Structural features promoting adsorption of contaminants of emerging concern onto TiO2 P25: experimental and computational approaches

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The study of the structural features affecting the adsorption of organics, especially contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), onto TiO2 P25 in...     

A review on electrocoagulation process for the removal of emerging contaminants: theory,fundamentals, and applications

Electrocoagulation (EC) is an excellent and promising technology in wastewater treatment, as it combines the benefits of coagulation, flotation, and electrochemistry. During the last decade, extensive researches have focused on removal of emerging contaminants by using electrocoagualtion, due to its several advantages like compactness, cost-effectiveness, efficiency, low sludge production, and eco-friendness. Emerging contaminants (ECs) are micropollutants found in trace amounts that discharging into conventional wastewater treatment (WWT) plants entering surface waters and imposing a high threat to human and aquatic life. Various studies reveal that about 90% of emerging contaminants are disposed unscientifically into water bodies, creating problems to public health and environment. The studies on removal of emerging contaminants from wastewater are by global researchers are critically reviewed. The core findings proved that still more research required into optimization of parameters, system design, and economic feasibility to explore the potential of EC combined systems. This review has introduced an innovative collection of current knowledge on electro-coagulation for the removal of emerging contaminants.

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Wastewater reuse: modeling chloroform formation

The chloroform is a substance that presents a significant risk to or via the aquatic environment. Thus, the emissions, discharges and losses of this substance need to be controlled during wastewater disinfection for reclamation and reuse purposes. Due to its carcinogenetic potential, multiple studies have been carried out on drinking and surface/natural waters but less consideration has been directed to the wastewater disinfection. The focus of this work studied the formation of chloroform during chlorination in prepared waters or artificial matrices that intended to simulate wastewaters stored in landscape ponds for green areas irrigation. The relation between reaction time, chlorine dose, and chloroform formation and the variation of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content during the reaction was assessed. A two-variant model was proposed to simulate breakpoint chlorination practices (when chlorine dose is equal or lower than chlorine demand) and super chlorination techniques (when chlorine dose tends to surpass chlorine demand). The model was validated by the application of actual data from working conditions of six wastewater treatment plants located in Algarve, Portugal, including other data obtained in previous research studies that were not used in the model development, and by comparing the predicted values with real measured ones.     

Assessing the effects of tertiary treated wastewater reuse on the presence emerging contaminants in a Mediterranean river (Llobregat,NE Spain)

Purpose  

The Llobregat River, which is characterized by important fluctuations of the flow rates, receives treated waters from WWTPs. During the years 2007 and 2008, the Llobregat River basin suffered from a severe drought which affected the supply of drinking water facilities (DWF) that rely on the exploitation of the river water. The Catalan Water Agency implemented a water reuse experiment with the objective of maintaining the river flow rate at sufficiently high level so as to ensure the supply of raw water to Barcelona’s major DWF.     

Metals and emerging contaminants in groundwater and human health risk assessment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Groundwaters are normally consumed without previous treatment and therefore the monitoring of contaminants in order to guarantee its safety is...     

Occurrence,impact, and elimination of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in soil,water, and air streams: advances and challenges in Ibero-American countries

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

Occurrence and behavior of emerging contaminants in surface water and a restored wetland

Pollution mitigation is an important target for restored wetlands, and although there is much information in relation to nutrient removal, little attention has been paid to emerging contaminants. This paper reports on the occurrence and attenuation capacity of 17 emerging contaminants in a restored wetland and two rivers in North-East Denmark. The compounds belong to the groups of pharmaceuticals, fragrances, antiseptics, fire retardants, pesticides, and plasticizers. Concentrations in surface waters ranged from 2 to 1476 ng L⁻¹. The compounds with the highest concentrations were diclofenac, 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA), caffeine, and tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP). The herbicide concentrations increased after a rain-fall event, demonstrating the agricultural run-off origin of these compounds, whereas the concentration of the other emerging contaminants was rather conservative. The mitigation capacity of the restored wetland for the compounds ranged from no attenuation to 84% attenuation (19% on average). Hence, restored wetlands may be considered as a feasible alternative for mitigating emerging contaminants from river waters.     

Prioritizing research for trace pollutants and emerging contaminants in the freshwater environment

Organic chemicals have been detected at trace concentrations in the freshwater environment for decades. Though the term trace pollutant indicates low concentrations normally in the nanogram or microgram per liter range, many of these pollutants can exceed an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for humans. Trace pollutants referred to as emerging contaminants (ECs) have recently been detected in the freshwater environment and may have adverse human health effects. Analytical techniques continue to improve; therefore, the number and frequency of detections of ECs are increasing. It is difficult for regulators to restrict use of pollutants that are a human health hazard; scientists to improve treatment techniques for higher priority pollutants; and the public to modify consumption patterns due to the vast number of ECs and the breadth of literature on the occurrence, use, and toxicity. Hence, this paper examines literature containing occurrence and toxicity data for three broad classes of trace pollutants and ECs (industrials, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs)), and assesses the relevance of 71 individual compounds. The evaluation indicates that widely used industrials (BPF) and PPCPs (AHTN, HHCB, ibuprofen, and estriol) occur frequently in samples from the freshwater environment but toxicity data were not available; thus, it is important to establish their ADI. Other widely used industrials (BDE-47, BDE-99) and pesticides (benomyl, carbendazim, aldrin, endrin, ethion, malathion, biphenthrin, and cypermethrin) have established ADI values but occurrence in the freshwater environment was not well documented. The highest priority pollutants for regulation and treatment should include industrials (PFOA, PFOS and DEHP), pesticides (diazinon, methoxychlor, and dieldrin), and PPCPs (EE2, carbamazepine, βE2, DEET, triclosan, acetaminophen, and E1) because they occur frequently in the freshwater environment and pose a human health hazard at environmental concentrations.     

Uptake and translocation of organophosphates and other emerging contaminants in food and forage crops

Emerging contaminants in wastewater and sewage sludge spread on agricultural soil can be transferred to the human food web directly by uptake into food crops or indirectly following uptake into forage crops. This study determined uptake and translocation of the organophosphates tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP) (log K _ow 2.59), triethyl-chloro-phosphate (TCEP) (log K _ow 1.44), tributyl phosphate (TBP) (log K _ow 4.0), the insect repellent N,N-diethyl toluamide (DEET) (log K _ow 2.18) and the plasticiser N-butyl benzenesulfonamide (NBBS) (log K _ow 2.31) in barley, wheat, oilseed rape, meadow fescue and four cultivars of carrot. All species were grown in pots of agricultural soil, freshly amended contaminants in the range of 0.6–1.0 mg/kg dry weight, in the greenhouse. The bioconcentration factors for root (RCF), leaf (LCF) and seed (SCF) were calculated as plant concentration in root, leaf or seed over measured initial soil concentration, both in dry weight. The chlorinated flame retardants (TCEP and TCPP) displayed the highest bioconcentration factors for leaf and seed but did not show the same pattern for all crop species tested. For TCEP, which has been phased out due to toxicity but is still found in sewage sludge and wastewater, LCF was 3.9 in meadow fescue and 42.3 in carrot. For TCPP, which has replaced TCEP in many products and also occurs in higher residual levels in sewage sludge and wastewater, LCF was high for meadow fescue and carrot (25.9 and 17.5, respectively). For the four cultivars of carrot tested, the RCF range for TCPP and TCEP was 10–20 and 1.7–4.6, respectively. TCPP was detected in all three types of seeds tested (SCF, 0.015–0.110). Despite that DEET and NBBS have log K _ow in same range as TCPP and TCEP, generally lower bioconcentration factors were measured. Based on the high translocation of TCPP and TCEP to leaves, especially TCPP, into meadow fescue (a forage crop for livestock animals), ongoing risk assessments should be conducted to investigate the potential effects of these compounds in the food web.     

Photocatalytic degradation of contaminants of concern with composite NF-TiO2 films under visible and solar light

This study reports the synthesis and characterization of composite nitrogen and fluorine co-doped titanium dioxide (NF-TiO₂) for the removal of contaminants of concern in wastewater under visible and solar light. Monodisperse anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles of different sizes and Evonik P25 were assembled to immobilized NF-TiO₂ by direct incorporation into the sol–gel or by the layer-by-layer technique. The composite films were characterized with X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, environmental scanning electron microscopy, and porosimetry analysis. The photocatalytic degradation of atrazine, carbamazepine, and caffeine was evaluated in a synthetic water solution and in an effluent from a hybrid biological concentrator reactor (BCR). Minor aggregation and improved distribution of monodisperse titania particles was obtained with NF-TiO₂-monodisperse (10 and 50 nm) from the layer-by-layer technique than with NF-TiO₂?+?monodisperse TiO₂ (300 nm) directly incorporated into the sol. The photocatalysts synthesized with the layer-by-layer method achieved significantly higher degradation rates in contrast with NF-TiO₂-monodisperse titania (300 nm) and slightly faster values when compared with NF-TiO₂-P25. Using NF-TiO₂ layer-by-layer with monodisperse TiO₂ (50 nm) under solar light irradiation, the respective degradation rates in synthetic water and BCR effluent were 14.6 and 9.5?×?10^?3?min^?1 for caffeine, 12.5 and 9.0?×?10^?3?min^?1 for carbamazepine, and 10.9 and 5.8?×?10^?3?min^?1 for atrazine. These results suggest that the layer-by-layer technique is a promising method for the synthesis of composite TiO₂-based films compared to the direct addition of nanoparticles into the sol.     

Elimination of selected heterocyclic aromatic emerging contaminants from water using soybean peroxidase

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Widespread occurrence of various heterocyclic aromatic compounds is reported in concentrations from 1 to 20 μg/L in surface and groundwater as...     

混凝技术去除水中新兴污染物的研究进展

常规水处理工艺通常不能完全将水中新兴污染物(ECs)去除,残留的污染物仍然具有相当大的环境风险,如何有效地去除水中痕量新兴污染物是一个亟待解决的难题。本文概述了新兴污染物的来源、种类和危害,并分析了混凝工艺去除新兴污染物的可行性,重点介绍了新兴污染物性质、混凝剂种类和投加量、pH和水中溶解性物质对混凝效果的影响机制,并介绍了混凝与氧化、膜过滤及吸附等工艺的组合集成技术。在此基础上,对未来混凝技术去除新兴污染物的研究方向和发展趋势进行了展望。     

Occurrence of emerging organic contaminants in a tropical urban catchment in Singapore

The aim of this study was to test in a short term laboratory experiment the accumulation and physiological effects of As in the epiphytic lichen Xanthoria parietina. Arsenic content in treated samples increased progressively with increasing concentration in treatment solutions. Treatment of X. parietina thalli with 0.1, 1, 10 ppm As solutions caused significant decrease of viability, measured as intensity of respiratory activity, and damages to cell membranes, assessed by increase of electric conductivity of rinsing water and lipid peroxidation products. Soluble proteins content decreased and H₂O₂ content increased already at the lowest As concentration tested (0.01 ppm). Photosynthetic efficiency, measured in terms of F_V/F_M ratio, decreased significantly only at the highest As concentration (10 ppm). It was concluded that As exposure causes physiological stress both on the mycobiont and the photobiont and that cell membrane damage, expressed in terms of electric conductivity of rinsing water, is the parameter most affected by As treatment.     

Competitive kinetics of adsorption onto activated carbon for emerging contaminants with contrasting physicochemical properties

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Activated carbon (AC) can be used for the removal of emerging contaminants (e.g., drugs) in water and wastewater treatment plants. In the present...     

Performance comparison of commercial TiO2: separation and reuse for bacterial photo-inactivation and emerging pollutants photo-degradation

This research aims to compare the disinfection and degradation effectiveness in water of a commercial suspension of nano-TiO₂ (TiO₂Levenger) with the standard TiO₂Degussa P25. Photo-inactivation and photo-degradation experiments were conducted with UVA-vis light. Concerning the disinfection, the effects of TiO₂ dose (0–2 g/l), water matrix, bacterium type (Gram-positive or Gram-negative), and bacterial regrowth after the photo-treatments were studied for each catalyst. The experimental results show that Enterococcus sp. (Gram-positive) was more resistant to the photo-treatments than Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) for both catalyst; however, postirradiation trends showed similar behavior for both bacteria, favoring regrowth for short-treated cells and decay for longer-treated ones. Caffeine was selected as a model substance of pharmaceuticals and personal care products. In terms of caffeine removal, the effects of TiO₂ dose (0–2 g/l) and water matrix were analyzed. Besides, the comparison between mechanical coagulation-flocculation-decantation and simple decantation of TiO₂ was carried out. The results show that simple decantation allowed the recovery of 97.5% of TiO₂ Degussa P25 and TiO₂ Levenger within 1 day of simple decantation, while applying the proposed mechanical coagulation-flocculation decantation 99.7% of recovery of both catalysts was achieved in 2 hours. Finally, the subsequent reuse of both catalysts was proved with little loss of efficiency in terms of photo-disinfection during the four cycles. Nevertheless, the standard TiO₂ Degussa P25 photo-degradation efficiency of caffeine decreases considerably as compared to commercial suspension of TiO₂ Levenger concerning the reutilization.

     

Modeling transport and deposition of contaminants to ecosystems of concern: a case study for the Laurentian Great Lakes

Transfer efficiency (TE) is introduced as a model output that can be used to characterize the relative ability of chemicals to be transported in the environment and deposited to specific target ecosystems. We illustrate this concept by applying the Berkeley-Trent North American contaminant fate model (BETR North America) to identify organic chemicals with properties that result in efficient atmospheric transport and deposition to the Laurentian Great Lakes. By systematically applying the model to hypothetical organic chemicals that span a wide range of environmental partitioning properties, we identify combinations of properties that favor efficient transport and deposition to the Lakes. Five classes of chemicals are identified based on dominant transport and deposition pathways, and specific examples of chemicals in each class are identified and discussed. The role of vegetation in scavenging chemicals from the atmosphere is assessed, and found to have a negligible influence on transfer efficiency to the Great Lakes. Results indicate chemicals with octanol-water (K(ow)) and air-water (K(aw)) partition coefficients in the range of 10(5)-10(7) and 10(-4)-10(-1) combine efficient transport and deposition to the Great Lakes with potential for biaccumulation in the aquatic food web once they are deposited. A method of estimating the time scale for atmospheric transport and deposition process is suggested, and the effects of degrading reactions in the atmosphere and meteorological conditions on transport efficiency of different classes of chemicals are discussed. In total, this approach provides a method of identifying chemicals that are subject to long-range transport and deposition to specific target ecosystems as a result of their partitioning and persistence characteristics. Supported by an appropriate contaminant fate model, the approach can be applied to any target ecosystem of concern.     

New trends in the analytical determination of emerging contaminants and their transformation products in environmental waters

Since the so-called emerging contaminants were established as a new group of pollutants of environmental concern, a great effort has been devoted to the knowledge of their distribution, fate and effects in the environment. After more than 20 years of work, a significant improvement in knowledge about these contaminants has been achieved, but there is still a large gap of information on the growing number of new potential contaminants that are appearing and especially of their unpredictable transformation products. Although the environmental problem arising from emerging contaminants must be addressed from an interdisciplinary point of view, it is obvious that analytical chemistry plays an important role as the first step of the study, as it allows establishing the presence of chemicals in the environment, estimate their concentration levels, identify sources and determine their degradation pathways. These tasks involve serious difficulties requiring different analytical solutions adjusted to purpose. Thus, the complexity of the matrices requires highly selective analytical methods; the large number and variety of compounds potentially present in the samples demands the application of wide scope methods; the low concentrations at which these contaminants are present in the samples require a high detection sensitivity, and high demands on the confirmation and high structural information are needed for the characterisation of unknowns. New developments on analytical instrumentation have been applied to solve these difficulties. Furthermore and not less important has been the development of new specific software packages intended for data acquisition and, in particular, for post-run analysis. Thus, the use of sophisticated software tools has allowed successful screening analysis, determining several hundreds of analytes, and assisted in the structural elucidation of unknown compounds in a timely manner.