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Our Selections for the Best ES&T Letters Papers of 2019
Environmental Science & Technology Letters ( IF 8.9 ) Pub Date : 2020-06-09 , DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00347 William A. Arnold , Daniel Schlenk
Environmental Science & Technology Letters ( IF 8.9 ) Pub Date : 2020-06-09 , DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00347 William A. Arnold , Daniel Schlenk
The world is in an unprecedented place, and we do not know what the future holds in 2020. We are certain, however, that there will be compelling and timely environmental research that is important to disseminate in a rapid manner. Some of this work will be relevant to COVID-19, but there are other critically important topics that will need attention, as well. Your newest, best work is always welcome at Environmental Science& Technology Letters (ES&T Letters). Our leadership has changed at ES&T Letters, but our focus and mission have not—we are seeking to publish novel, urgent studies that will impact the field and the environment. While we cannot predict what science you will produce, we can look back at the articles from 2019 and assess which ones we found to be particularly innovative, impactful, or visionary. Upon examination of the 123 papers published in the past year, selecting the best papers was not an easy task. The range of topics covered is vast, and we will not know the true impact of any of the papers for years to come. The following five papers are those that we thought were timely and novel and also had the potential to change the way we think about a particular topic or process. Here, we provide short summaries (in alphabetical order by first author) of these five papers we chose as the outstanding papers for 2019. Our hearty congratulations are offered to the winners! Sulfate plays a critical role in atmospheric particulates, and it has been found to be an important component of particulate matter (PM) during severe haze events. In the paper “Heterogeneous SO2 Oxidation in Sulfate Formation by Photolysis of Particulate Nitrate”, Masao Gen, Ruifeng Zhang, Dan Dan Huang, Yongjie Li, and Chak K. Chan investigate a new pathway for the formation of sulfate during extreme haze events in China. Their work points to a new pathway for sulfate formation, via the oxidation of sulfur dioxide by the NO2 and hydroxyl radicals produced upon ultraviolet irradiation of nitrate. Raman spectroscopy was used to monitor sulfate formation in real time while reactions occurred in a flow cell. Modeling estimates revealed that this reaction is equally or more important to other known sulfate formation pathways mediated by other oxidants (ozone, hydrogen peroxide, and transition metal ions) at pH 4.5–6. A recent Scifinder search (April 24, 2020) on the term “microplastics” identified 6276 publications containing this concept. As one of the more studied classes of contaminants, consistent measurement and characterization are critical to better understand risks associated with contamination in water and biota. Using magnetic nanoparticles that hydrophobically bind plastics, Jelena Grbic, Brian Nguyen, Edie Guo, Jae Bem You, David Sinton, and Chelsea M. Rochman were able to extract various common plastics and sizes of microplastics from water and sediment with relatively high recovery (78–92%) in the paper “Magnetic Extraction of Microplastics from Environmental Samples”. The investigators indicate the method is viable for extraction from matrices such as sediments, but it is also useful as a stand-alone method for drinking water samples. In southeast Asia, sewage contamination of water is a common occurrence and the source of contamination is often unknown. The human gut bacteriophage (crAssphage) has been proposed in the United States and Australia to track human sewage discharge into surface waters. Markers of this type, however, often show variability under environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. To evaluate whether this marker could be used in a tropical setting, the paper “CrAssphage as a Potential Human Sewage Marker for Microbial Source Tracking in Southeast Asia” by Akechai Kongprajug, Skorn Mongkolsuk, and Kwanrawee Sirikanchana evaluated sewage to which feces from eight animals, including humans, had been added. The investigators found that with the exception of one composite swine sample, the marker was specific toward human waste and was more abundant in contaminated water samples than another indicator. The results indicated that this tool may help better identify human-derived waste within surface waters in southeast Asia. As population grows, the climate changes, and water resources are stressed, efficient desalination will become increasingly important to ensure sufficient supplies of drinking water. Molecular design of the membranes used for desalination is a critical component for the optimization of the process. Hongxi Luo, Kevin Chang, Kevin Bahati, and Geoffrey M. Geise prepared a series of copolymers with different distributions of hydroxyl groups along the polymer backbone in the work “Engineering Selective Desalination Membranes via Molecular Control of Polymer Functional Groups”. A critical aspect of the work was ensuring that the different materials tested had equivalent water content, such that the hydroxyl group distribution was the variable tested. When the materials contained more side chains with a single hydroxyl group where the groups were spaced more evenly (compared to diols where the groups are more clustered), the water/salt permeability selectivity increased. The work represents an important strategy for improving membrane selectivity. To evaluate the toxicity of plastic materials, many studies now use micro- and nanoplastic products from commercial laboratories to simulate plastics in the environment. Unfortunately, many of these products have ingredients that are often not listed on the products, and the paper “Toxicity Assessments of Micro- and Nanoplastics Can Be Confounded by Preservatives in Commercial Formulations” sought to assess the role of these ingredients on toxicity measurements. One such preservative often observed within commercial products is sodium azide. To evaluate the potential for preservatives to influence the toxicity of micro- and nanoparticles, Oluwadamilola Pikuda, Elvis Genbo Xu, Dimitrios Berk, and Nathalie Tufenkji dialyzed commercially available materials and found that preservatives added to plastics significantly influenced toxicity and argue for method development that requires dialysis prior to biological testing or the provision of all ingredients for commercially available plastics. Views expressed in this editorial are those of the authors and not necessarily the views of the ACS. This article has not yet been cited by other publications.
更新日期：2020-06-09
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