Persistent and Emerging Organic Contaminants in Natural Environments

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Water".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2024 | Viewed by 4688

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
National Research Council - Institute of Polar Sciences (CNR-ISP), Rome, Italy
Interests: emerging contaminants; antibiotics; ARGs; microbial ecology; ecotoxicity; biodegradation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Research Council - Institute of Polar Sciences (CNR-ISP), Rome, Italy
Interests: pharmaceutical; personal care products; abiotic compartments; bioaccumulation; development of analytical methods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Research Council - Institute of Polar Sciences (CNR-ISP), Rome, Italy
Interests: POPs; emerging contaminants; analytical chemistry; persistence of contaminants; polar ecosystems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to investigate and understand the sources, fate, transport, and effects of persistent and emerging organic contaminants on natural ecosystems. These contaminants are spread in all environmental compartments at middle and high latitudes due to their worldwide production and consumption related to anthropogenic activities. Most of these organic micropollutants cause adverse effects on organisms at different levels of the trophic web. In this scenario, the investigation of the potential effects and toxicity associated with their occurrence in abiotic and biotic natural compartments can not be negligible. This Special Issue will update the state-of-the-art and partially fill the knowledge gap regarding these contaminants.

Dr. Jasmin Rauseo
Dr. Francesca Spataro
Dr. Luisa Patrolecco
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • emerging contaminants
  • POPs
  • source of contamination
  • fate of contaminants
  • short and long-range transport
  • ecotoxicity
  • environmental compartments

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1736 KiB  
Article
Sorption of Halogenated Anti-Inflammatory Pharmaceuticals from Polluted Aqueous Streams on Activated Carbon: Lifetime Extension of Sorbent Caused by Benzalkonium Chloride Action
by Barbora Kamenická, Tomáš Weidlich and Miloslav Pouzar
Water 2023, 15(18), 3178; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15183178 - 06 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 921
Abstract
The enhancement of the adsorption capacity of activated carbon (AC) using benzalkonium chloride (BAC) within the adsorption of halogenated pharmaceuticals flufenamic acid (flufa) and diclofenac (dcf) was investigated in this study. An adsorption kinetic study was performed to evaluate [...] Read more.
The enhancement of the adsorption capacity of activated carbon (AC) using benzalkonium chloride (BAC) within the adsorption of halogenated pharmaceuticals flufenamic acid (flufa) and diclofenac (dcf) was investigated in this study. An adsorption kinetic study was performed to evaluate the adsorption mechanisms. The adsorption mechanism of both drugs on granulated AC as well as saturated AC activated by BAC can be evaluated via pseudo-second kinetic order. The equilibrium adsorption capacity of spent granulated AC in co-action with BAC (qflufa = 195.5 mg g−1 and qdcf = 199.5 mg g−1) reached the adsorption capacity of virgin granulated AC (qflufa = 203.9 mg g−1 and qdcf = 200.7 mg g−1). Finally, batch and column arrangements were compared in an effort to possible practical application of exhausted AC in co-action with BAC. In both column and batch experiments, adsorption capacities of spent granulated AC for flufa increased using BAC by 170.4 mg g−1 and 560.4 mg g−1, respectively. The proposed mechanism of adsorption enhancement is the formation of less polar ion pairs and its better affinity to the non-polar AC surface. The drug concentrations were determined using the voltammetric method on carbon paste electrodes. The formation of ion pairs has been studied by the H1 NMR technique, and solubility in water of drugs and respective ion pairs were investigated using octan-1-ol/water coefficients (POW). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Persistent and Emerging Organic Contaminants in Natural Environments)
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16 pages, 1810 KiB  
Article
Vicia faba Plant Suitability Assessment for Genotoxicity, Cytotoxicity, and Mutagenicity Testing of Pharmaceutical-Containing Wastewater
by Joanna Kalka and Justyna Drzymała
Water 2023, 15(17), 3044; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15173044 - 25 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 959
Abstract
The article aimed to assess the Vicia faba plant’s suitability in the micronucleus test for determining toxicity of wastewater containing diclofenac and sulfamethoxazole. Additionally, the study evaluated the activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase in plant leaves. The assessment of [...] Read more.
The article aimed to assess the Vicia faba plant’s suitability in the micronucleus test for determining toxicity of wastewater containing diclofenac and sulfamethoxazole. Additionally, the study evaluated the activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase in plant leaves. The assessment of wastewater was performed on laboratory-constructed wetland models. Both influent and effluent samples were tested, and the study examined two methods of plant root exposure: hydroponic culture and soil culture. The analysis showed a decrease in the mitotic index (57% inhibition on average in hydroponic and 42% in soil culture for influent and 39% and 19%, respectively, for treated wastewater), indicating the toxicity of the wastewater. The inhibition of the cell division frequency was lower in soil culture, and the frequency of aberrations of chromosomes was also lower. However, there was no increase in micronuclei frequency. An upsurge in catalase activity was observed upon analyzing the wastewater, with a 67% increase in the influent and a 20% increase in the treated wastewater. Additionally, there was a notable boost in superoxide dismutase activity, primarily in hydroponic culture with raw wastewater, averaging 186%. The results showed genotoxic and cytotoxic effects, but there were no mutagenic effects. The Vicia faba assay is advantageous for its simplicity and rapid results; it offers representative assessment of genotoxicity through its broad range of detected effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Persistent and Emerging Organic Contaminants in Natural Environments)
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23 pages, 2918 KiB  
Article
Batch Studies on the Biodegradation Potential of Paracetamol, Fluoxetine and 17α-Ethinylestradiol by the Micrococcus yunnanensis Strain TJPT4 Recovered from Marine Organisms
by Tânia Palma, Julia Valentine, Vera Gomes, Maria Faleiro and Maria Costa
Water 2022, 14(21), 3365; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14213365 - 23 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2176
Abstract
The emerging pollutants paracetamol, fluoxetine and ethinylestradiol are inefficiently removed by conventional wastewater treatments, entering in aquatic environments in which they are hazardous. Aiming for the obtention of bacteria with the capacity for environmental bioremediation, eight bacteria were isolated from two consortia recovered [...] Read more.
The emerging pollutants paracetamol, fluoxetine and ethinylestradiol are inefficiently removed by conventional wastewater treatments, entering in aquatic environments in which they are hazardous. Aiming for the obtention of bacteria with the capacity for environmental bioremediation, eight bacteria were isolated from two consortia recovered from Hymedesmia versicolor and Filograna implexa marine organisms which exhibited a high-paracetamol-removal capacity. The isolates that displayed the ability to grow in the presence of 100 mg/L paracetamol as the sole carbon source were assigned to Paenibacillus, Micrococcus and Microbacterium genera. The isolate assigned to the Micrococcus yunnanensis strain TJPT4 presented the best performance, degrading 93 ± 4% of 15 mg/L paracetamol as the sole carbon source after 360 h, and was also apparently able to degrade the produced metabolites. This strain was able to remove 82.1 ± 0.9% of 16 mg/L fluoxetine after 504 h, mainly by adsorption, but apparently a biodegradation contribution also occurred. This strain was able to remove 66.6 ± 0.2% of 13 mg/L 17α-ethinylestradiol after 360 h. As far as is known, Micrococcus yunnanensis is for the first time recovered/identified in Filograna implexa, presenting a high drug removal efficiency, thereby becoming a great candidate for treatment processes (e.g., bioaugmentation), especially in the presence of saline intrusions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Persistent and Emerging Organic Contaminants in Natural Environments)
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