C (LA), 3.1–6.5 °C (CA), or 2.8–6.1 °C (MA). Noticeably, a higher level of acid added resulted in a lower TG of the gelatin dispersion, while the effects of CA and MA were more obvious than those of LA at the same level, which was tied to the pH of the final gelatin dispersions (G for gelatin dispersions with a low gelatin concentration (such as 2.0%) due to the addition of an acid was greater than that with a high gelatin concentration (such as 6.67%). For example, the TG dropped only 0.4 °C (from 21.8 to 21.4 °C) for the 6.67% gelatin dispersion due to the addition of 0.5% LA, but dropped 2.1 °C (from 19.5 to 17.4 °C) for the 4.0% gelatin dispersion and 7.1 °C (from 14.8 to 7.7 °C) for the 2.0% gelatin dispersion. The effects of LA, CA, and MA on the TM of gelatin dispersions (2.0–6.67%) follow similar patterns as that on TG (M decreased from 29.3 °C to 28.8–29.1°C (LA), 26.8–28.4 °C (CA), or 26.8–28.2 °C (MA) for the 6.77% gelatin dispersions with the addition of an acid, while it decreased from 28.2 °C to 26.1–27.6 °C (LA), 24.3–26.7 °C (CA), or 24.5–26.6 °C (MA) for the 4.0% gelatin dispersions, and from 26.8 °C to 22.7–25.2 °C (LA), 21.9–24.4 °C (CA), or 22.0–24.4 °C (MA) for the 2.0% gelatin dispersions. For the dispersions containing 1.5% gelatin and acid, there was generally no G′/G″ cross-over observed, except for that with 0.5% or 1.0% LA. Therefore, no TG and TM were reported. In the presence of 0.5–2.0% of LA, CA, or MA, both Tecreased . For thepersions . Moreoveat on TG . The TM G and TM of gelatin dispersions due to the addition of LA, CA, or MA were attributed to the effects of the acids on interrupting the formation of hydrogen bonds and weakening the junction zones of the gelatin molecules, which were similar to the effects of acids on the strength of gelatin gels and the G′ and G″ of gelatin dispersions [G and TM of a dispersion with higher gelatin content, this could probably be attributed to the stronger buffering effect of the dispersion. In addition, since the number of junction zones within the network of a dispersion containing higher gelatin content was much higher than in that with low gelatin content, the percentage reduction in the junction zones in the high gelatin dispersion due to the addition of an acid would be relatively less.The gelling and melting temperature of a gelatin dispersion reflected the transition temperatures of the coil–helix of the dispersion system . The decpersions ,27,28. RG and TM. The gel strength, G′, G″, TG, and TM of gelatin dispersions decreased with an increased level of LA, CA, or MA added, indicating the weakening effects of these acids on junction zones of the gelatin network in aqueous media. In addition, these rheological properties of gelatin dispersions were less affected by LA as compared to MA and CA, which were consistent with their effects on the pH of gelatin dispersions. Furthermore, the influences of an acid on the TG and TM of a dispersion with higher gelatin concentration were less pronounced compared to on a dispersion with lower gelatin content, which could be attributed to the stronger buffering effect of the high gelatin dispersion and less percentage reduction in the junction zones in the dispersion due to the addition of an acid. There were linear relationships between the square of gelatin concentrations and G′ (2R = 0.9959–0.9981) or G″ (2R = 0.9968–0.9999) at a specific temperature, and similar relationships also existed for the gelatin dispersion with an acid. Therefore, it is possible to develop a model to calculate the G′ and G″ of gelatin dispersions containing different amounts of gelatin and acid based on these relationships, and to predict their phase transition temperatures, in the near future.The addition of LA, CA, or MA in gelatin dispersions greatly affected the gel strength, G′, G″, and phase transition temperatures, including T


Arthrobacter sp. NJ-1 and Klebsiella variicola strain FH-1 using sodium alginate-CaCl2 on the degradation of atrazine were investigated. The results showed that the optimal ratio of three types of carrier materials  was 1:1:1 with the highest adsorption capacity for atrazine  obtained at 30°C. On day 9, the degradation efficiency of atrazine (50 mg/L) reached 98.23% with cell concentration of 1.6 × 108  cfu/ml at pH 9 and 30°C. The Box–Behnken method was used to further optimize the culture conditions for the degradation of atrazine by the immobilized bacterial mixture. The IM-FN could be reused for 2–3 times with the degradation efficiency of atrazine maintained at 73.0% after being stored for 80 days at 25°C. The population dynamics of IM-FN was explored with the total soil DNA samples specifically analyzed by real-time PCR. In 7 days, the copy numbers of both PydC and estD genes in the IM-FN were significantly higher than those of bacterial suspensions in the soil. Compared with bacterial suspensions, the IM-FN significantly accelerated the degradation of atrazine (20 mg/kg) in soil with the half-life shortened from 19.80 to 7.96 days. The plant heights of two atrazine-sensitive crops (wheat and soybean) were increased by 14.99 and 64.74%, respectively, in the soil restored by immobilized bacterial mixture, indicating that the IM-FN significantly reduced the phytotoxicity of atrazine on the plants. Our study evidently demonstrated that the IM-FN could significantly increase the degradation of atrazine, providing a potentially effective bioremediation technique for the treatment of atrazine-polluted soil environment and providing experimental support for the wide application of immobilized microorganism technology in agriculture.In this study, the effects of the immobilized bacterial mixture (IM-FN) of  The rice straw powder, corn straw powder, wheat bran, rice husk, vermiculite, and waste fungal substrate were provided by the Research Center of Mycology, Jilin Agricultural University. The Luria–Bertani (LB) medium contained tryptone 10.0 g/L, yeast powder 5.0 g/L, and NaCl 10.0 g/L, with pH level adjusted to 7.0–7.5. The minimal salt medium contained sucrose 35.3 g/L, NH4Cl 10.3 g/L, MgSO4 7 H2O 0.4 g/L, KH2PO4 0.5 g/L, K2HPO4 1.5 g/L, and NaCl 1.0 g/L, with pH level adjusted to 7.0. The meadow black soil samples were collected from the experimental maize field (43°48′49.22″N and 125°25′18.20″E) of Jilin Agricultural University, with pH 6.4, organic matter content of 2.65%, and no application of atrazine. Fresh soil samples were collected from the underground 0–20 cm in depth, dried naturally, and sieved through 40 mesh. The seeds of both wheat (Triticum aestivum L. variety “Jimai No. 3”) and soybean (Glycine max L. variety “Ji Da No.1”) were obtained from the College of Plant Protection of Jilin Agricultural University and the College of Plant Science of Jilin University, respectively.Atrazine (purity: 97.5%) was purchased from TCI Development Co., Ltd.  and all other chemicals used in our study were of analytical grade. Both 2.2.9 cfu/ml; Single colonies were picked from FH-1 and NJ-1 solid media and transferred to LB liquid media, incubated at 30°C and 150 r/min for 12 and 18 h, respectively. Then, the samples were centrifuged for 5 min at 7,000 rpm, with the supernatant removed; the bacterial samples of strains FH-1 and NJ-1 were then suspended with sterile water and mixed in a volume ratio of 3:2 (V:V), which was the bacterial suspensions , were weighed 5 g each and loaded into six 250 ml triangular flasks, and sterilized at 121°C for 20 min before cooling and inoculating with 10 ml of FN. The samples were shaken to mix and then air-dried at 30°C to prepare the carrier materials containing bacterial suspensions. The obtained samples were stored at 4°C and 25 ± 5°C (room temperature), respectively. The viable bacterial cell counts in different carrier materials were measured at 2 h, 10 days, 20 days, 40 days, 60 days, and 90 days. Each experiment was repeated three times to determine the optimal carrier materials and storage temperature.2.4.The optimal carrier materials screened, i.e., rice straw powder, rice husk, and wheat bran, were mixed with the ratios of 1:1:1, 1:2:1, 1:1:2, and 2:1:1, respectively. A total of 5 g of each mixture of carrier materials were collected and autoclaved at 121°C for 20 min, added into the minimal salt medium containing 50 mg/L atrazine with or without 10 ml FN, respectively, as two treatment groups, shaken and mixed, ventilated, and dried at 30°C. The control experiment contained only atrazine. The concentration of atrazine was determined at 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 days using high performance liquid chromatogram (HPLC), respectively.2.5.18  with a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min , column temperature of 30°C, and an injection volume of 10 μl. The limit of detection for atrazine was 3 ng, and the limits of quantification for atrazine in water and soil samples were 0.03 and 0.02 mg/kg, respectively.The concentration of atrazine was measured using HPLC analysis (Agilent 1260). The wavelength was set to 222 nm on the UV detector using a reverse-phase column C2.6.2.6.1.via a syringe and cross-linked at 4°C for 24 h to obtain the IM.Based on the optimal ratio of carrier materials (M) obtained above, the carrier materials were added with 3% sodium alginate (w/v) to generate the immobilized carrier materials (IM). The mixture was extruded in droplets into 2% sterile calcium chloride solution (w/v) 2.6.2.2 was weighed and dissolved in 1,000 ml of water to prepare the sterile 0.01 mol/L CaCl2 solution. A total of 50 ml of 0.01 mol/L CaCl2 solution were added to a 250 ml glass vial containing 50 mg/L atrazine to generate three treatments each of 0.2 g of M, 0.2 g of IM, and blank control, respectively. The samples collected in 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 24, and 48 h were placed in a vibration shaker at 30°C and 150 rpm, filtered with a 0.22 μm filter membrane  via a syringe and cross-linked at 4°C for 24 h to prepare the immobilized bacterial mixture (IM-FN). The IM-FN obtained was loaded with bacteria of about 1.6 × 109 cells (cfu/g). The IM without bacteria was prepared and stored separately in a refrigerator at 4°C. The morphological features of carrier materials (M), immobilized carrier materials (IM), carrier materials containing bacteria suspensions, and immobilized bacterial mixture (IM-FN) were observed using the scanning electron microscopy .The FN, M, and 3% sodium alginate were mixed and collected in droplets into 2% sterile CaCl2.8.7, 8.0 × 107, 1.2 × 108, 1.6 × 108, and 2.0 × 108 cfu/ml), atrazine concentration , pH levels , and temperature , shaken at 150 rpm, with the residual concentration of atrazine and OD600 measured in 9 days. The controls contained only atrazine without bacterial inoculation. The degradation efficiency of atrazine by immobilized bacterial mixture and bacterial suspensions was calculated using the degradation efficiency of atrazine of the control as the baseline /C0, where C0 represented the content of atrazine in minimal salt medium without inoculum and C1 represented the content of atrazine in minimal salt medium with bacterial suspensions and immobilized bacterial mixture  containing the same concentration of atrazine; this process was repeated five times with the morphology of the IM-FN observed and the degradation percentage of atrazine measured each time.2.10.2+-dependent hydrolase gene PydC (estD (Both FN and IM-FN were added to plastic pots (9 × 9 cm) filled with soil samples, respectively. The soil samples were collected after 3, 5, 7, 14, and 21 days and stored in the refrigerator at 4°C. Soil DNA extraction kit  was used to extract total soil DNA based on 1 g of soil sample from different treatments. The Znene PydC  and the dC  method for absolute quantification. The total DNA of the soil samples treated with FN and IM-FN was used to perform the qRT-PCR (10 μl reaction) as described in 2.11.8 cfu/g dry soil); (3) soil spiked with 20 mg/kg atrazine and IM-FN (1.6 × 108 cfu/g dry soil); and (4) soil spiked with 20 mg/kg atrazine and IM. Each treatment was incubated at 25°C with 20 g soil samples collected in 0, 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days to determine the contents of atrazine in soil.Soil samples were randomly collected underground 0–15 cm, air-dried, and sieved to 2 mm, from the experimental field of Jilin Agricultural University (43°48′49.22″N and 125°25′18.20″E) without atrazine application for at least 2 years to determine the degradation effect of IM-FN on atrazine in the soil. The atrazine solution was added to soil and mixed well with the concentration of atrazine in soil adjusted to 20 mg/kg and the water content adjusted to 20% with sterile water to obtain the contaminated soil sample. A total of four experimental treatments were prepared with: (1) soil spiked with 20 mg/kg atrazine; (2) soil spiked with 20 mg/kg atrazine and FN  for HPLC analysis.2.13.8 cfu/g soil), incubated for 7 days. The seeds of wheat and soybean were soaked in water, germinated, and selected and sown in each treatment of soil with 10 seeds per pot. The seedlings were grown at 25°C under constant light with the seedling emergence percentage measured on day 3 and the plant height measured every 15 days.Three soil treatments were prepared to investigate the alleviation effect of IM-FN on the phytotoxicity of atrazine, including soil sample without atrazine (CK), soil sample with atrazine at concentration of 0.1 mg/kg (A), and soil sample with both atrazine at concentration of 0.1 mg/kg and IM-FN  of each treatment. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed with DPS software version 7.05 to determine the significant differences between treatments based on a 3.3.1.The effective viable bacterial cell numbers grown with rice straw powder, rice husk, wheat bran, corn straw powder, waste fungal substrate, and vermiculite stored under varied conditions are shown in 3.2.The degradation of atrazine by carrier materials  in four ratios and bacteria is shown in 3.3.3.3.1.R2 = 0.98 and 0.98) of the adsorption of atrazine by IM and M were lower than those of pseudo-second-order kinetics model  with the increase of temperature. Therefore, the Langmuir equation was more suitable for describing the adsorption of atrazine than the Freundlich equation. With the increased concentration of atrazine, the adsorption of atrazine on IM and M was increased rapidly, and then reached a stabilized period. The results showed that different temperatures also affected the adsorption capacity of IM and M of atrazine. With the increase of temperature from 20 to 30°C, the maximum adsorption capacities of atrazine by IM and M were increased from 2994.77 to 3648.42 mg/kg and from 2668.74 to 3190.55 mg/kg, respectively, with the adsorption capacity of IM constantly greater than those of M at different temperatures.The adsorption isotherms of atrazine on the IM at different temperatures are shown in 3.4.2 showed dense outer surface with cracks, micropores, and ridges  on the degradation of atrazine by IM-FN and FN were investigated to evaluate the practical application potential of IM-FN in the degradation of atrazine. The results showed that the degradation efficiency of atrazine was gradually increased with the increase of bacterial cell concentration . At the Different concentrations of atrazine of 10–200 mg/L significantly affected the degradation of atrazine by FN and IM-FN . The resThe effects of temperature on the degradation of atrazine are shown in 3.6.The Box–Behnken design-response surface methodology was used to determine the key factors that affected the degradation percentage of atrazine by the FN and IM-FN. The experiments were performed in minimal salt medium supplemented with atrazine for 9 days. The degradation percentage of atrazine ranging from 65.92 to 98.59% were optimized by three crucial factors, i.e., pH level, initial concentration of atrazine, and temperature. The results of the variance analysis with the best optimization model of atrazine biodegradation are provided in F-value represented the order of influence of different factors on the response value, i.e., A = 0.37, B = 1.32, and C = 6.67, respectively, indicating that the ability of the bacteria to degrade atrazine was influenced by these three factors in the following order: initial concentration of atrazine (C) > temperature (B) > pH level (A) (The magnitude of evel (A) . The conevel (A) . These p3.7.The stability of IM-FN was investigated due to its importance in improving the degradation percentage of atrazine . The resThe reusability, i.e., the effect of repeated use of IM-FN on atrazine degradation, is shown in 3.8.2+-dependent hydrolase gene PydC and esterase gene estD) was detected in the total DNA of untreated soil samples  of c = 20.884e – 0.023t, c = 20.515e – 0.025t, c = 20.889e – 0.035t, and c = 24.824e – 0.087t, with the degradation half-life of atrazine under the laboratory conditions of 30.13, 27.72, 19.80, and 7.96 days, respectively. These results showed that the introduction of exogenous atrazine-degrading bacteria and IM-FN into the soil significantly promoted the dissipation of atrazine and shortened the half-life of atrazine. In 35 days, the degradation efficiencies of atrazine by IM-FN and FN in soil reached 96.84 and 73.97%, respectively, Our study showed that in 35 days, the degradation efficiency of atrazine in soil by FN reached only 73.97%, suggesting that the degradation of atrazine by direct spraying of bacterial suspension could be easily affected by the uncertain characteristics of soil matrix. However, compared with the FN, the IM-FN showed high applicability in the atrazine-polluted soils and increased degradation efficiency by 22.87% in 35 days, evidently indicating that the combination of atrazine-degrading bacteria and immobilizing materials could more effectively remediate the atrazine-contaminated soil environments.As shown in 3.10.The application of IM-FN in soil showed significant effects on seedling emergence and plant height of both wheat and soybean ,B. With 4.4.1.Our results showed that in 4 h, the atrazine was quickly adsorbed by both IM and M. This was probably because the high concentration of atrazine at the interface between both M and IM and the bacterial solution promoted a strong driving force of mass transfer, ultimately causing atrazine to quickly occupy the adsorption sites, which allowed the rapid physical adsorption of atrazine in a short time. These results were consistent with those reported previously . With thBoth Langmuir and Freundlich models were used to simulate the adsorption process of atrazine, showing that Langmuir model was more consistent and suitable than Freundlich model to describe the adsorption process. The results showed that the temperature increase in a certain range could enhance the adsorption capacity of atrazine by carrier materials. Studies have shown that the adsorption of atrazine by IM and M is mainly the monolayer adsorption of the chemical adsorption . With th4.2.2+ and cross-link to form calcium alginate beads. Studies have shown that the SEM observations suggested that adding specific additives to sodium alginate beads was beneficial to improve the biosorption performance of alginate beads . Strain Y4B degraded glyphosate in a wide concentration range (50–800 mg/L) to achieve high degradation efficiency over 98% in 72 h. Furthermore, strain Y4B showed strong competitiveness to significantly accelerate the degradation rate of glyphosate in both sterile and nonsterile soils to 71.93 and 89.81% (about 400 mg/kg), respectively. Moreover, the immobilized cells of Y4B showed a higher degradation effect on glyphosate than the free bacterial cells. Carrier materials used for microbial immobilization can play a buffering role between soil environment and microorganisms, and protect microbial cells from the harsh and changeable conditions of soil matrix  and shortened half-life (40 days). These alleviation effects of IM-FN were validated by the enhanced growth of wheat and soybean plants grown in soils treated with both atrazine and IM-FN. These results revealed the deleterious effects of atrazine on the physiological activities in soybean and wheat plants, while the alleviation effects of IM-FN on the phytotoxicity of atrazine could be explained in two ways. First, the IM-FN improved the environmental conditions of two atrazine-sensitive crops by removing atrazine in soil or reducing its concentration. Second, the IM-FN played an important role in promoting plant growth and antioxidant activity, thus enhancing the resistance of plants to atrazine. These results were consistent with those previously reported , Project of the Science and Technology Development Plan of Changchun, China (21ZGN12), the “13th Five-Year” Science and Technology Research Project of Education Department of Jilin Province, China (JJKH20200346KJ), and National College Students’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program, China (202110193013).The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.


The results can provide reference values for heavy metals pollution prevention and the protection of the environment in the Aibi lake basin and as well as central Asia.Recently, soils heavy metals pollution and health risks researches in oasis are few, and in this study, the Aibi lake basin—a typical oasis—was chosen as the research area, and then, we evaluated the pollution status and sources identification and analyzed the health risks of ten heavy metals in the soils. Results showed that (1) the average (range) values for As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were (6.500–48.040) 20.011, (0.0002–0.088) 0.035, (0.060–18.150) 5.994, (24.160–106.400) 53.557, (3.460–58.760) 16.981, (0.0002–0.099) 0.042, (195.310–842.850) 483.311, (0.960–70.100) 14.235, (0.180–25.390) 8.086, and (22.340–156.250) 61.334 mg/kg, respectively, and we can get except for As, the maximum values of other nine elements all within the limited values provided by the soil environmental quality risk control standard of China. (2) Health risk evaluation showed that the total exposure amount for ADI Heavy metals are persistent toxic pollutants in the environment and have bio-accumulative and nondegradable characteristics –3. RecenPrevious studies have focused on the spatial distribution, source identification , pollutiInitial health risk models by USEPA were carried out using soils, dust, waterbody, and the fruit of plants and evaluated the carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks of heavy metals , 15. The2 of the wastewater irrigation regions in China were shown to be polluted with heavy metals, resulting in an overall reduction in crop production reaching 10 million tons [Nowadays, the report has revealed that 64.8% of the 140 kmion tons . Such asion tons . Nowadayion tons  while thIn this study, the Aibi lake basin, a typical oasis in northwest China and Central Asia, was chosen as the research area. We first sampled soils in the whole basin, and after test of ten metals As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn, a variety of methods were carried out including the enrichment factor method, the PMF and health risk models from United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and the multivariate statistical analysis method to reveal the sources, distribution characteristics, and health risks of ten heavy metals in soils of the Aibi lake basin. The results can be used as references for the heavy metals pollution prevention, as well as human health protection for the arid oasis in northwest China.The Aibi lake basin is located in the western Xinjiang arid region of China, with an altitude between 43°38'–45°52′N and a latitude between 79°53′–85°02′E . Aibi laSoil samples were collected from the whole Aibi lake basin from August to September of 2018. During the process, a combination of the grid method and 3S technology was used, and eventually, we get a total of 550 soil points, and the sampling interval was 1.5 km × 1.5 km . All soiIn the laboratory, each soil sample was dried at room temperature, to removal of plant debris and rocks, then through a 100-mesh sieve and stored. The determination of 13 heavy metals was carried out as follows: first, weigh 0.2 g of the soil sample and place it in the Anton PVC digestion tank. After digestion, seal it in the digestion apparatus, heat it up to 170 °C for 30 min, cool it, then remove the sample, and collect them, to determine the volume. The contents of 13 heavy metal elements  were determined using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer . The detection limits of the test instrument for the elements are all lower than 0.01 mg/kg. The accuracy and precision of the analysis method were tested using national level 1 soil reference material (GBW series), and the recovery of various metal elements was within the allowable range of the national standard reference material.3 to mix acid at a high temperature and then extracted with 0.6 M HBr acid. The lead samples were separated and purified on a Teflon exchange column with 150 μL AGIx8 (100–200 mesh) exchange resin with 0.6 M HBr and 6 M HCl acid. The isotope ratios of lead and copper were determined by MIC-ICP-MS .The determination of lead isotope was carried out as follows: the powder was completely dissolved in HF-HNOCx is the tested concentration (mg·kg−1), and Cref is the concentration of a reference element (mg·kg−1). In this study, the contents of Al, Fe, and Sc in the soil of the Aibi lake basin were used as reference elements. Cx/Cref is the ratio of the concentration of a specific element to the concentration of a reference element.Nowadays, the enrichment factor method is widely used to determine the pollution status and sources of heavy metals in the environment. The format is as follows , 22:(1)EThe background values for 10 elements are used as the background value for Xinjiang . The values of EFs can typically be classified into five grades: EF < 2, indicating no pollution (<1) and slight pollution (1–2); 2 < EF < 5, indicating a moderate pollution level; 5 < EF < 20, indicating a significant pollution level; 20 < EF < 40, indicating a strong pollution level; 40 < EF, indicating an extreme pollution level .ij into two factor matrices: source contribution matrix gik and source configuration matrix fik. The basic equation is as follows:Xij matrix, where Xij represents the concentration of the heavy metal j at the sampling point i, gik represents the contribution of the pollution source k in the sample i, gik represents the concentration of element j from the source k, and eij residual error matrix can be calculated by the minimum value of objective function Q. The value of Q is calculated as follows:Uij is the uncertainty of the heavy metal j in the sample i, and there are many methods to calculate the uncertainty. In this research, they were input into EPA PMF5.0 software for analysis and identification. In this research, the ROBUST mode is adopted, the number of runs is set to 20, and the model was run 20 times [Positive-definite matrix factorization (PMF) is an ideal receptor model for source apportionment, which is recommended by the USEPA for source apportionment based on species composition data set . PMF mod20 times .ing is the average amount of daily exposure through hand-mouth intake (mg·(kg·d)−1); ADDinh is the average amount of daily exposure through respiration (mg·(kg·d)−1); ADIderm is the average amount of daily exposure through skin exposure (mg·(kg·d)−1); LADDinh is the average amount of daily exposure for life of carcinogenic heavy metals through respiration (mg/(kg·d)); EF is the frequency of exposure to the human body, which was chosen to be 250 day·a−1; ED is the fixed number of years exposed, which was set at 6 yrs and 30 yrs for children and adults, respectively [−6 for both [ing is the consumption rate of soil by way of hand-to-mouth, which was chosen to be 200 and 50 mg kg−1 for children and adults, respectively; Rinh is the respiratory rate of the human body, which was chosen to be 5 and 15.7 m3·day−1, respectively [9 m3 kg−1 [−1, respectively [2·day−1 and 4350 cm2·day−1, respectively [In this study, the format is referenced from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). We calculated the exposed quantity of health risks through hand-mouth intake, respiration intake, and skin exposure , 24.(4)Aectively ; BW is tectively ; CF reprfor both ; Ring isectively ; PEF rep m3 kg−1 ; SL is tectively ; SA is t(1) Noncarcinogenic risks. According to the USEPA, the noncarcinogenic risk of ten  heavy metals was calculated based on the following formula [ formula , 30: (8)ij represents the noncarcinogenic risk; ADIij represents the daily exposure dose of heavy metals through three ways (mg·(kg·d)−1); RfDij is the reference dose (mg·(kg·d)); i represents a certain heavy metal; j represents a certain route of exposure  heavy metals was calculated based on the following formula (HI) , 31:(9)Hexposure .(2) Carcinogenic risk assessment. In the research, As, Cr, Ni, Cd, and Co have the potential to pose a carcinogenic risk [LADDinh is the exposure amount of heavy metal with a carcinogenic risk (mg·(kg·d)−1); SF is the carcinogenic slope factor (mg·(kg·d))−1. In the research, the carcinogenic risk through respiratory exposure parameters for five  heavy metals is Cd-6.4, As-0.0043, Ni-0.84, Cr-42, and Co-9.8 [nic risk , 32. Thenic risk , 34:  values for As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were (6.500–48.040) 20.011, (0.0002–0.088) 0.035, (0.060–18.150) 5.994, (24.160–106.400) 53.557, (3.460–58.760) 16.981, (0.0002–0.099) 0.042, 195.310–842.850) 483.311, (0.960–70.100) 14.235, (0.180–25.390) 8.086, and (22.340–156.250) 61.334 mg/kg, respectively . The coe0–842.850The results showed that Mn had high variation, Cd, Co, Hg, and Pb had small variation, and the other five elements had moderate variation . The skeCompared with the limited available values for soil in the environmental quality risk control standard for soil contamination of agricultural land of China (6.5<pH < 7.5) , the excUsing Al, Fe, and Sc as reference elements, we calculated the EF values for the ten elements. Our results showed that  when Al When Fe was used as the reference element, As, Zn, and Cr belonged to a moderate pollution status, and Cd in the soils belonged to no pollution level, while Co, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, and Pb belonged to a slight pollution level. On the whole, the order of pollution levels of ten elements is As > Cr > Zn > Pb > Mn > Hg > Cu > Ni > Co > Cd.When Sc was used as the reference element, As and Cr belonged to moderate pollution level, and Cd belonged to no pollution level, while Co, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn belonged to slight pollution levels. Eventually, the order of pollution levels of them is Cr > Zn > Pb > Mn > Hg > Cu > Ni > Co > Cd. In the study, Al, Fe, and Sc were chosen as reference elements. The results of Fe and Sc are consistent.ing for children and adults was 0.001067998 and 0.000344707, respectively. ADIinh for children and adults was 9.69977E-08 and 7.95869E-08, respectively, and ADIderm for children and adults was 8.52275E-06 and 2.09927E-06, respectively  heavy metals in soils showed that the total exposure amount of ADIectively . The anaing, HQinh, and HQderm for both children and adults were all less than 1, and the HI of the three HQs for children and adults was also less than 1, indicating that there was no noncarcinogenic risk for the ten elements  of the ten  heavy metals showed that HQelements . Among t−6-10−4 by the USEPA and the International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP) maximum acceptable risk value of 5.0E-5 as the basis for our health risk discrimination, our results demonstrated no carcinogenic risks for the heavy metals tested [The calculation of the carcinogenic risks showed that the values of As, Cd, Co, Cr, and Ni were 4.1299E-09, 1.56155E-11, 6.0499E-12, 1.58151E-07, and 8.40675E-10, respectively. The total risks for the five heavy metals were 1.63143E-07. Within the scope of the limited reference values of 10s tested .The results of the principal component analysis method showed that ten elements all fall into three principal components . The firP < 0.01 as 0.665, 0.448, 0.669, 0.221, 0.459, and 0.663, respectively. The correction coefficient for Cr-Cu was 0.583, which is significant at P < 0.01. Except for Co-As and Co-Hg, there was a significant correction coefficient between Co and the other seven elements at P < 0.01 or 0.05. Cr and Cu were also shown to have significant correlations with Co, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn , which has a very serious pollution situation of heavy metals [The health risk assessment showed that the exposed ways of ten heavy metals both for children and adults are all in the following order: ADI Germany , Urumqi  Germany , Xiong'a Germany , and She Germany  of Chinay metals . In noncy metals , Shanghay metals , Xi'an [y metals , and alsy metals . For cary metals , Gansu py metals , and alsy metals , Xinjianing, and Rinh) [ing, Rinh, and SA) [During health risk evaluation, the coefficients used in the models mainly come from the standards of China as Technical Guidelines for Risk Assessment of Contaminated Sites HJ 25.3–2014) from the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China   and Envi14 from t and SA)  found thWith the exception of Cd and Pb, the other eight heavy metals all exceeded the Chinese background values, among which As was shown to exceed the background value the most (94.548%). Additionally, except Co , nine elements were shown to exceed the background values of Xinjiang, with the following elements showing the greatest increase above background values: As (96.053%), Cd (65.79%), Zn (50%).ing > HQderm > HQinh. The carcinogenic risks showed that the values of Cd, Ni, Cr, As, and Co were 1.56155E-11, 8.40675E-10, 1.58151E-07, 6.0499E-12, and 4.1299E-09, respectively. Cr had the maximum, followed by Co and As.Health risk evaluation showed that the three exposed ways for children were all higher than for adults, and the order of noncarcinogenic risks for the three routes of exposure for the ten elements was HQA multivariate statistical and PMF analysis, as well as Pb and Cu isotopes, showed that PC1  primarily comes from natural background and man-made sources; PC2 (Cd) primarily comes from the man-made sources; PC3 (As and Hg) comes from natural background sources. This study can provide references for heavy metals pollution prevention and protection of the environment in the Aibi lake basin and the arid region of northwest China as well as central Asia.The following conclusions can be drawn from the study:


Gynura procumbens is a traditional herb and food extensively cultivated in China and Southeast Asian countries. In this work, the crude extract (CE) of G. procumbens was purified with macroporous resin to obtain the refined fraction, and its anti-inflammatory activity was compared with that of CE. Moreover, the detailed mechanisms of anti-inflammatory activity were also investigated for the first time. The results indicated that CE was more effective in anti-inflammatory activity and it could reduce the secretion of NO, TNF-α, and PGE2 via decreasing the iNOS, TNF-α, and COX-2 genes transcription and related proteins translation, which were associated with the inhibition of AP-1 and NF-κB nuclear translocation and downregulation of PI3K/Akt and MAPK signaling pathways. In conclusion, the extract of G. procumbens has a promising potential in inflammation-related disorders alleviation, and these findings could provide the basis for the comprehensive utilization of G. procumbens and the new functional food development. These rpathways , 6. Hencpathways , 7. ThusGynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr. is a traditional herb and food extensively cultivated in China and Southeast Asian countries, belonging to the Asteraceae family [G. procumbens include steroids, caffeoylquinic acids, fatty acids, flavonoids, and terpenoids, which contribute for its bioactivities comprising anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antithrombotic, and analgesic [G. procumbens have been broadly used in modern medicine to treat many diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, arthritis, gout, and cardiovascular disease [G. procumbens (GPL) are proven to be nontoxic and are used as a material to make toothpaste, skin cream, candy, and tea. The National Health Commission of the PRC also approved G. procumbens as a new food resource in 2012 [e family , 9. Parte family . The chenalgesic –13. Thus disease –16. In a in 2012 , 18. TakG. procumbens are often consumed directly as fresh vegetables in folk, so the bioactivities of the whole leaves deserve more attention. Therefore, the anti-inflammatory activity of GPL in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages was studied, and the related molecular mechanisms were elucidated in this work to refine the anti-inflammation theory.To our knowledge, the anti-inflammatory activity of GPL has been reported in several research studies, but its detailed mechanisms are poorly involved. Although the anti-inflammatory activities of single compounds in GPL including chlorogenic acid and astragalin have been reported, specific active compounds cannot fully represent the crude extract. Moreover, the whole leaves of 3PO4, Griess A (0.1% (w/v) N-(1-naphthyl)-ethylenediamine dihydrochloride), RIPA buffer, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and sodium nitrite were provided by Solarbio . ELASA kits of TNF-α and PGE2 were obtained from Boster . The primary antibodies for iNOS, COX-2, p38, p-ERK, p-p38, ERK, JNK, p-JNK, β-actin, NF-κB p65, c-Fos, p-Akt, c-Jun, PDK1, GAPDH, p-PDK1, p-IκBα, Akt, and IκBα, and the secondary antibody goat antirabbit (IgG) were provided by AB Clonal Biotech . Other standards and analytical grade reagents were obtained from Tianjin ZhiYuan Reagent Co., Ltd. .Fetal bovine serum (FBS) was obtained from Natocor . High glucose Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) was purchased from HyClone . Penicillin, streptomycin, 3--2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), phosphate buffer saline (PBS), LPS, and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were obtained from Sangon Biotech . Enhanced BCA Protein Assay Kit and 4,6-diamidino-2phenylindole (DAPI) were obtained from Beyotime . Griess B (1%(w/v) sulphanilamide containing 5% (w/v) HThe GPL were collected from Ganzhou city of China, in June 2020, and were authenticated by Prof. X.H. Li, Jiangxi Academy of Science. A voucher specimen (GPL2020-06) was stored in our laboratory. The GPL samples were dried, pulverized, and sifted, followed by two extractions (25 min each) with 65% ethanol under ultrasonication . Next, it was concentrated under a vacuum after filtration. The lyophilization was further conducted to get crude extract (CE). Then, CE was loaded on a macroporous resin 306 and eluted with 0, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100% aqueous ethanol for purification. The desired compounds generally elute in 30% aqueous ethanol, and this fraction was collected and marked as 30% fraction (Fr. 30%).2 incubator  was used to culture the cells with 5% CO2 atmosphere at the constant temperature of 37°C. The cells were subcultured based on the growth.RAW 264.7 cells were provided by the Key Laboratory of Pu-er Tea Science and cultured in high glucose DMEM containing 1% penicillin-streptomycin and 10% FBS. The Esco CO5 cells/well) were seeded in 96-well plates for 24 h incubation. Next, the medium was changed and different concentrations of samples (0–100 μg/mL) were added in it (except for the control group) for 24 h treatment. Next, the culture solution in every well was entirely aspirated, and 100 μL serum-free medium containing 1 mg/mL MTT was further added in it for 4 h incubation. 100 μL MTT stop buffer (10% SDS with 0.01 M HCl) was added and treated for 16–20 h to stop the reaction. Finally, the microplate reader  was used for reading the absorbance of each well at 570 nm.Cytotoxicity of CE and Fr. 30% on RAW264.7 macrophages was measured according to the MTT assay . Cells (5 cells/well) were cultured in a 96-well plate with 24 h incubation, and different concentrations of CE or Fr. 30% (0–100 μg/mL) were added in each well (except for the control group) for 2 h pretreatment, respectively. Then, 1 μg/mL LPS was added in these wells for an extra 24 h incubation, and 100 μL supernatants of every well were mixed with an equal volume of Griess reagent . After 10 min shock and reaction, the absorbance was immediately determined at 540 nm. The release of NO was calculated against the NaNO2 standard curve.The production of NO was determined by the Griess assay . RAW264.μg/mL LPS were collected for the analysis of TNF-α and PGE2. The contents of PGE2 and TNF-α were determined by ELISA kits .The supernatants in 6-well plate after the 2 h pretreatment with different concentrations of CE and the 24 h subsequent treatment of 1 6 cells/well) with 24 h incubation. The medium solution was changed, CE (50 μg/mL) was added in the wells of the treatment group for 2 h of pretreatment, and 1 μg/mL LPS was then added in the wells (except for the control group) for extra 24 h treatment. The cells were fixed for 1 h with 2.5% glutaraldehyde (pH 7.2–7.4) at 4°C and washed with PBS (0.1 M) for three times (5 min for each). The 1% osmium tetroxide was used to stain the cells for 1 h at 4°C, and the PBS (0.1 M) was used again for three times washing (5 min for each). Next, ethanol in 30%, 50%, 70%, 90%, and 100% gradient was used to dehydrate for two times (5 min for each). The cells were dried at the critical point and evaporated with gold [RAW264.7 macrophages were cultured onto coverslips in 6-well plates (1 × 10ith gold . Ultimat6 cells/well) were cultured in 6-well plates with 24 h incubation, CE with various concentrations (0–100 μg/mL) were added in each well (except control group) for 2 h of pretreatment, and 1 μg/mL LPS was subsequently added for 6 h incubation. Then, total RNA was extracted by using the TransZol Up RNA extraction kit . The purities and concentrations of RNA were measured using a UV spectrophotometer  with the absorbance 260/280 nm. PrimeScriptTM RT reagent kit with gDNA eraser  was used to remove genomic DNA and reverse transcribe 1 μg total RNA to cDNA. The target genes expressions were observed intuitively by the semiquantitative RT-PCR method. Agarose gel stained by GelStain  was used to analyze the PCR products. In addition, quantitative PCR was performed in 20 μL reaction volumes by qTOWER3G  to further quantify the expression levels of mRNA. The cycling procedure was 95°C for 30 s, followed by 40 cycles of 95°C for 5 s and 60°C for 30 s. The expressions of relative genes were analyzed according to the 2−ΔΔCt method. The primer sequences are given in RAW264.7 macrophages (1 × 106 cells/dish) were cultured in 60 mm dishes for 20 h, CE was added in each dish (except for the control group) for 2 h of pretreatment, and 1 μg/mL LPS was then added for incubation with indicated periods. RIPA lysis and PBS were used to prepare the protein lysates. The proteins were quantified using BCA kits, and 35 μg proteins were further subjected to SDS-PAGE gels electrophoresis and transferred onto PVDF membranes. Then, they were blocked using 5% skim milk at room temperature for 1 h. The Super ECL Plus  was used to detect the protein bands by the ChemiScope 3300 system  after the incubation of primary antibodies for 12–18 h at 4°C and the incubation of secondary antibodies at 24°C for 50 min.RAW264.7 cells . In short, RAW264.7 cells were inoculated into 60 mm dishes with 1 × 106 cells/dish overnight. Then, RAW264.7 cells were cleaned and fixed with fixing solution for 15 min after the treatment of CE and LPS, followed by blocking with blocking solution for 1 h. The NF-κB p65 primary antibody was added for 16 h incubation at 4°C, and the Cy3-conjugated secondary antibody was incubated for 50 min at 24°C. In the end, the cells were observed using the Eclipse Ts2 microscope  after staining by DAPI.The immunofluorescence assay for activity determination of NF-pvalues <0.05 were considered as a significant difference.The data were processed by SPSS 25.0  and shown as mean ± SD values. The significance test was determined by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's multiple comparison tests, and μg/mL). Therefore, the treated concentrations for subsequent studies were controlled under 100 μg/mL.The cytotoxicity of different concentrations of CE and Fr. 30% was assessed. The control group cells were regarded as 100% cell survival and other groups were compared with it. The results  suggesteμM) was significantly higher than the control group (3.58 ± 0.35 μM) and indicated that LPS can successfully stimulate the inflammation of RAW264.7 cells. CE and Fr. 30% (25–100 μg/mL) all prominently reduced NO production, and NO production decreased in a dose-dependent manner when the RAW264.7 cells treated with CE or Fr. 30%. There was no significant difference between 50 and 100 μg/mL CE in inhibition of NO release. In addition, compared to Fr.30%, CE in various concentrations (12.5–100 μg/mL) all showed higher inhibition of NO production. Thus, CE was chosen for further mechanism study.The effects of CE and Fr. 30% with different concentrations on NO release in RAW264.7 cells were also studied in this work. As shown in μg/mL CE was given to the LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, the number of the dendritic pseudopods was reduced and the cells morphology was transformed from flattened to smooth and full  exerts anti-inflammatory effects, while excessive NO release can intensify the process of inflammation [α, and IL-1β by downregulating the expression of iNOS, Ninj1, and COX-2 and suppressing the nuclear translocation of NF-κB [μg/mL) all showed lower inhibition of NO release, compared with CE (the concentration of CE and Fr. 30% from 12.5 to 100 μg/mL was no cytotoxic) (Figures NO is a key inflammatory mediator closely associated with the inflammatory response. Low level of NO (<300 ammation . Therefoammation . Among tof NF-κB . In thisβ, and TNF-α when stimulated with LPS. The secretion of these inflammatory factors derives from the related genes transcription and proteins translation, which are activated by a complex signaling cascade [α can stimulate the secretion of other cytokines including IL-6 and IL-1β by the regulation of cytokine cascade, which in turn enhance the leukocytes recruitment to inflammation sites [μg/mL CE could prominently suppress the release of inflammatory factors including NO, PGE2, and TNF-α via inhibiting the expression of related genes and proteins, as confirmed by the result of RT-qPCR and Western blotting (μg/mL G. procumbens extract was capable of reducing NO production by obviously downregulating iNOS protein expression. In addition, Huang et al. also reported that essential oils of G. procumbens markedly inhibited COX-2 overexpression to alleviate the inflammation and deswelling in mice [κB and AP-1, which are important transcription factors [κB can promote the release of these inflammatory cytokines, which in turn makes a positive feedback loop to increase the AP-1 and NF-κB [κBα binds to NF-κB composed of p50 and p65. When stimulated with LPS, IκBα is activated and phosphorylated, followed by ubiquitination and degradation; then, NF-κB is released, and the subunit p65 quickly enters to the nucleus to initiate or enhance the target gene transcription [κBα (κB (κB is regulated by intricate signaling pathways comprising MAPK and PI3K/Akt. The MAPK family contains three major signaling cascades, JNK, ERK, and p38 MAPK, relating to inflammatory reaction and cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis [κB and AP-1, the expressions of p-JNK, p-p38, and p-ERK were determined. The results indicated that CE downregulated MAPK signaling pathways when cells were stimulated. Furthermore, the phosphorylation levels of Akt and upstream PDK1 were also reduced, demonstrating that another signaling pathway PI3K/Akt was also involved in the inflammation attenuation.Besides NO, RAW264.7 cells can also increase the secretion of other proinflammatory factors, such as PGE2, IL-6, IL-1 cascade . PGE2 an cascade . TNF-α cblotting . Our res in mice . The trand NF-κB . Under ncription –31. In oion [κBα  and inhi[κBα (κB . The actpoptosis . Based oG. procumbens could be used for inflammation-related disorders alleviation, and these findings could provide the basis for the new functional food development.In this work, we compared CE and Fr. 30% in anti-inflammatory effects and first elaborated on the latent mechanisms. The results displayed that CE exhibited a stronger anti-inflammatory effect, and this effect may derive to a greater extent from the synergistic effect of active components, rather than the content of a certain active compound. Moreover, CE markedly inhibited the secretion of proinflammatory factors via the downregulation of the MAPK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways. Taken together, the extract of


CI particles were first reacted with Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) to create a magnetic component. Then, CI/SiO2 particles were altered by 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane (FAS) and Hexamethyldisilazane (HDMS) to create magnetic superhydrophobic/superoleophilic, recyclable, and reusable sorbent powders. The water contact angle (WCA) values of the as-prepared particles, CI, CI/SiO2, CI/SiO2@FAS, and CI/SiO2@HMDS, were 5.4° ± 1.3°, 6.4° ± 1.4°, 151.9° ± 2.1°, and 170.1° ± 1.1°, respectively. In addition, the oil contact angles (OCAs) of a variety of oils were found to be equivalent to 0°. Hence, superhydrophobic/superoleophilic particles for kind of different oils were shown sorption capacities of 1.7–3.1 g/g and 2.5–4.3 g/g for CI/SiO2@FAS, and CI/SiO2@HMDS, respectively. Besides, for 1%w/w hexane/water emulsion separation efficiency higher than 99%, the lowest mass was obtained at 50 and 200 mg for CI/SiO2@HDMS and CI/SiO2@HDMS, respectively, suggesting a new effective material for separating tiny oil droplets. Also, the reusability and chemical durability of the superhydrophobic samples made them a prime candidate for use in different harsh conditions.The present study demonstrated the wettability properties of grafting silane coupling agents on carbonyl iron (CI)/SiO Industrial wastewater discharge and oil spills in the marine environment not only threaten ecosystems and human health but also destroy a wide range of Earth's natural resources, which motivates researchers to develop proactive, drastic, and solution-focused strategies to mitigate these serious environmental issues7. So far, numerous materials with various properties have been produced for oil and water separation. Synthesized materials for separation should have the requisite surface qualities such as high surface area, high wettability or superhydrophobicity, good durability, and so on13.In today’s world, the amount of wastewater produced is increasing dramatically due to the development of various industrious and booming populations globally14. A Superhydrophobic surface with a high apparent contact angle (> 150°) is commonly used in the form of mesh and porous materials for oil and water separations15. These materials suffer from some drawbacks including time-consuming synthesis processes, high cost, and low efficiency, that are considered obstacles to their industrial applications19. Hence, developing simple, scalable, and low-cost fabrication methods is of great importance for the commercial scale of separation projects9. The majority of conducted investigations on the hydrophobicity issues have concerned the fabrication methods and processes, the theories behind the unique wettability and non-wettability as well as their applications14.Wetting and anti-wetting properties of solid surfaces are one of the most common natural phenomena that we see widely in the environment just like dew on plants or the water droplets on some species of insects’ wings that artificial type for the first time was introduced as super-anti wetting property by Ollivier20, phase separation21, layer-by-layer assembly, electrospinning deposition22, colloid assembly23, chemical etching24, etc.26. In terms of the mechanism, silanes that do not have hydrolyzable groups, such as Si-CI, Si-OCH3, Si-OCH2CH3, and Si-NH-Si, react with water to create silanols, which are then coupled to hydroxyl groups on the surface of materials. Some of the most important factors that should be considered for the production and modification of superhydrophobic materials include surface roughness and low surface energy of materials25. Organic materials with superhydrophobicity typically are in the form of powder or 3D porous sponges to separate water and oil27. Also, they can be produced as porous flat films or coated on the meshes28. Stainless steel (SS) and copper material, the most common metallic mesh substrates, can be modified to become superhydrophobic adsorbents15. Hierarchical micro and nano roughness surfaces are fabricated by different methods such as acid erosion, colloidal assembly, rough polymer film, crystal growth, and chemical vapor deposition (CVD)31. Currently, alkylsilanes or perfluoroalkylsilanes, PDMS-based polymers, thiols, long alkyl chain fatty acids, perfluorinated polymers, and so on are used for decreasing surface energy. For example, chlorosilanes such as 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluoroctyldimethylchlorosilane (PFODMCS), dimethyldichlorosilane (DMDCS), and 1H, 1H, 2H, 2Hperfluorooctyltrichlorosilane (PFOTCS) can easily give surfaces the superhydrophobic property32.Various methods and strategies have been introduced to fabricate different materials with excellent superhydrophobicity, such as chemical vapor deposition33. They demonstrated that after seven cycles, water droplets on the superhydrophobic surface of the SS reached an angle of about 150.5°, and the resulting superhydrophobic adsorbent successfully separated the various types of oils with a 95% efficiency. Qiang et al. reported the fabrication of silane functionalized reduced Graphene oxide nanoribbons (GONR) coated polyurethane (PU) sponge composites via a facile dip-coating method. The produced porous superhydrophobic composite has good oil/water separation selectivity and capacity with high efficiency (> 97% after 10 cycles) and water contact angles of higher than 150°34. Khodaei et al. developed superhydrophobic aluminum with a nano/micro hierarchical surface structure by chemical etching and decorating nanoparticles with a silane-based nanocomposite coating (Al2O3 nanoparticles integrated TEOSGPTMS)35. Wang et al. demonstrated the easy production of superhydrophobic and superoleophobic cotton textiles modified with polysiloxane nanowires for oil/water separation. The low-surface-energy polysiloxane nanowires besides the hierarchical structure led to the cotton fabrics with great superhydrophobicity (WCAs 163°) and excellent stability36.Matin et al. reported the dip-coating of SS separator using different concentrations of silane materials, perfluo-rooctyltrichlorosilaneIn this work, carbonyl iron particles were first reacted with Tetraethoxysilane, and then the surface was altered by FAS and HDMS in order to create superhydrophobic/superoleophilic and recyclable adsorbent particles. The characterization of the carbonyl iron modification particles with various silane groups was evaluated by using FT-IR, XRD, and VSM. The WCA study was then completed to quantitatively assess the particles' superhydrophobicity. The sorption capacity of superhydrophobic particles was also examined for oil/water separation and emulsion mixture under various circumstances.Absolute ethanol and Ammonia (25–28%wt.) were bought from DR-MOJALALI Medicines Co., Ltd, and Carbonyl Iron (CI) particles from BASF Company, Germany. Tetraethoxysilane , Hexamethyldisilazane  and 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane  were bought from Sigma-Aldrich. All of the chemical reagents were utilized exactly as they were received, with no further purification.2(CI/SiO2).First, 0.2 g of carbonyl iron was added into 40 mL of ethanol which contained 4 mL of ammonia solution. Subsequently, 0.2 mL of TEOS was added and sonicated in a sonication bath for 6 h. The solution was then three times vacuum-washed with ethanol in the following step. After that, it spent 24 h in an oven at 110 °C. Then, carbonyl iron particles were coated with SiO2. After that, 0.4 mL of FAS was added, and it was sonicated for 8 h in a sonication bath. The solution was then three times vacuum-washed with ethanol in the following step. After that, it spent 24 h in an oven at 110 °C. After this period of time, carbonyl iron particles were given a coating of SiO2-FAS, denoted by the notation CI/SiO2@FAS.First, 60 mL of ethanol containing 6 mL of an ammonia solution was mixed with 0.2 g of CI/SiO2 was mixed with 100 mL of ethanol and 8 mL of an ammonia solution. After that, 1 mL of HMDS was added, and the mixture was sonicated for 4 h in a sonication bath. The solution was then three times vacuum-washed with ethanol in the following step. After that, it spent 24 h in an oven at 110 °C. After this time, carbonyl iron particles were coated with SiO2-HMDS(CI/SiO2@HMDS).First, 0.2 g of CI/SiO® 1.51i software investigated the oil and water contact angle of altered particles.Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to examine the functional groups on the surface of carbonyl iron particles . The crystal structure of carbonyl iron particles modified with different silane groups was investigated by analysis of the X-ray diffraction . The magnetic properties of the modified particles were also measured using a vibrating sample magnetometer . Furthermore, Jikan CAG-20, Jikan Co., and Image JOil and water were emulsified at 1% by weight in hexane. In this regard, to create a stable emulsion, one gram of oil was dissolved in 99 g of deionized water and swirled for 30 min. An ultrasonic probe (100 kW) was used for 10 min to minimize the size of oil droplets in water. It should be noted that stirring for longer periods caused the formation of nano-sized droplets. As a result, the oil–water emulsion was made by adding various oil concentrations to the water's surface, ranging from 0.1 to 1 mL. In addition, one mL of oil was added to the water's surface to create the oil–water mixture. The same method was used to make mixtures and emulsions of water with kerosene, silicon oil, and gasoline.The efficacy and capability of modified materials were demonstrated using their sorption capacity. The following equation (Eq. ) can be e and m0 are the material's weight before and after liquid sorption, respectively, and Q (g/g) is the amount of sorption capacity for various mixtures and emulsions, the oil separation's sorption capacity was estimated.While mMagnetic recycling of modified carbonyl iron particles has been investigated. Following oil adsorption, the superhydrophobic magnetic particles are collected, treated with chloroform and ethanol, and dried for 12 h at 60 °C. These particles will subsequently be employed in the oil sorption technique that follows. The reusability of hydrophobic magnetic particles was investigated over ten cycles.2O was converted to Si–OH + ROH. Then the silica network (Si–O–Si) was created through a condensation reaction on the surface of carbonyl iron particles according to Fig. 2 via a hydrolysis and condensation process  and remnant magnetism (Mr) for modified carbonyl iron particles. Other magnetic properties of samples, Hc and Mr, are summarized in Table The magnetic characteristics of carbonyl iron particles with various silane coupling agents were studied using a VSM and the results are depicted in Fig. 2, CI/SiO2@FAS, and CI/SiO2@HMDS) could be evaluated. The powder particles were compacted between two glass substrates to form a level layer. Utilizing a Hamilton microliter syringe, vertical liquid droplets were put on the accumulated particles. Five contact angle measurements were carried out in various places, and the findings were provided according to their mean value. Image J® 1.51i software was used to process all liquid droplet photographs45.One of the most crucial factors to consider when assessing a material's wettability characteristics is the water contact angle (WCA) or oil contact angle (OCA). Hence, the sessile water droplet method with a volume of 5 µL was utilized so that the wettability of particles  and Hexamethyldisilazane (HDMS), were used to illustrate the effect of modifying surface wettability of the resulted samples. The reaction mechanism of different silane agents on the carbonyl iron particles has shown that FAS and HDMS were formed on the surface of carbonyl iron-SiO2 via a hydrolysis and condensation process via the creation of a silica network. CI/SiO2@FAS and CI/SiO2@HMDS exhibited ferromagnetic properties with magnetic saturation of 167 and 166 emu/g for CI/SiO2@FAS and CI/SiO2@HDMS, respectively. Also, the measured sorption capacities of CI/SiO2@FAS and CI/SiO2@HMDS were in the ranges of 1.7–3.1 g/g and 2.5–4.3 g/g for different kinds of oils, which can compete with other used absorbents. Also, the sorption capacities of recyclable superhydrophobic/superoleophilic particles indicated good recyclability and reusability even after ten separation cycles. Besides, superhydrophobic samples have outstanding chemical durability and physical stability in acidic, alkaline, and high-saline circumstances, making them a prime candidate for oil/water separation technology. Consequently, CI/SiO2@HDMS and CI/SiO2@HDMS particles have the ability to contact directly with emulsion droplets, which can be suggested as very effective systems in separating oil droplets from oil-in-water emulsions.In conclusion, the superparamagnetic superhydrophobic/superoleophilic, as well as reusable and durable carbonyl iron/SiO