Simultaneous removal of emerging contaminants and disinfection for municipal wastewater treatment plant effluent quality improvement: a systemic analysis of the literature

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This work presents a bibliographic review of the literature regarding the simultaneous removal of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and...     

Environmental performance evaluation of agro-industrial innovations – Part 2: methodological approach for performing vulnerability analysis of watersheds

Environmental vulnerability analysis has been sparsely used in environmental performance evaluation (EPE) of technological innovations. The present paper proposes a methodological approach to carry out vulnerability analysis of watersheds and to integrate this analysis into methods of environmental performance evaluation of agro-industrial innovations. This approach is applied to the Ambitec-Life Cycle method, described in Part 1 (this issue) of this study. The case study of green coconut substrate compared to ripe coconut substrate, also described in Part 1 (this issue), is now presented considering the vulnerability analysis of the watersheds where the life cycle stages of these products occur. The integration of vulnerability analysis in Ambitec-Life Cycle contributes to a better understanding of the environmental aspects of agro-industrial technological innovations with potential to cause significant impacts in watersheds where these innovations are implemented.     

Sulfate pollution: evidence for electrochemical production of persulfate by oxidizing sulfate released by the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate

Environmental Chemistry Letters - There is increasing concern about contamination by surfactants that are used to extract organic pollutants during remediation of polluted soils and aquifers. For...     

Effects of light exposure on the retention of kleptoplastic photosynthetic activity in the sacoglossan mollusc <Emphasis Type="Italic">Elysia viridis</Emphasis>

The effects of light exposure on the photosynthetic activity of kleptoplasts were studied in the sacoglossan mollusc Elysia viridis. The photosynthetic activity of ingested chloroplasts was assessed in vivo by non-destructively measuring photophysiological parameters using pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorometry. Animals kept under starvation were exposed to two contrasting light conditions, 30 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ (low light, LL), and 140 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ (high light, HL), and changes in photosynthetic activity were monitored by measuring the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII), F _v/F _m, the minimum fluorescence, F _o, related to chlorophyll a content, and by measuring rapid light-response curves (RLC) of relative electron transport rate (rETR). RLCs were characterised by the initial slope of the curve, α_RLC, related to efficiency of light capture, and the maximum rETR level, rETR_m,RLC, determined by the carbon-fixation metabolism. Starvation induced the decrease of all photophysiological parameters. However, the retention of photosynthetic activity (number of days for F _v/F _m > 0), as well as the rate and the patterns of its decrease over time, varied markedly with light exposure. Under HL conditions, a rapid, exponential decrease was observed for F _v/F _m, α_RLC and rETR_m,RLC, F _o not showing any consistent trend of variation, and retention times ranged between 6 and 15 days. These results suggested that the retention of chloroplast functionality is limited by photoinactivation of PSII reaction center protein D1. In contrast, under LL conditions, a slower decrease in all parameters was found, with retention times varying from 15 to 57 days. F _v/F _m, α_RLC and rETR_m,RLC exhibited a bi-phasic pattern composed by a long phase of slow decrease in values followed by a rapid decline, whilst F _o decayed exponentially. These results were interpreted as resulting from lower rates of D1 photoinactivation under low light and from the gradual decrease in carbon provided by photosynthesis due to reduction of functional photosynthetic units.     

Development of an activated carbon impregnation process with iron oxide nanoparticles by green synthesis for diclofenac adsorption

The objective of this study was to impregnate the surface of palm coconut activated carbon with nanoparticles of iron compounds using Moringa oleifera leaf extracts and pomegranate leaf by a green synthesis method and to evaluate its adsorption capacity for sodium diclofenac. The adsorbent material was characterized by zeta potential, X-ray diffraction (XRD), N₂ adsorption/desorption (BET method), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) coupled to dispersive energy spectrometry X-ray (EDX) methods. To evaluate the adsorption capacity of sodium diclofenac, the influence of pH, kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamic properties were analysed. The impregnated adsorbents showed efficiency in the adsorption of sodium diclofenac. The kinetic model that best fit the experimental data was the pseudo-second-order model, and the equilibrium model was the Langmuir model. As for the thermodynamic study, it was verified that the adsorption reaction for all adsorbents occurs in a spontaneous, favourable way, and it is endothermic by physisorption. Therefore, this process is promising because it is a clean and non-toxic method when compared with chemical methods for the synthesis of nanoparticles.

     

Contamination of soil and the medicinal plant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phyllanthus niruri</Emphasis> Linn. with cadmium in ceramic industrial areas

Phyllanthus niruri is a plant that is used to prevent calcium oxalate crystallisation and to block the stone formation in urolithiasis. Contaminants in the environment can be readily taken up by medicinal plants due to their ability to absorb chemicals into their tissues. If contaminated plants are ingested, they have the potential to negatively affect human and environmental health. The aim of this study was to assess contamination in the soil and the medicinal plant P. niruri by cadmium (Cd) in ceramic industrial areas of Monte Carmelo, Brazil. Soil samples and plant samples (divided in root, shoot and leaves) were collected from a contaminated monitoring site and from a rural area (which was used as a reference site for comparative purposes). The Cd concentrations of the samples were analysed with an atomic absorption spectrometer. P. niruri was found to be sensitive to soil contamination by Cd that was attributed to ceramic industrial emissions. The results revealed that Cd bioaccumulation in the roots and shoots of P. niruri was associated with a significant increase (p?<?0.05) in the concentration of active lignan compounds (phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin) in the leaves. The identification of high concentrations of Cd and active lignan compounds suggests a risk of contamination of the site and the risk of a high dose of Cd to people exposed at the site.     

Scale-up of electrochemical oxidation system for treatment of produced water generated by Brazilian petrochemical industry

Scale-up of anodic oxidation system is critical to the practical application of electrochemical treatment in bio-refractory organic wastewater treatment. In this study, the scale-up of electrochemical flow system was investigated by treating petrochemical wastewater using platinized titanium (Ti/Pt) and boron-doped diamond (BDD) anodes. It was demonstrated that flow cell was successfully scaled-up because when it was compared with batch mode (Rocha et al. 2012b), higher performances on organic matter removal were achieved. Under the suitable operating conditions and better anode material, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of petrochemical wastewater was reduced from 2,746 to 200 mg L^?1 within 5 h with an energy consumption of only 56.2 kWh m^?3 in the scaled-up BDD anode system. These results demonstrate that anode flow system is very promising in practical bio-refractory organic wastewater treatment.     

Contamination levels of polychlorinated biphenyls in wild versus cultivated samples of female and male mussels (Mytilus sp.) from the Northwest Coast of Iberian Peninsula—new application for QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) methodology

A newly analytical method based on QuEChERS extraction followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was developed and validated for the quantification of 18 PCBs in wild (from Matosinhos Beach, Portugal) and cultivated (from Ria de Arousa, Spain) mussel samples, pooled by sex. Wild animals showed higher PCB levels than cultivated mussels, with males from both origins, presenting an upper contamination profile comparing with females. This fact seems to be correlated with few biometric parameters, but other interdependencies, not addressed herein, such as distinct lipid contents between sexes, as a consequence of the gametogenic stage, may also explain this data. Overall, data reiterate the importance of investigating the presence of PCBs in marine biological samples, which can act both as bioindicators of environmental contamination, either as food quality controls for human health.     

Potential of microalgae as biopesticides to contribute to sustainable agriculture and environmental development

The loss of yields from agricultural production due to the presence of pests has been treated over the years with synthetic pesticides, but the use of these substances negatively affects the environment and presents health risks for consumers and animals. The development of agroecological systems using biopesticides represents a safe alternative that contributes to the reduction of agrochemical use and sustainable agriculture. Microalgae are able to biosynthesize a number of metabolites with potential biopesticidal action and can be considered potential biological agents for the control of harmful organisms to soils and plants. The present work aims to provide a critical perspective on the consequences of using synthetic pesticides, offering as an alternative the biopesticides obtained from microalgal biomass, which can be used together with the implementation of environmentally friendly agricultural systems.     

Mutagenicity of particulate matter fractions in areas under the impact of urban and industrial activities

Organisms in the environment are exposed to a mixture of pollutants. Therefore the purpose of this study was to analyze the mutagenicity of organic and inorganic responses in two fractions of particulates (TSP and PM2.5) and extracts (organic and aqueous). The mutagenicity of organic and aqueous particulate matter extracts from urban-industrial and urban-residential areas was evaluated by Salmonella/microsome assay, through the microsuspension method, using strain TA98 with and without liver metabolization. Additionally, strains YG1021 and YG1024 (nitro-sensitive) were used for organic extracts. Aqueous extracts presented negative responses for mutagenesis and cytotoxicity was detected in 50% of the samples. In these extracts the presence of potential bioavailable metals was identified. All organic extracts presented mutagens with a higher potential associated with PM2.5. This study presents a first characterization of PM2.5 in Brazil, through the Salmonella/microsome assay. The evaluation strategy detected the anthropic influence of groups of compounds characteristically found in urban and industrial areas, even in samples with PM values in accordance with quality standards. Thus, the use of a genotoxic approach in areas under different anthropic influences will favor the adoption of preventive measures in the health/environment relation.