Product identification and toxicity change during oxidation of methotrexate by ferrate and permanganate in water

• Oxidation of methotrexate by high-valent metal-oxo species was first explored. • Fe(VI) presented a higher reactivity to MTX than Mn(VII) at pH 8.0. • Ketonization and cleavage of peptide bond were two initial reaction pathways. • Products of MTX were not genotoxic, neurotoxic, or endocrine-disrupting chemicals. • The less biodegradable products exhibited developmental and acute/chronic toxicity. Accompanying an annual increase in cancer incidence, the global use of anticancer drugs has remarkably increased with their worldwide environmental prevalence and ecological risks. In this study, the oxidation of methotrexate (MTX), a typical anticancer drug with ubiquitous occurrence and multi-endpoint toxicity, by ferrate(VI) (Fe(VI)) and permanganate (Mn(VII))) was investigated in water. Fe(VI) exhibited a higher reactivity with MTX (93.34 M⁻¹ s⁻¹) than Mn(VII) (3.01 M⁻¹ s⁻¹) at pH 8.0. The introduction of Cu(II) and Fe(III) at 1.0 mM improved the removal efficiency of 5.0 μM MTX by 100.0 μM Fe(VI) from 80% to 95% and 100% after 4 min, respectively. Seven oxidized products (OPs) were identified during oxidative treatments, while OP-191 and OP-205 were characterized as specific products for Fe(VI) oxidation. Initial ketonization of the L-glutamic acid moiety and cleavage of the peptide bond of MTX were proposed. Additionally, a multi-endpoint toxicity evaluation indicated no genotoxicity, neurotoxicity, or endocrine-disrupting effects of MTX and its OPs. Particularly, serious developmental toxicity in zebrafish larvae was observed in the treated MTX solutions. Based on the acute and chronic aquatic toxicity prediction, OP-190, OP-192, OP-206, and OP-208 were deemed toxic or very toxic compared to harmful MTX. Furthermore, the reduced biodegradability index from 0.15 (MTX) to −0.5 to −0.2 (OP-192, OP-206, and OP-468) indicated the formation of lower biodegradable OPs. Overall, this study suggests that Fe(VI) and Mn(VII) oxidation are promising treatments for remediating anticancer drug-contaminated water. However, the environmental risks associated with these treatments should be considered in the evaluation of water safety.     

New insights into different surfactants’ impacts on sludge fermentation: Focusing on the particular metabolic processes and microbial genetic traits

• The promoting effects for VFA generation follow the order of APG>SDBS>HTAB. • Surfactants improve the WAS solubilization/hydrolysis and acidification processes. • The VFA promotion is associated with surfactants’ distinctive characteristics. • Surfactants induce the enrichment of functional bacteria for VFA biosynthesis. • The vital genes for substrates delivery, metabolism, and VFA yields are upregulated. Surfactants were expected to exhibit positive effects on the waste activated sludge (WAS) disposal. However, the systematic comparison of different categories of surfactants on the WAS fermentation and the functional mechanisms, especially microbial metabolic traits, have not yet been precisely explored. This study revealed the positive effects of different surfactants on the volatile fatty acid (VFA) production, which followed the order of alkyl polysaccharides (APG)>sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS)>hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (HTAB). Mechanistic exploration found that the presence of different surfactants improved solubilization and hydrolysis steps, and then contributed to the subsequent acidification with different efficiencies. The functional microorganisms associated with VFA generation were enriched in surfactant-conditioned reactors. Metagenomic analysis further indicated that the key genes involved in the particular process of VFA generation were over-expressed. The simultaneous bioavailable substrate improvement, functional bacterial enrichment, and metabolic activity upregulation induced by different surfactants jointly contributed to VFA promotion during WAS fermentation. This study could provide a comprehensive realization of surfactants’ impacts on the WAS fermentation process, and more importantly, it reminded the public to discern the distinct interplaying effects induced by different chemicals in regulating the WAS disposal and resource recovery.     

Fabrication of novel bio-adsorbent and its application for the removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solution

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - As eco-friendly adsorption material, hydroxyapatite (Ca5(PO4)3OH, HA) has been extensively applied to the removal of heavy metal ions. However,...     

Monitoring and evaluation of antibiotic resistance genes in three rivers in northeast China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have become an important public health problem. In this study, we used metagenomic sequencing to analyze the...     

Can anti-corruption improve the quality of environmental information disclosure?

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study takes the anti-corruption campaign of the 18th CPC National Congress in China as an exogenous impact build a double difference (DID) model,...     

Impact of particle sizes on health risks and source-specific health risks for heavy metals in road dust

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - To analyze the impact of particle sizes on sources and related health risks for heavy metals, road dust samples in Beijing were collected and sifted...     

Environmental courts and foreign direct investments: evidence from China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - As China’s pollution problems worsen, environmental disputes are increasing rapidly. However, only 1% of environmental disputes can be resolved...     

XPS and NMR analyze the combined forms of Pb in Cladophora rupestris subcells and its detoxification

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this study, the combined forms of Pb in Cladophora rupestris (L.) (C. rupestris) were investigated via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and...     

Testing the efficacy of camera-trap sampling designs for monitoring giant pandas in a heterogeneous landscape

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The use of camera traps is prevalent in the ecological study of giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). The reliability of camera-trap surveying...     

一个基于专家知识的生态系统服务价值化方法

Costanza等提出的生态服务价值化评估方法在中国直接运用存在一些缺陷:低估或者忽略了某些生态系统服务价值。因此,笔者在其生态系统服务价值评估体系的基础上分别在2002年和2006年对中国700位具有生态学背景的专业人员进行问卷调查,得出了新的生态系统服务评估单价体系。通过对比发现,调查获得的基于专家知识的生态系统服务单价体系与基于物质量估算的生态系统服务价值之间具有较好的可比性。该基于专家知识的生态系统服务评估体系可以用于已知土地利用面积的生态系统服务价值估算,能在较短时间内获得较为精确的结果。