Effectiveness of tertiary treatment processes in removing different classes of emerging contaminants from domestic wastewater

● Different advanced treatment processes were tested for ECs removal from wastewater. ● UV radiation showed low to moderate removal for 5 of the 38 micropollutants. ● Among tested membrane processes, nanofiltration showed the better performance. ● The use of PAC achieved high or partially removal for 31 out of the 38 compounds. ● The environmental and economical evaluation of a pilot-scale PAC unit is suggested. In this work, 38 different organic emerging contaminants (ECs), belonging to various chemical classes such as pharmaceuticals (PhCs), endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), benzotriazoles (BTRs), benzothiazoles (BTHs), and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), were initially identified and quantified in the biologically treated wastewater collected from Athens’ (Greece) Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). Processes already used in existing STPs such as microfiltration (MF), nanofiltration (NF), ultrafiltration (UF), UV radiation, and powdered activated carbon (PAC) were assessed for ECs’ removal, under the conditions that represent their actual application for disinfection or advanced wastewater treatment. The results indicated that MF removed only one out of the 38 ECs and hence it was selected as pretreatment step for the other processes. UV radiation in the studied conditions showed low to moderate removal for 5 out of the 38 ECs. NF showed better results than UF due to the smaller pore sizes of the filtration system. However, this enhancement was observed mainly for 8 compounds originating from the classes of PhCs and PFCs, while the removal of EDCs was not statistically significant. Among the various studied technologies, PAC stands out due to its capability to sufficiently remove most ECs. In particular, removal rates higher than 70% were observed for 9 compounds, 22 were partially removed, while 7 demonstrated low removal rates. Based on our screening experiments, future research should focus on scaling-up PAC in actual conditions, combining PAC with other processes, and conduct a complete economic and environmental assessment of the treatment.     

Improving dialogue among researchers,local and indigenous peoples and decision-makers to address issues of climate change in the North

Ambio - The Circumpolar North has been changing rapidly within the last decades, and the socioeconomic systems of the Eurasian Arctic and Siberia in particular have displayed the most dramatic...     

The influence of gill and liver metabolism on the predicted bioconcentration of three pharmaceuticals in fish

The potential for xenobiotic compounds to bioconcentrate is typically expressed through the bioconcentration factor (BCF), which has gained increased regulatory significance over the past decade. Due to the expense of in vivo bioconcentration studies and the growing regulatory need to assess bioconcentration potential, BCF is often calculated via single-compartment models, using K(OW) as the primary input. Recent efforts to refine BCF models have focused on physiological factors, including the ability of the organism to eliminate the compound through metabolic transformation. This study looks at the ability of in vitro biotransformation assays using S9 fractions to provide an indication of metabolic potential. Given the importance of the fish gill and liver in metabolic transformation, the metabolic loss of ibuprofen, norethindrone and propranolol was measured using rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) gill and liver S9 fractions. Metabolic transformation rates (k(M)) were calculated and integrated into a refined BCF model. A significant difference was noted between BCF solely based on K(OW) and BCF including k(M). These studies indicate that the inclusion of k(M) in BCF models can bring predicted bioconcentration estimates closer to in vivo values.     

Effects of particle size on chemical speciation and bioavailability of copper to earthworms (Eisenia fetida) exposed to copper nanoparticles

To investigate the role of particle size on the oxidation, bioavailability, and adverse effects of manufactured Cu nanoparticles (NPs) in soils, we exposed the earthworm Eisenia ferida to a series of concentrations of commercially produced NPs labeled as 20- to 40-nm or < 100-nm Cu in artificial soil media. Effects on growth, mortality, reproduction, and expression of a variety of genes associated with metal homeostasis, general stress, and oxidative stress were measured. We also used X-ray absorption spectroscopy and scanning X-ray fluorescence microscopy to characterize changes in chemical speciation and spatial distribution of the NPs in soil media and earthworm tissues. Exposure concentrations of Cu NPs up to 65 mg kg(-1) caused no adverse effects on ecologically relevant endpoints. Increases in metallothionein expression occurred at concentrations exceeding 20 mg kg(-1) of Cu NPs and concentrations exceeding 10 mg kg(-1) of CuSO4. Based on the relationship of Cu tissue concentration to metallothionein expression level and the spatial distribution and chemical speciation of Cu in the tissues, we conclude that Cu ions and oxidized Cu NPs were taken up by the earthworms. This study suggests that oxidized Cu NPs may enter food chains from soil but that adverse effects in earthworms are likely to occur only at relatively high concentrations (> 65 mg Cu kg(-1) soil).     

Lanthanum cobaltite perovskite supported onto mesoporous zirconium dioxide: nature of active sites of VOC oxidation

Novel catalytic nano-sized materials based on LaCoO(x) perovskite nanoparticles incapsulated in the mesoporous matrix of zirconia were prepared, characterized by physicochemical methods and tested in complete methanol oxidation. LaCoO(x) nanoparticles were prepared inside the mesopores of ZrO(2) by decomposition of bimetallic La-Co glycine precursor complexes. The catalysts have been studied by diffuse-reflectance FTIR-spectroscopy using such probe molecules as CO, CD(3)CN and CDCl(3) to test low-coordinated metal ions. At low temperatures of decomposition of complexes (up to 400°C), low-coordinated Co(3+) ions predominate in the LaCoO(x) nanoparticles, whereas basically Co(2+) ions are found upon increasing the decomposition temperature to 600°C. The novel nano-sized perovskite catalysts exhibit a very high catalytic activity in the abatement of volatile organic compounds present in air, like methanol and light hydrocarbons.     

Sustainable development of deep-water seaport: the case of Lithuania

Introduction  

In 2003, the Japan International Cooperation Agency carried out a development feasibility study of Klaipeda Seaport (Lithuania). The focus in this study was the evaluation of environmental impacts of the port expansion because it is located in an ecologically sensitive area. While the Japanese researchers focused on the environmental impact analysis, they did not provide unambiguous conclusions. The problems remained unresolved and required further, more detailed consideration and deeper analysis.     

Determination of microbiological contamination,antibacterial and antioxidant activities of natural plant hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) pollen

The aim of our study is to determine microbial contamination, antibacterial and antioxidant activities of 14 pollen samples of Corylus avellana collected from different locations in Slovakia. Microbiological analysis was carried out in two steps: microbiological assays and studies of antibacterial activity of pollen extracts. The antimicrobial properties of pollen extracts were carried out with the disc-diffusion method. Methanol (70%), ethanol (70%) and distilled water were used for pollen extracts. Five strains of bacteria such as gram-negative (Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica CCM 3807, Escherichia coli CCM 2024, and Yersinia enterocolitica CCM 5671) and gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus CCM 2461 and Bacillus thuringiensis CCM 19T) were tested. Antioxidant activity of pollen extracts was determined by the DPPH method. Bacterial analysis includes the determination of the total bacterial count ranged from 4.08 to 4.61 log CFU g^?1, mesophilic aerobic bacteria ranged from 3.40 to 4.89 log CFU g^?1, mesophilic anaerobic bacteria ranged from 3.20 to 4.52 log CFU g^?1, coliform bacteria ranged from 3.30 to 4.55 log CFU g^?1, yeasts and filamentous fungi ranged from 3.00 to 3.56 log CFU g^?1. Microscopic filamentous fungi Aspergillus spp., Alternaria spp., Penicillium spp., Cladosporium spp., Rhizopus spp., and Paecylomyces spp. were isolated from hazelnut pollen. Yersinia enterocolitica was the most sensitive strain among ethanolic and methanolic pollen hazelnut extracts. Staphylococcus aureus was the most sensitive strain against aqueous hazelnut pollen extracts. We determined the following sensitivity against ethanol pollen extracts respectively: Yersinia enterocolitica?>?Salmonella enterica?>?Staphylococcus aureus?>?Bacillus thuringiensis?>?Escherichia coli. Methanol pollen extracts had shown following sensitivity: Yersinia enterocolitica?>?Salmonella enterica?>?Escherichia coli?>?Staphylococcus aureus?>?Bacillus thuringiensis. Aqueous extracts had shown the following sensitivity: Staphylococcus aureus?>?Salmonella enterica?>?Escherichia coli?>?Bacillus thuringiensis?>?Yersinia enterocolitica. Hazelnut pollen extracts have over 82% antioxidant capacity in samples from non-urban zones. An elevated level of antioxidant potential in the pollen is determined by its biological properties conditioned by biologically active substances. DPPH method allowed characterizing pollen as a source of antioxidants.     

Chiral signature of venlafaxine as a marker of biological attenuation processes

The chiral signature of the antidepressant venlafaxine was used in this study to gain insight into biological attenuation processes and to differentiate abiotic and biotic transformation processes in water. Laboratory scale experiments revealed that sorption and phototransformation processes were not enantioselective while venlafaxine was enantioselectively biotransformed into O-desmethylvenlafaxine. The enantiomeric fraction (EF) variations of venlafaxine appeared to be proportional to its microbial fractional conversion. Enantioselective biotransformation of venlafaxine was also investigated in a eutrophic French river. Venlafaxine was found to be racemic at the output of the main wastewater treatment plant discharging into the river, independently of the sampling date during the year. An analysis of EF variations might provide evidence of biodegradation along a 30 km river stretch.     

Carbamazepine, carbamazepine epoxide and dihydroxycarbamazepine sorption to soil and occurrence in a wastewater reuse site in Tunisia

Although a number of manufactured nanoparticles are applied for the medical and clinical purposes, the understanding of interaction between nanomaterials and biological systems are still insufficient. Using nematode Caenorhabditis elegans model organism, we here investigated the in vivo toxicity or safety of hydroxylated fullerene nanoparticles known to detoxify anti-cancer drug-induced oxidative damages in mammals. The survival ratio of C. elegans rapidly decreased by the uptake of nanoparticles from their L4 larval stage with resulting in shortened lifespan (20 d). Both reproduction rate and body size of C. elegans were also reduced after exposure to 100 μg mL⁻¹ of fullerol. We found ectopic cell corpses caused by apoptotic cell death in the adult worms grown with fullerol nanoparticles. By the mutation of core pro-apoptotic regulator genes, ced-3 and ced-4, these nanoparticle-induced cell death were significantly suppressed, and the viability of animals consequently increased despite of nanoparticle uptake. The apoptosis-mediated toxicity of nanoparticles particularly led to the disorder of digestion system in the animals containing a large number of undigested foods in their intestine. These results demonstrated that the water-soluble fullerol nanoparticles widely used in medicinal applications have a potential for inducing apoptotic cell death in multicellular organisms despite of their antioxidative detoxifying property.     

Feasibility of vermicomposting dairy biosolids using a modified system to avoid earthworm mortality

Abstract

A laboratory study was conducted to examine the feasibility of vermicomposting dairy biosolids (dairy sludge), either alone or with either of the bulking agents ‐ cereal straw or wood shavings, using the epigeic earthworm ‐ Eisinea andrei. Earthworms added directly to these three substrates died within 48 hours. A system was developed to overcome the toxic effect of unprocessed dairy biosolids. The substrates were placed over a layer of vermicomposted sheep manure into which the earthworms were inoculated. Within two weeks, all earthworms were within the upper layer of substrate. Compared to sheep manure which is a favourable substrate for vermicomposting, the three substrates containing dairy biosolids were more effective in supporting earthworm growth and reproduction. The final products obtained after 63 days of vermicomposting had 39–53% less organic carbon than the initial substrates. Organic fractionation indicated that vermicomposting increased the stability of the materials to biological decomposition. The vermicomposts obtained from the three substrates with dairy biosolids had low heavy metal contents and electrical conductivities, and did not inhibit plant growth when compared with a commercial vermicompost in a bioassay.