JOURNAL OF SHANDONG UNIVERSITY(NATURAL SCIENCE) ›› 2026, Vol. 61 ›› Issue (10): 110-121.doi: 10.6040/j.issn.1671-9352.0.2025.084

• Ecological Risk and Comprehensive Management • Previous Articles    

Water quality status and ecological risk assessment of the Dawen River, the largest tributary in the lower reaches of the Yellow River

JIA Xiangfeng1, ZHANG Guiqin1,2, LIU Deling3, WEI Xiaofeng1, CHEN Feiyong2*   

  1. 1. School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, Shandong, China;
    2. Institute of Resources and Environment Innovation, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, Shandong, China;
    3. School of Management, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, Shandong, China
  • Published:2026-10-16

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Abstract: To systematically assess the water pollution characteristics and ecological risks of the Dawen River, the largest tributary in the lower reaches of the Yellow River basin, this study established 10 representative sampling sites at key cross-sections along the mainstem. These sites span critical zones including the headwaters, midstream urban zones, and downstream confluence with the Yellow River, which were strategically selected based on industrial distribution patterns and hydrological dynamics within the watershed. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)was employed to conduct multi-matrix pollution characterization targeting the following priority contaminants: four antibiotic classes(Sulfonamides/SAs, Tetracyclines/TCs, Quinolones/QNs, and Macrolides/MLs), as well as Nitrophenols(NPs)and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances(PFAS). The combined ecological risk of various pollutants were quantitatively evaluated using the risk quotient(RQ)model, by integrating data on environmental fate and ecotoxicological properties of the contaminants. The study revealed significant differences in the level of ecological risks among four categories of antibiotics in the mainstem of the Dawen River: sulfonamides(SAs)and macrolides(MLs)exhibited elevated detection concentrations with higher RQs. In contrast, tetracyclines(TCs)and quinolones(QNs)showed substantially lower contamination levels with RQs consistently below 0.1, indicating negligible ecological risks below acceptable thresholds. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFAS)exhibited low overall concentrations across sampling sites, and detected PFAS levels reached low-risk thresholds, demanding heightened vigilance toward their bioaccumulation potential. In contrast, nitrophenols(NPs)demonstrated consistently negligible concentrations with risk quotients(RQs)of less than 0.01, indicating no significant ecological risks under the current contamination condition.

Key words: antibiotics, polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFAS), nitrophenols(NPs), risk quotient(RQ)

CLC Number: 

  • X522
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