Featured Articles — Latest published articles in environmental chemistry section

Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology(ENCECO)  journal publishes studies that examine the environmental chemistry (distribution, dynamics and fate) of pollutants, the biologic and toxic effects of man-made chemical pollutants on ecotoxicological animal models and plants.

Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology has the following sections:

1. Environmental Chemistry
2. Ecotoxicology
3. Environmental Remediation Strategies
4. Ecological Risk Assessment

Featured Articles — Latest published articles in environmental chemistry section

1. Exploring the cleaning effect of a typhoon on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the upper-ocean of the Northern South China Sea

Authors: Yicheng Li | Yali Li | Wenbo Wang | Qiong Xia | Ying Yang | Shichun Zou | Weidong Zhai

A rare event-based field study links typhoon passage to shifts in PAH concentrations, particle–water partitioning and export from the upper ocean. The before-and-after survey and short-term vertical observations make the environmental fate of pollutants tangible, while showing why extreme weather must be considered in marine contaminant studies.

2. Solar photodegradation of chromium picolinate in the presence of Fe(III)-organic complexes: Harmful Cr(VI) accumulation and mechanisms

Authors: Shijing Zhang | Zhuo Chen | Hefa Cheng | Xiaoqing Yuan | Gengyi Wu | Lin Luo | Linwei Huang | Xiande Xie

This study tackles an important chemical paradox: sunlight-driven transformation of an organochromium compound can generate more hazardous Cr(VI) in the presence of Fe(III)–organic complexes. Its photochemical experiments and mechanistic analysis connect fundamental reaction pathways with consequences for pollutant risk.

3. Condensation accelerates polyvinyl chloride microplastics aging via hydrogen radical generation

Authors: Ange Zhu | Wanchao Yu | Xiaoyang Feng | Fengjie Chen | Jingkang Gao | Mengxi Cao | Bolei Chen | Pu Wang | Yong Liang | Yawei Wang

The authors identify condensation as an overlooked route for PVC microplastic aging even without direct light. Condensation controls, spectroscopic characterization and radical-trapping experiments connect microdroplet formation to hydrogen-radical chemistry and polymer bond cleavage.

4. Role of competitive adsorption between microplastics and dissolved organic matter in triggering abrupt changes in soil free heavy metal dynamics

Authors: Panting Zhang | Ying Yuan | Hui Wang | Kunlong Hui | Jie Sun | Wenbing Tan

Competitive interactions among microplastics, dissolved organic matter and metals can produce abrupt, non-linear changes in freely available heavy metals. By moving beyond single-sorbent assumptions, the study highlights the importance of multi-component environmental interfaces in predicting metal mobility and exposure.

5. Chlorine release induced by contact electrification between polyvinyl chloride microplastics and moist air

Authors: Fengjie Chen | Qiuhan Meng | Ange Zhu | Yu Xia | Qingchun Liu | Mengxi Cao | Pu Wang | Bolei Chen | Yong Liang | Yongguang Yin | Ligang Hu | Yawei Wang | Maoyong Song

 The paper demonstrates that friction between PVC microplastics and moist air can induce interfacial electron transfer, C–Cl cleavage and reactive chlorine formation. It offers a distinctive mechanistic perspective on how airborne plastic particles may participate in atmospheric chemistry rather than behaving solely as passive carriers.

6. Coupling of DOM and mercury methylators in nascent high-altitude proglacial lakes: A response to different recharge periods

Authors: Guangli Mu | Meiqi Huang | Qing Yang | Xiaodong Li | Shuang Liu | Ran Yan | Hongyang Cui | Xiaoyu Cui | Yindong Tong

Combining dissolved organic matter characterization with microbial genomic evidence, this study examines how changing glacial recharge may affect mercury methylation potential in newly formed high-altitude lakes. It brings climate-driven ecosystem change together with environmental biogeochemistry and contaminant transformation.

7. Cross-media transport of legacy and novel per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in soil profiles, groundwater and surface water: Implications for environmental modelling and risk assessment across terrestrial-aquatic Interface

Authors: Aiai Shu | Yun Xu | Zhaoyang Liu | Xiang Wan | Xiaoxu Wu | Xiaoyan Sun | Rebecca Yates | Yu Liu | Yuru Chen | Jay Gan | Wenfeng Tan

The cross-media design tracks legacy and emerging PFAS across soil profiles, groundwater and surface waters. It is particularly relevant for understanding terrestrial–aquatic connectivity, transport pathways and the limits of assessing PFAS contamination in a single environmental compartment.

8. Comparison of extraction methods for dissolved organic matter characterization by high-resolution mass spectrometry and evaluation of the impacts of chlorine disinfection

Authors: Francisco Zafra-Navarro | Mira Petrovic | Maria José Farré

A systematic comparison of ten solid-phase extraction sorbents shows that sample preparation materially changes the molecular fingerprint of natural and chlorinated dissolved organic matter obtained by high-resolution mass spectrometry. Validation with drinking-water treatment samples makes this a practical contribution to more defensible environmental analysis.

9. Systematic source–sink–fate framework for emerging contaminants in an industrial park of Guangdong, China: Source profiles, removal inefficiencies, and ecological risks

Authors: Qiujin Deng | Ben Chen | Yanyan Jia | Yongsen Shi | Ning Zhang | Peng Qi | Yujian Yan | Haoting Quan | Huiyu Liang | Lianpeng Sun | Huaizhi Li | Hui Lu

This integrated source–sink–fate study connects industrial emissions and wastewater treatment with downstream contaminant occurrence and ecological risk. Its value for promotion lies in showing how chemical source profiles, treatment inefficiencies and environmental measurements can be brought together in one management-relevant framework.

10. Spatiotemporal patterns, environmental drivers, and ecological risks of pharmaceuticals and their transformation products in estuarine waters

Authors: Qiaofeng Ai | Bo Zhao | He Liu | Guijiao Li | Min Tan | Jing Huang | Xiaoying Cao | Yayang Huang | Danping Xie

By examining parent pharmaceuticals alongside their transformation products, this study expands monitoring beyond the original chemicals. Its spatiotemporal and environmental-driver analysis highlights why transformation processes matter for interpreting contaminant patterns in estuarine waters.

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The publisher KeAi was established by Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media Ltd to unfold quality research globally. In 2013, our focus shifted to open access publishing. We now proudly publish more than 300 world-class, open access, English language journals, spanning all scientific disciplines. Many of these are titles we publish in partnership with prestigious societies and academic institutions, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).