Naproxen,ibuprofen, and diclofenac residues in river water,sediments and Eichhornia crassipes of Mbokodweni river in South Africa: An initial screening

In the last 5 years, naproxen, ibuprofen and diclofenac have been the subject of investigation in the South African water resources. In this study, their occurrence in river water, sediments and aquatic plants was investigated. The concentrations of compounds detected in river water and sediments varied from 0.59 to 2.3 µg L^?1 and 0.2 to 9.2?ng g^?1, respectively. The partitioning coefficients (L kg^?1) for naproxen, ibuprofen and diclofenac varied from one sampling location to the other in ranges of 3.36–4, 1.3–1.9 and 0.13–0.91, respectively. This indicates that the fate of these pharmaceuticals can be influenced by the surrounding conditions such as climate and presence of other water pollutants as well as differences in physicochemical parameters. In the aquatic plant species (Eichhornia crassipes), the concentrations of target compounds varied in different parts of the plant material (roots, stems and leaves). Naproxen was the most abundant in Eichhornia crassipes, with the maximum concentration of 12.0?ng g^?1 found in leaves. In this initial assessment, we found no rational trend for the concentrations detected in various parts of Eichhornia crassipes, however, it is speculated that these pharmaceuticals diffuse from water into the roots of the aquatic plants and get translocated into the stem and leaves. Overall, the occurrence of naproxen, ibuprofen and diclofenac in river water, sediments and Eichhornia crassipes was observed, which is an indication that Eichhornia crassipes has the ability to reduce water pollution through the uptake of pharmaceuticals through plant roots.     

Trends in the management of waste tyres and recent experimental approaches in the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from rubber crumbs

The health and environmental consciousness of waste tires has increased tremendously over the years. This has motivated efforts to develop secondary applications that will utilize tire when they reach the end of their life cycle and limit their disposal in landfills. Among the applications of waste tires which are discussed in this review, the use of rubber crumbs in artificial turf fields has gained worldwide attention and is increasing annually. However, there are serious concerns regarding chemicals that are used in the manufacturing process of tires, which ultimately end up in rubber crumbs. Chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and heavy metals which are found in rubber crumbs have been identified as harmful to human health and the environment. This review paper is intended to highlight some of the methods which have been used to manage waste tire; it also looks at chemicals/materials used in tire compounding which are identified as possible carcinogenic.