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Contaminants of Emerging Concern: Analysis and Fate in the Aquatic Environment

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 9249

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Dr. Vasilios Sakkas

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Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Interests: sample preparation; microextraction methodologies; gas-chromatography; high performance liquid-chromatography; mass spectrometry; method development and validation; chemometrics; emerging contaminants

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

CECs (contaminants of emerging concern) refer to a wide range of chemical substances, among them pharmaceuticals, personal care products, flame retardants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, sweeteners, disinfection byproducts, and more recently antibiotic resistance genes.

The identification of unknown contaminants to provide further selectivity for known analytes is currently one of the hottest areas in analytical and environmental chemistry. Unfortunately, there is limited information concerning the toxicity and environmental fate of these contaminants, and there is potential that they may pose a threat to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

The aim of this Special Issue is to cover developments on the analysis of CECs, their occurrence, fate, treatment, and toxicity/risk assessment.

Prof. Dr. Vasilios Sakkas
Guest Editor

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Keywords

Water analysis
extraction
occurrence
fate
elimination
mass spectrometry

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1697 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mercury and Organic Pollutants Removal from Aqueous Solutions by Heterogeneous Photocatalysis with ZnO-Based Materials

by Elisa Gaggero, María José López-Muñoz, Maria Cristina Paganini, Amaya Arencibia, Stefano Bertinetti, Nieves Fernández de Paz and Paola Calza

Molecules 2023, 28(6), 2650; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28062650 - 15 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1294

Abstract

The removal of four Contaminants of Emerging Concern, namely bisphenol A, sulfamethoxazole, diclofenac and benzotriazole; two odorous compounds, geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol, frequently detected in recirculating aquaculture systems; and Hg(II) was investigated using ZnO-based materials doped or co-doped with Ce and Cu under simulated solar radiation. Photocatalysts were synthetized via a hydrothermal route and their efficiency was assessed by changing some operational parameters in different water matrices of increasing complexity. The mixture of contaminants was successfully degraded in just 1 h, while the complete mineralization was achieved in a few hours; experiments performed in an actual aquaculture water confirmed the efficiency and broad versatility of the synthesized materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contaminants of Emerging Concern: Analysis and Fate in the Aquatic Environment)

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24 pages, 5514 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Magnetic Solid-Phase Extraction Based on Silica and Graphene Materials for Sensitive Analysis of Emerging Contaminants in Wastewater with the Aid of UHPLC-Orbitrap-MS

by Maria Kalaboka and Vasilios Sakkas

Molecules 2023, 28(5), 2277; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28052277 - 28 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1551

Abstract

With the advancement of technology and nanotechnology, new extraction sorbents have been created and effectively used for the magnetic solid-phase extraction of target analytes. Some of the investigated sorbents have better chemical and physical properties, exhibiting high extraction efficiency and strong repeatability, combined with low detection and quantification limits. In this study graphene oxide (GO) magnetic composites were prepared and used as magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) adsorbents along with synthesized silica based magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) functionalized with the C18 group for the preconcentration of emerging contaminants (ECs) in wastewater samples generated from hospital and urban facilities. The sample preparation with magnetic materials was followed by UHPLC-Orbitrap MS analysis for the accurate identification and determination of trace amounts of pharmaceutical active compounds and artificial sweeteners in effluent wastewater. Optimal conditions were used for the extraction of ECs from the aqueous samples, prior to UHPLC-Orbitrap MS determination. The proposed methods achieved low quantitation limits between 1.1–33.6 ng L⁻¹ and 1.8–98.7 ng L⁻¹ and satisfactory recoveries in the range of 58.4%–102.6%. An intra-day precision of less than 23.1% was achieved, while inter-day RSD% values in the range of 5.6–24.8% were observed. These figures of merit suggest that our proposed methodology is suitable for the determination of target ECs in aquatic systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contaminants of Emerging Concern: Analysis and Fate in the Aquatic Environment)

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15 pages, 2614 KiB

Open AccessArticle

AOP-Based Transformation of Abacavir in Different Environments: Evolution Profile of Descyclopropyl-Abacavir and In Silico Toxicity Assessment of the Main Transformation Products

by Eleni Evgenidou, Konstantina Vasilopoulou, Lelouda-Athanasia Koronaiou, George Kyzas, Dimitrios Bikiaris and Dimitra Lambropoulou

Molecules 2023, 28(4), 1866; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28041866 - 16 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1885

Abstract

This study explores the photocatalytic transformation of the antiviral drug abacavir employing different advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) such as UV/TiO₂, UV/MOF/H₂O₂, UV/MOF/S₂O₈²⁻, UV/Fe²⁺/H₂O₂, and UV/Fe²⁺/S²O₈²⁻. All processes appear to be effective in eliminating abacavir within a few minutes, while the evolution profile of the basic transformation product, descyclopropyl-abacavir (TP-247) was also monitored. Moreover, the implementation of the most efficient technologies towards the removal of abacavir in different matrices such as wastewater effluent and leachate was also assessed, revealing that the organic matter present or the inorganic constituents can retard the whole process. Four major transformation products were detected, and their time-evolution profiles were recorded in all studied matrices, revealing that different transformation pathways dominate in each matrix. Finally, the prediction of the toxicity of the major TPs employing ECOSAR software was conducted and showed that only hydroxylation can play a detoxification role in the treated solution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contaminants of Emerging Concern: Analysis and Fate in the Aquatic Environment)

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14 pages, 3075 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Photocatalytic Degradation of Inherent Pharmaceutical Concentration Levels in Real Hospital WWTP Effluents Using g-C₃N₄ Catalyst on CPC Pilot Scale Reactor

by Ilaeira Rapti, Theodora Kourkouta, Evrydiki-Maria Malisova, Triantafyllos Albanis and Ioannis Konstantinou

Molecules 2023, 28(3), 1170; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28031170 - 25 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1831

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of a solar photocatalytic process using g-C₃N₄ as photocatalyst on the degradation of pharmaceutical compounds detected in hospital wastewater treatment plant secondary effluents. A compound parabolic collector pilot plant, established in the secondary effluent stream of the Ioannina city hospital wastewater treatment plant, was used for the photocatalytic experiments. The analysis of the samples before and after the photocatalytic treatment was accomplished using solid phase extraction (SPE), followed by UHPLC-LTQ/Orbitrap HRMS. Initial effluent characterization revealed the presence of ten pharmaceutical compounds. Among these, amisulpride, O-desmethyl venlafaxine, venlafaxine and carbamazepine were detected in all experiments. Initial concentrations ranged from 73 ng L⁻¹ for citalopram to 2924.53 ng L⁻¹ for O-desmethyl venlafaxine. The evolution of BOD₅ and COD values were determined before and after the photocatalytic treatment. All detected pharmaceuticals were removed in percentages higher than 54% at an optimum catalyst loading ranging between 200 and 300 mg L⁻¹. The potential of the catalyst to be reused without any treatment for two consecutive cycles was studied, showing a significant efficiency decrease. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contaminants of Emerging Concern: Analysis and Fate in the Aquatic Environment)

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Review

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18 pages, 2874 KiB

Open AccessReview

Benzophenones in the Environment: Occurrence, Fate and Sample Preparation in the Analysis

by Andromachi A. Gavrila, Ioannis S. Dasteridis, Alkiviadis A. Tzimas, Theodoros G. Chatzimitakos and Constantine D. Stalikas

Molecules 2023, 28(3), 1229; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28031229 - 27 Jan 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2017

Abstract

The ubiquitous presence of emerging contaminants in the environment is an issue of great concern. Notably, for some of them, no established regulation exists. Benzophenones are listed as emerging contaminants, which have been identified in the environment as well as in human fluids, such as urine, placenta, and breast milk. Their accumulation and stability in the environment, combined with the revealed adverse effects on ecosystems including endocrine, reproductive, and other disorders, have triggered significant interest for research. Benzophenones should be extracted from environmental samples and determined for environmental-monitoring purposes to assess their presence and possible dangers. Numerous sample preparation methods for benzophenones in environmental matrices and industrial effluents have been proposed and their detection in more complex matrices, such as fish and sludges, has also been reported. These methods range from classical to more state-of-the-art methods, such as solid-phase extraction, dispersive SPE, LLE, SBSE, etc., and the analysis is mostly completed with liquid chromatography, using several detection modes. This review critically outlines sample preparation methods that have been proposed to date, for the extraction of benzophenones from simple and complex environmental matrices and for cleaning up sample extracts to eliminate potential interfering components that coexist therein. Moreover, it provides a brief overview of their occurrence, fate, and toxicity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contaminants of Emerging Concern: Analysis and Fate in the Aquatic Environment)

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