Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 22, 2026
Tuning the Acidity of Pt/ CNTs Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation of Diphenyl Ether
Published on: August 17, 2019
Contamination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in watershed sediments and plants adjacent to e-waste sites
Haichao Zhou1, Nora F Y Tam2, S G Cheung2
1College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China; Futian-CityU Mangrove Research & Development Centre, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China.
Abstract:
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are one of the persistent toxic organic pollutants in watersheds near electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) sites (EWS). Spatial redistribution, translocation and bioaccumulation of PBDEs in natural sediment-plant ecosystems, however, are still unclear. The contamination and distribution of PBDEs in core sediments and wetland plants from two EWS and two mangrove forest sites (MFS) were investigated. The eight PBDE congeners were all detected in plant tissue and sediment samples, indicating PBDE contamination was common and severe, and their spatial variations were significant. Although sediments from EWS had higher PBDE concentrations than those in MFS, with an extremely high value of 36392 ± 5992 ng g-1 dw, mangroves could be the sink of PBDEs, as high concentrations (327 ± 48 ng g-1 dw) were also detected in mangrove sediments. The historical usage of PBDEs was reflected by their distribution in mangrove sediment core but not so in e-waste sediment core. PBDEs were taken up and accumulated in six wetland plants, with more accumulation in mangrove plants. These results demonstrated that PBDEs were not only contaminated in sediments adjacent to e-waste sites but also plant tissues. PBDEs could enter other environments via plant littering and/or herbivorous processes that must not be neglected.
Related Concept Videos
02:29Ethers from Alcohols: Alcohol Dehydration and Williamson Ether Synthesis
Ethers can be prepared from organic compounds by various methods. Some of them are discussed below,
Preparation of Ethers by Alcohol Dehydration
In this method, in the presence of protic acids, alcohol dehydrates to produce alkenes and ethers under different conditions. For example, in the presence of sulphuric acid, dehydration of ethanol at 413 K yields ethoxyethane, whereas it yields ethene at 443 K.
02:28Structure and Nomenclature of Ethers
Ethers are organic compounds with an ether functional group which is characterized by an oxygen atom connected to two — identical or different — alkyl, aryl, or vinyl groups. The C–O–C linkage in dimethyl ether — the simplest ether — has an approximately tetrahedral bond angle of 110.3 degrees. The oxygen atom is sp3- hybridized, with the C–O distance being about 140 pm.
Classification of Ethers
Based on their attached substituent...
02:36Crown Ethers
01:49Conserved Binding Sites
Binding sites are often located in large pockets, and if their location on a protein’s surface is unknown, it can be predicted using various approaches. The energetic method computationally...
02:40Ligand Binding Sites
Protein-ligand interactions are quite specific; even though numerous potential ligands surround a cellular protein at any given time, only a particular ligand can bind to that protein. Moreover, a ligand binds only to a dedicated area on the surface of the protein, known as the...
01:16Contaminants and Errors
Another key consideration is determining the appropriate number of samples required to...