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Occurrence, Distribution, Toxicity and Remediation of Emerging Contaminants

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Emerging Contaminants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 7459

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Khandaker Rayhan Mahbub

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

1. South Australian Research and Development Institute, Urrbrae, SA 5064, Australia
2. School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
Interests: microbiology; bioremediation; ecotoxicology; food safety; genomics; environmental chemistry; microbial ecology

Dr. Mezbaul Bahar

E-Mail Website
Associate Guest Editor

Global Centre for Environmental Remediation, The University of Newcastle, NSW 2308, Australia
Interests: ecotoxicity; human health and ecological risk assessment; bioremediation; metal-microbe interactions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the rapid advancement in the chemical, pharmaceutical and nanotechnology industries around the world, toxic levels of metals and emerging contaminants are becoming ubiquitous in the environment. Emerging contaminants are organic or inorganic synthetic or natural products including algal toxins, industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, pesticides, antibiotics, analgesics, xenobiotics and their transformation products occuring in water, soil and air. These new or emerging cotnaminants are posing a serious threat to human and environmental health and are also a concern for contaminated site assessment, management and remediation. The concern lies in the fact that the risk and toxicity of these contaminants on human and environmental health is not yet well understood; methodologies for their detection are not advanced yet, and there are no effective remediation technologies. As a result, there is limited knowledge on their fate and distribuition in different compartments of the environment.

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Publich Health will focus on the current state of knowledge about human health toxicity, ecotoxicity, risk assessment, fate, distribution and remediation of the emerging contaminants. Research articles, method development papers, review articles, short communications and case reports are welcome.

Papers dealing with chemistry and ecotoxicity of the contaminants in soil and water are expected. New methodology papers for detection and remediation of contaminants are highly sought. We will also welcome articles focusing on the impact of emerging contaminants on public health. We expect high quality papers from multiple disciplines spanning environmental chemistry, microbiology, microbial ecology, ecotoxicology, public health, bioinformatics and remediation. Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

Microbial ecology (prokaryotes and eukaryotes) of soil and water contaminated with emerging contaminants and metals;
Microbial activity and interactions (prokaryotes and eukaryotes) in soil and water contaminated with emerging contaminants and metals;
Gene transfer and evolution of microorganisms in soil and water contaminated with emerging contaminants and metals;
Algal toxins, their emergence, fate and distribution;
Disruption of plant’s growth, physiology and genetics in soil and water polluted with emerging contaminants and metals;
Disruption of animals’ (vertebrates and invertebrates) behaviour, growth, reproduction and genetics in soil and water polluted with emerging contaminant;
Implications of emerging contaimnants on human health;
Biomarkers for toxicity assesment of emerging contaminants in the environments;
Monitoring of emerging contaminants in an environmental matrix;
Human health and ecological risk assessments of sites contaminated with emerging contaminants;
Green technology for the remediation or restoration of contaminated sites.

Dr. Khandaker Rayhan Mahbub
Dr. Mezbaul Bahar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

soil
water
natural environment
emerging contaminants
risk assessment
remediation
toxicity public health

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 24150 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effective Removal of Cr(VI) from Wastewater Using Biochar Derived from Walnut Shell

by Tanzeela Kokab, Hafiza Sumbal Ashraf, Muhammad Bilal Shakoor, Asim Jilani, Sajid Rashid Ahmad, Muzaffar Majid, Shafaqat Ali, Nazar Farid, Rana A. Alghamdi, Diana A. H. Al-Quwaie and Khalid Rehman Hakeem

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(18), 9670; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18189670 - 14 Sep 2021

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 2953

Abstract

Heavy metals are the major concern of the modern age. Among the heavy metals, chromium (Cr(VI)) is regarded as a highly toxic heavy metal released largely from leather tanning operations. To remove such high concentrations of Cr(VI), an advanced method is required urgently. Thus, biosorption using biochar, which is an organic material produced from various sources such as walnut shell, can be applied successfully for Cr(VI) abatement. The major objectives of this experiment were the remediation of the Cr(VI) heavy metal using walnut shell biochar and checking of the effect of pH, biochar dosage, Cr level, and shaking time. Remediation of Cr(VI) using walnut shell biochar was proved to be effective and removed the maximum concentration of Cr(VI) up to 93% at pH 5.5, 2 h agitation time, and the biochar amount of 1.1 g L⁻¹ from an aqueous solution. Equilibrium modeling demonstrated that the chemisorption process was involved in adsorption of Cr(VI). The surface of the biochar was porous and provided numerous sites for Cr(VI) attachment, which was also confirmed by the presence of Cr(VI) onto the biochar after adsorption. Hence, the use of walnut shell biochar was highly effective as a sorbent, which could conveniently be applied to small-scale as well as large-scale levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Distribution, Toxicity and Remediation of Emerging Contaminants)

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Review

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27 pages, 4745 KiB

Open AccessReview

Occurrence, Fate, Effects, and Risks of Dexamethasone: Ecological Implications Post-COVID-19

by Ndeke Musee, Lemme Prica Kebaabetswe, Shepherd Tichapondwa, Gosaitse Tubatsi, Ntombikayise Mahaye, Samuel Keeng Leareng and Philiswa Nosizo Nomngongo

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11291; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111291 - 27 Oct 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3231

Abstract

The recent outbreak of respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has led to the widespread use of therapeutics, including dexamethasone (DEXA). DEXA, a synthetic glucocorticoid, is among the widely administered drugs used to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The global COVID-19 surge in infections, consequent increasing hospitalizations, and other DEXA applications have raised concerns on eminent adverse ecological implications to aquatic ecosystems. Here, we aim to summarize published studies on DEXA occurrence, fate, and effects on organisms in natural and engineered systems as, pre-COVID, the drug has been identified as an emerging environmental contaminant. The results demonstrated a significant reduction of DEXA in wastewater treatment plants, with a small portion, including its transformation products (TPs), being released into downstream waters. Fish and crustaceans are the most susceptible species to DEXA exposure in the parts-per-billion range, suggesting potential deleterious ecological effects. However, there are data deficits on the implications of DEXA to marine and estuarine systems and wildlife. To improve DEXA management, toxicological outcomes of DEXA and formed TPs should entail long-term studies from whole organisms to molecular effects in actual environmental matrices and at realistic exposure concentrations. This can aid in striking a fine balance of saving human lives and protecting ecological integrity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Distribution, Toxicity and Remediation of Emerging Contaminants)

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