Water and waste remediation processes: an update

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

Nitrate contamination in water resources,human health risks and its remediation through adsorption: a focused review

The level of nitrate in water has been increasing considerably all around the world due to vast application of inorganic nitrogen fertiliser and animal manure. Because of nitrate’s high solubility in water, human beings are getting exposed to it mainly through various routes including water, food etc. Various regulations have been set for nitrate (45–50 mgNO₃^?/L) in drinking water to protect health of the infants from the methemoglobinemia, birth defects, thyroid disease, risk of specific cancers, i.e. colorectal, breast and bladder cancer caused due to nitrate poisoning. Different methods like ion exchange, adsorption, biological denitrification etc. have the ability to eliminate the nitrate from the aqueous medium. However, adsorption process got preference over the other approaches because of its simple design and satisfactory results especially with surface modified adsorbents or with mineral-based adsorbents. Different types of adsorbents have been used for this purpose; however, adsorbents derived from the biomass wastes have great adsorption capacities for nitrate such as tea waste-based adsorbents (136.43 mg/g), carbon nanotube (142.86 mg/g), chitosan beads (104 mg/g) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide modified rice husk (278 mg/g). Therefore, a thorough literature survey has been carried out to formulate this review paper to understand various sources of nitrate pollution, route of exposure to the human beings, ill effects along with discussing the key developments as well as the new advancements reported in procuring low-cost efficient adsorbents for water purification.

     

高浓度铬污染土壤水浸泡与电动修复联合处理实验

对含铬量为2 142 mg/kg的铬污染土壤首先使用蒸馏水进行6轮浸泡试验,然后再进行电动修试验。土壤经过浸泡、通电24 h和72 h处理后总铬的去除率分别为:47%、61%和70%,表明预浸泡可以显著降低电动修复的负荷从而降低整个土壤修复费用。电动修复过程中对土壤两端的温度进行了测量以间接反映土壤电阻的分布和变化情况。结果显示土壤电阻逐渐上升,从阴极端开始逐渐过渡到阳极端,60 h之后达到最高值并保持稳定。电动修复的电流效率随土壤中铬浓度的降低而下降。此外,浸泡和电动修复均导致整个土壤和各断面铬浓度分布不均匀性增大。     

浙江省饮用水源有机毒物污染特征及健康风险研究

在对浙江省98个县级以上饮用水源地水体中有机毒物污染进行调查的基础上,运用美国环境保护署(EPA)制定的相关模型对饮用水源地水体中有机毒物污染引起的健康风险进行评价。结果表明,在98个饮用水源地水体中共检出7种有机毒物,分别为微囊藻毒素-LR(MC-LR)、微囊藻毒素-RR(MC-RR)、草甘膦、邻苯二甲酸二异辛酯(DEHP)、邻苯二甲酸二丁酯、多环芳烃、咔唑;各饮用水源地水体中检出的有机毒物引起的健康风险大小依次为多环芳烃DEHP咔唑MC-LR草甘膦邻苯二甲酸二丁酯;存在有机毒物检出的饮用水源地水体的总健康风险约为10-13～10-8a-1,与部分国际机构制定的饮用水源地水质健康风险水平判断标准相比,浙江省饮用水源地水体中有机毒物污染引起的健康风险远低于可接受水平,大部分饮用水源地水体的健康风险甚至达到可忽略水平。     

Levels of non-essential trace metals and their impact on placental health: a review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - According to recent research, even low levels of environmental chemicals, particularly heavy metals, can considerably disrupt placental homeostasis....     

Robust bioinspired surfaces and their exploitation for petroleum hydrocarbon remediation

The current improvement in science and engineering, actively dealing with surfaces and interfaces, turns into a functioning control with a thriving advancement propensity. Superlyophobic/superlyophilic phenomena in surface sciences have pulled in broad considerations of researchers and specialists. Inspired by the natural and living organism, researchers have designed different biomimetic materials with exceptional surface wettability, such as the smart wetting of asymmetric spider silk surfaces. These smart materials with superlyophobic/superlyophilic wettability are generally utilized for water assortment, self-cleaning, fluid transportation and separation, and many researchers’ domains. Among them, emulsion separation, including division of oil-water blend, mixtures of immiscible liquids and oil-water emulsions, is highlighted by an increasing number of researchers. Numerous materials with one- and two-dimensional morphology, smart surfaces, and super wettability have been effectively designed and utilized in various scientific research applications. We expect that these bioinspired materials with super wettability can have promising applications in practical for emulsion destabilization and liquid transportation.

     

PCB remediation in schools: a review

Growing awareness of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in legacy caulk and other construction materials of schools has created a need for information on best practices to control human exposures and comply with applicable regulations. A concise review of approaches and techniques for management of building-related PCBs is the focus of this paper. Engineering and administrative controls that block pathways of PCB transport, dilute concentrations of PCBs in indoor air or other exposure media, or establish uses of building space that mitigate exposure can be effective initial responses to identification of PCBs in a building. Mitigation measures also provide time for school officials to plan a longer-term remediation strategy and to secure the necessary resources. These longer-term strategies typically involve removal of caulk or other primary sources of PCBs as well as nearby masonry or other materials contaminated with PCBs by the primary sources. The costs of managing PCB-containing building materials from assessment through ultimate disposal can be substantial. Optimizing the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of remediation programs requires aligning a thorough understanding of sources and exposure pathways with the most appropriate mitigation and abatement methods.     

Pesticide remediation with cyclodextrins: a review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The aim of this review is to highlight and provide an update on the current development of pesticide remediation methods, focusing on the utilization...     

PTFE-coated non-stick cookware and toxicity concerns: a perspective

PTFE is used as an inner coating material in non-stick cookware. This unique polymer coating prevents food from sticking in the pans during the cooking process. Such cookware is also easy to wash. At normal cooking temperatures, PTFE-coated cookware releases various gases and chemicals that present mild to severe toxicity. Only few studies describe the toxicity of PTFE but without solid conclusions. The toxicity and fate of ingested PTFE coatings are also not understood. Moreover, the emerging, persistent, and well-known toxic environmental pollutant PFOA is also used in the synthesis of PTFA. There are some reports where PFOA was detected in the gas phase released from the cooking utensils under normal cooking temperatures. Due to toxicity concerns, PFOA has been replaced with other chemicals such as GenX, but these new alternatives are also suspected to have similar toxicity. Therefore, more extensive and systematic research efforts are required to respond the prevailing dogma about human exposure and toxic effects to PTFE, PFOA, and GenX and other alternatives.     

Phenylheptatriyne: Occurrence, synthesis, biological properties, and environmental concerns

In addition to a complete bibliography on the occurrence, synthesis, photochemistry, biological activity, and mechanism of phototoxicity of phenylheptatriyne, new data on its phototoxicity in larvae of the mosquito , in and in fish ( ) are presented. The apparent lack of target specificity suggests that additional research will be necessary before considering using PHT in field applications.     

Nanoscale zero-valent metals: a review of synthesis,characterization, and applications to environmental remediation

Engineered nanoscale zero-valent metals (NZVMs) representing the forefront of technologies have been considered as promising materials for environmental remediation and antimicrobial effect, due to their high reducibility and strong adsorption capability. This review is focused on the methodology for synthesis of bare NZVMs, supported NZVMs, modified NZVMs, and bimetallic systems with both traditional and green methods. Recent studies have demonstrated that self-assembly methods can play an important role for obtaining ordered, controllable, and tunable NZVMs. In addition to common characterization methods, the state-of-the-art methods have been developed to obtain the properties of NZVMs (e.g., granularity, size distribution, specific surface area, shape, crystal form, and chemical bond) with the resolution down to subnanometer scale. These methods include spherical aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (Cs-corrected STEM), electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS). A growing body of experimental data has proven that nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) is highly effective and versatile. This article discusses the applications of NZVMs to treatment of heavy metals, halogenated organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nutrients, radioelements, and microorganisms, using both ex situ and in situ methods. Furthermore, this paper briefly describes the ecotoxicological effects for NZVMs and the research prospects related to their synthesis, modification, characterization, and applications.     

Particle formation due to brake wear,influence on the people health and measures for their reduction: a review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - For achieving the desired vehicle speed, the IC engine is very important, while for further vehicle speed maintaining and adaptation to road...     

Impact assessment of treated/untreated wastewater toxicants discharged by sewage treatment plants on health, agricultural, and environmental quality in the wastewater disposal area

Studies were undertaken to assess the impact of wastewater/sludge disposal (metals and pesticides) from sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Jajmau, Kanpur (5 MLD) and Dinapur, Varanasi (80 MLD), on health, agriculture and environmental quality in the receiving/application areas around Kanpur and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, India. The raw, treated and mixed treated urban wastewater samples were collected from the inlet and outlet points of the plants during peak (morning and evening) and non-peak (noon) hours. The impact of the treated wastewater toxicants (metals and pesticides) on the environmental quality of the disposal area was assessed in terms of their levels in different media samples viz., water, soil, crops, vegetation, and food grains. The data generated show elevated levels of metals and pesticides in all the environmental media, suggesting a definite adverse impact on the environmental quality of the disposal area. The critical levels of the heavy metals in the soil for agricultural crops are found to be much higher than those observed in the study areas receiving no effluents. The sludge from the STPs has both positive and negative impacts on agriculture as it is loaded with high levels of toxic heavy metals and pesticides, but also enriched with several useful ingredients such as N, P, and K providing fertilizer values. The sludge studied had cadmium, chromium and nickel levels above tolerable levels as prescribed for agricultural and lands application. Bio-monitoring of the metals and pesticides levels in the human blood and urine of the different population groups under study areas was undertaken. All the different approaches indicated a considerable risk and impact of heavy metals and pesticides on human health in the exposed areas receiving the wastewater from the STPs.     

Environmental assessment on electrokinetic remediation of multimetal-contaminated site: a case study

In this study, an environmental assessment on an electrokinetic (EK) system for the remediation of a multimetal-contaminated real site was conducted using a green and sustainable remediation (GSR) tool. The entire EK process was classified into major four phases consisting of remedial investigations (RIs), remedial action construction (RAC), remedial action operation (RAO), and long-term monitoring (LTM) for environmental assessment. The environmental footprints, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, total energy used, air emissions of criteria pollutants, such as NO_x, SO_x, and PM₁₀, and water consumption, were calculated, and the relative contribution in each phase was analyzed in the environmental assessment. In the RAC phase, the relative contribution of the GHG emissions, total energy used, and PM₁₀ emissions were 77.3, 67.6, and 70.4 %, respectively, which were higher than those of the other phases because the material consumption and equipment used for system construction were high. In the RAO phase, the relative contributions of water consumption and NO_x and SO_x emissions were 94.7, 85.2, and 91.0 %, respectively, which were higher than those of the other phases, because the water and electricity consumption required for system operation was high. In the RIs and LTM phases, the environmental footprints were negligible because the material and energy consumption was less. In conclusion, the consumable materials and electrical energy consumption might be very important for GSR in the EK remediation process, because the production of consumable materials and electrical energy consumption highly affects the GHG emissions, total energy used, and air emissions such as NO_x and SO_x.     

Coexistence of Cr and Ni in anthropogenic soils and their chemistry: implication to proper management and remediation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In anthropogenic soils, there have been relatively limited studies focusing on Cr and Ni contaminants because they exhibit less toxic effects to...     

On-site biological remediation of contaminated groundwater: a review

On-site biological treatment has been used for groundwater cleanup from industrial and agricultural chemicals. The pump-and-treat efficiency is controlled by retardation of contaminants by sorption onto the saturated subsurface solids and by the presence of non-aqueous-phase liquids in the aquifer. On-site bioreactors have been widely used for treatment of contaminants such as petroleum hydrocarbons, monoaromatic hydrocarbons, chlorinated aliphatics and aromatics. The most commonly used reactor types for groundwater include the following: trickling filter, upflow fixed-film reactor and fluidized bed reactor. Bioreactor processes have limitations mainly because of their design to operate at elevated temperatures and thereby by high operational costs.     

芘和苯并[a]芘复合污染土壤中的环糊精-微生物连续修复

人为制作芘（Pyr）和苯并[a]芘（BaP）浓度分别为200 mg·kg-1、100 mg·kg-1的污染土样,通过羟丙基-β-环糊精（HPCD）和芘的降解菌,研究土壤中Pyr和BaP的修复效果及对微生物群落结构的变化。通过添加10%（w/w）HPCD和5%（v/w）降解菌修复人为污染的土壤,研究发现添加HPCD和降解菌对两种多环芳烃的降解均有促进作用,且同时添加的效果依次强于单独添加HPCD、单独添加降解菌。培养14周后,和对照相比,所有处理的土样中3种酶（脱氢酶、多酚氧化酶以及荧光素二乙酸酯酶）活性均增强,且HPCD+降解菌处理效果使酶活性增强最为显著,与样品的降解效果趋势相似。通过对土壤中2种多环芳烃进行Tenax TA 6 h提取来表征生物有效性,得出土壤中Pyr的生物有效性依次为HPCD处理（M）>> 对照处理（CK）>（HPCD+降解菌）处理（MB）>> 降解菌处理（CKB）;即HPCD可以显著增强土壤中Pyr的生物有效性,MB和CKB对土壤中Pyr的生物有效性具有减弱作用,且CKB处理的减弱效果最明显;BaP的生物有效性依次为HPCD处理（M）>>（HPCD+降解菌）处理（MB）> 对照处理（CK）>> 降解菌处理（CKB）;即不仅HPCD对土壤中BaP的生物有效性增强作用,MB对BaP的生物有效性也具有增强作用,而且CKB对土壤中BaP的生物有效性同样具有减弱作用。高通量测序表明,培养10周后,M、MB、CK和CKB 4种样品的土壤细菌组成相似。外接种菌液会提高土壤中的细菌多样性,环糊精的添加会降低土样的细菌多样性,两者都会改变土壤的细菌群落结构。