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Separations
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Biological Removal of Emerging Contaminants: Toxicological Effects and Process Mechanisms
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Biological Removal of Emerging Contaminants: Toxicological Effects and Process Mechanisms

A special issue of Separations (ISSN 2297-8739).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 1580

Editors

Dr. Yongfu Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center for Marine Bio-Resources Sustainable Utilization, College of Oceanography, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China
Interests: toxicology of emerging contaminants; environmental chemistry at solid–liquid interfaces; adsorption treatment technology; algal physiological ecology; marine biotechnology; biotechnological methods for CO2 removal; marine ecological restoration technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Litao Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CAS Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
Interests: microalgae; bioactive compounds; removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products; plant photosynthetic physiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Emerging contaminants, as a class of newly identified harmful substances in the environment, pose potential risks to ecosystems and human health due to their complex toxicological impacts. These effects include endocrine disruption, genotoxicity, and bioaccumulation, which can disrupt biological metabolic processes and trigger long-term ecological damage. With the limitations of traditional physical and chemical removal methods such as high-energy consumption and secondary pollution, biological removal technologies have gained increasing attention for their environmental friendliness and cost-effectiveness. Key approaches involve the use of microorganisms, algae, and modified biological materials to degrade or adsorb emerging contaminants through metabolic transformation, biosorption, and other mechanisms. Further research into the toxicological mechanisms of emerging contaminants and optimization of biological removal process parameters are crucial for improving treatment efficiency. This field remains a core research direction in environmental science, with great significance for ecological protection and sustainable development.

Dr. Yongfu Li
Dr. Litao Zhang
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Separations 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 2600 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

  • emerging contaminants
  • microplastics
  • nanomaterial
  • pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs)
  • bio-toxicity
  • bio-removal technologies and mechanisms

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 2492 KB  
Article
Chromium Removal by Dunaliella salina in High-Salinity Environments: An Investigation Based on Microalgal Cytotoxic Responses and Adsorption Capacity
by Yongfu Li, Dingning Fan, Delong Li, Lu Wang, Kexin Chen and Xingkai Che
Separations 2026, 13(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations13010023 - 7 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 993
Abstract
Chromium (Cr) is a widespread heavy metal contaminant in aquatic environments, posing serious risks to phytoplankton due to its persistence, biotoxicity, and mutagenic potential. Microalgae have emerged as promising biological agents for Cr remediation. In this study, the Cr removal potential of living [...] Read more.
Chromium (Cr) is a widespread heavy metal contaminant in aquatic environments, posing serious risks to phytoplankton due to its persistence, biotoxicity, and mutagenic potential. Microalgae have emerged as promising biological agents for Cr remediation. In this study, the Cr removal potential of living Dunaliella salina (D. salina) was evaluated by examining the toxic effects and adsorption behavior of trivalent Cr(III) and hexavalent Cr(VI) through short-term exposure experiments. This study elucidated the mechanisms by which Cr disrupts key photosynthetic metabolic pathways, quantified the short-term toxicity thresholds of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) to D. salina, and characterized the saturation adsorption capacity and adsorption kinetics of Cr on algal cells. The results showed that Cr(VI) at concentrations of 5–20 mg/L inhibited the growth of D. salina in a dose-dependent manner throughout the culture period, with inhibition rates ranging from 22.8% to 70.9%. After 72 h of exposure, the maximum growth inhibition rates caused by Cr(III) and Cr(VI) reached 42.5% and 52%, respectively. Interestingly, low concentrations of Cr(VI) (0.1–1 mg/L) slightly enhanced the growth of D. salina. However, Cr(VI) exhibited stronger biotoxicity than Cr(III). Exposure to both Cr species significantly reduced the levels of chlorophyll a (Chl a), chlorophyll b (Chl b), and carotenoids (Car), resulting in damage to the photosynthetic reaction centers and suppression of the photosynthetic electron transport system. The adsorption of Cr(VI) by D. salina followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 38.09 mg/g. The process was primarily governed by monolayer chemisorption. These findings elucidate the toxic mechanisms of Cr in D. salina and highlight its potential application as an effective bioremediation agent for heavy metal pollution, particularly Cr(VI), in marine environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Removal of Emerging Contaminants: Toxicological Effects and Process Mechanisms)
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