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Biodegradation of Conventional and Emerging Pollutants, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 377

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
Interests: environmental microbiology; biodegradation of hydrocarbons, (bio)surfactants, herbicides and pharmaceuticals in aqueous and terrestrial environments; mechanisms of microbial adaptation to xenobiotics; environmental impact of ionic liquids
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Institute for Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benátská 2, CZ-128 01 Prague, Czech Republic
Interests: environmental microbial biotechnology; environmental remediation methods; environmental chemistry; toxicology and ecotoxicology; nanotoxicology; microplastics; organic pollutants; environmental forensic research; waste management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Our first steps into the 21st century are associated with the introduction of ground-breaking technological advances; however, this progress often comes at the cost of notable environmental hazards. The development of numerous industrial sectors has resulted in the production of several novel compounds, such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and various chemical additives. These groups often include xenobiotics with an unknown environmental impact. Furthermore, the growing population of consumers corresponds to increased usage of personal care products. This leads to constant use of surfactants, polymers, and organic solvents. Our economy is currently facing an important shift from nonrenewable resources to sustainability; therefore, the contamination with petroleum hydrocarbons as well as heavy metal ions still remains a topic of high importance. Despite the improvement of environmental awareness, chemical compounds are continuously released into the environment, and chronic exposure to low doses of pollutants has been recognized as a major health threat. In order to counter the abovementioned issues, there is an urgent need to provide appropriate analytical, technical, and legal solutions.

As such, this Special Issue is focused on the identification of conventional and emerging pollutants as well as the description of monitoring and treatment methods. The challenge to make chemistry “green” still remains valid.

Prof. Dr. Łukasz Chrzanowski
Prof. Dr. Tomas Cajthaml
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • organic pollutants
  • inorganic pollutants
  • environmental monitoring
  • bioremediation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 1290 KiB  
Article
Nicotine Degradation by Trametes versicolor: Insights from Diverse Environmental Stressors and Wastewater Medium
by Bhautik Dave, Ewa Lobos Moysa and Anna Kuźnik
Molecules 2025, 30(12), 2658; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30122658 - 19 Jun 2025
Viewed by 167
Abstract
Nicotine, a major alkaloid in tobacco, poses significant environmental risks due to its persistence in wastewater. This study explores the degradation of naturally extracted nicotine from tobacco leaves by the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor, aiming to assess its biodegradation capacity under diverse [...] Read more.
Nicotine, a major alkaloid in tobacco, poses significant environmental risks due to its persistence in wastewater. This study explores the degradation of naturally extracted nicotine from tobacco leaves by the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor, aiming to assess its biodegradation capacity under diverse environmental stressors. Nicotine was extracted using a NaOH–petroleum ether method and confirmed through Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Biodegradation experiments were conducted using potato dextrose broth and synthetic wastewater as growth media under varying pH (2.5 and 5.20) and temperatures (25 °C and 37 °C). Fungal growth and nicotine degradation were monitored through biomass quantification and NMR-based analysis. Optimal degradation occurred at 25 °C and pH 5.20, particularly in synthetic wastewater, suggesting enhanced fungal adaptation in complex media. Degradation efficiency ranged from 80% to 99%, with synthetic wastewater outperforming conventional media. Extreme conditions, such as pH 2.5 at 37 °C, significantly hindered fungal growth. These findings demonstrate T. versicolor’s potential for effective nicotine removal in wastewater and highlight the environmental parameters critical to its performance. This work supports the development of sustainable fungal-based bioremediation strategies for managing nicotine contamination in aquatic environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradation of Conventional and Emerging Pollutants, 2nd Edition)
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