Search Results (11)

For many years, there has been a growing pollution of the aquatic environment with personal care products and industrial chemicals, the main source of which is municipal and industrial wastewater. This raises the need to assess the impact of these pollutants on ecosystems, including plants living in the aquatic environment. It is important to develop methods for their removal from wastewater, among which using plants for phytoremediation is a promising solution. This study aimed to evaluate the response of the aquatic plant Wolffia arrhiza (Lemnaceae) to low concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA), N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET), triclosan (TRC), benzophenone (BPH), endosulfan alpha (α-END), and endosulfan beta (β-END). The plant growth, the content of cellular components, and oxidative stress markers were assessed in response to plant contact with single compounds at concentrations of 0.1 mg/L and 1 mg/L, and their mixture at a total concentration of 1 mg/L. All of the pollutants used in the study inhibited the W. arrhiza growth and stimulated the degradation of proteins but enhanced the level of saccharides. TRC, BPH, α-END, and β-END had a negative impact on the content of photosynthetic pigments. Increased concentrations of the oxidative stress markers MDA and H₂O₂ were registered in the plants exposed to BPA, TRC, and β-END. The mixture of pollutants had higher toxic effects than individual substances. Full article

A new, simple and sensitive method for isolating nine compounds from the bisphenol group (analogues: A, B, C, E, F, G, Cl₂, Z, AP) based on one-step liquid–liquid microextraction with in situ acylation followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was developed and validated using influent and effluent wastewaters. The chemometric approach based on the Taguchi method was used to optimize the main conditions of simultaneous extraction and derivatization. The recoveries of the proposed procedure ranged from 85 to 122%, and the repeatability expressed by the coefficient of variation did not exceed 8%. The method’s limits of detection were in the range of 0.4–64 ng/L, and the method’s limits of quantification ranged from 1.3 to 194 ng/L. The developed method was used to determine the presence of the tested compounds in wastewater from a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in northeastern Poland. From this sample, eight analytes were detected. Concentrations of bisphenol A of 400 ng/L in influent and 100 ng/L in effluent were recorded, whereas other bisphenols reached 67 and 50 ng/L for influent and effluent, respectively. The removal efficiency of bisphenol analogues in the tested wastewater treatment plant ranged from 7 to approximately 88%. Full article

Benzotriazole UV stabilizers (BUVs) have gained popularity, due to their absorption properties in the near UV range (200–400 nm). They are used in the technology for manufacturing plastics, protective coatings, and cosmetics, to protect against the destructive influence of UV radiation. These compounds are highly resistant to biological and chemical degradation. As a result of insufficient treatment by sewage treatment plants, they accumulate in the environment and in the tissues of living organisms. BUVs have adverse effects on living organisms. This work presents the use of peracetic acid in combination with d-electron metal ions (Fe²⁺, Co²⁺), for the chemical oxidation of five UV filters from the benzotriazole group: 2-(2-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)benzotriazole (UV-P), 2-tert-butyl-6-(5-chloro-2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-methylphenol (UV-326), 2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-(5-chloro-2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)phenol (UV-327), 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4,6-di-tert-pentylphenol (UV-328), and 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenol (UV-329). The oxidation procedure has been optimized based on the design of experiments (DoE) methodology. The oxidation of benzotriazoles follows first order kinetics. The oxidation products of each benzotriazole were investigated, and the oxidation mechanisms of the tested compounds were proposed. Full article

Textile effluent containing azo dyes such as C.I. Acid Violet 1 (AV1) can be degraded to toxic aromatic amines in the environment. Thus, there is a legitimate need to treat such effluents before they are discharged to surface waters. Two methods were proposed to remove AV1 from aqueous solutions: adsorption and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). The sorption capacity of the strongly basic anion exchanger Purolite A520E of the polystyrene matrix determined from the Langmuir isotherm model was found to be 835 mg/g, while that of Lewatit S5428 of the polyacrylamide matrix Freundlich model seems to be more appropriate for describing the experimental data. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model and external diffusion are the rate limiting steps of adsorption. The removal efficiency of AV1 by the anion exchangers was higher than 99% after 40 min of phase contact time. AOPs involved the usage of hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid (PAA) as oxidizing agents, while Fe²⁺ and simulated sunlight were used as oxidizing activators. AV1 oxidation followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the systems with the highest values of the rate constants turned out to be those in which Fe²⁺ was present. The efficiency of oxidation measured by the degree of decolorization in the systems with Fe²⁺ was higher than 99% after 10–60 min. AV1 mineralization was slower, but after 120 min of oxidation it was higher than 98% in the H₂O₂/Fe²⁺, PAA/Fe²⁺ and PAA/Fe²⁺/sunlight systems. Full article

Greater awareness of micropollutants present in water and wastewater motivates the search for effective methods of their neutralization. Although their concentration in waters is measured in micro- and nanograms per liter, even at those levels, they may cause serious health consequences for different organisms, including harmful effects on the functioning of the endocrine system of vertebrates. Traditional methods of wastewater treatment, especially biological methods used in municipal wastewater treatment plants, are not sufficiently effective in removing these compounds, which results in their presence in natural waters. The growing interest in phytoremediation using constructed wetlands as a method of wastewater treatment or polishing indicates a need for the evaluation of this process in the context of micropollutant removal. Therefore, the present work presents a systematic review of the effectiveness in the removal of micropollutants from polluted waters by processes based on plant used. The article also analyzes issues related to the impact of micropollutants on the physiological processes of plants as well as changes in general indicators of pollution caused by contact of wastewater with plants. Additionally, it is also the first review of the literature that focuses strictly on the removal of micropollutants through the use of constructed wetlands. Full article

The article presents research on the treatment of infiltration water with increased ammonium ion and nitrate(V) content through reverse osmosis. Then, research was conducted on the phenomena related to the decrease in the permeability of the membrane used for the research. The search for an appropriate interpretation of the phenomena was carried out using mathematical modeling. Based on the assumptions of the hydraulic model of the filtration resistance, calculations were made to forecast the efficiency of the osmotic membrane used in the discussed process. For this purpose, the following indicators were determined experimentally for the membrane: change in the volumetric flow of treated wastewater during low-pressure filtration, total hydraulic resistance, and component resistances, i.e., the resistance of the “new” membrane and resistances resulting from the reversible and irreversible fouling phenomena. It has been observed that irreversible resistance arises in the short and early stages of the process. The efficiency is determined by reversible resistance, which is confirmed by the literature. Full article

Heavy metals polluting the 100-year-old waste heap in Bolesław (Poland) are acting as a natural selection factor and may contribute to adaptations of organisms living in this area, including Trifolium repens and its root nodule microsymbionts—rhizobia. Exopolysaccharides (EPS), exuded extracellularly and associated with bacterial cell walls, possess variable structures depending on environmental conditions; they can bind metals and are involved in biofilm formation. In order to examine the effects of long-term exposure to metal pollution on EPS structure and biofilm formation of rhizobia, Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii strains originating from the waste heap area and a non-polluted reference site were investigated for the characteristics of the sugar fraction of their EPS using gas chromatography mass-spectrometry and also for biofilm formation and structural characteristics using confocal laser scanning microscopy under control conditions as well as when exposed to toxic concentrations of zinc, lead, and cadmium. Significant differences in EPS structure, biofilm thickness, and ratio of living/dead bacteria in the biofilm were found between strains originating from the waste heap and from the reference site, both without exposure to metals and under metal exposure. Received results indicate that studied rhizobia can be assumed as potentially useful in remediation processes. Full article

Psoriasis is the most common inflammatory skin disease, characterized by the release of proinflammatory cytokines from lymphocytes, keratinocytes, and dendritic cells. Although psoriasis is considered an immune-mediated inflammatory disease, its effect on secretory activity of salivary glands and quantitative composition of saliva is still unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the secretion of saliva as well as several selected inflammation and nitrosative stress biomarkers in unstimulated and stimulated saliva as well as plasma of psoriasis patients. We demonstrated that, with progressing severity and duration of the disease, the secretory function of the parotid and submandibular salivary glands is lost, which is manifested as decreased unstimulated and stimulated saliva secretion and reduced salivary amylase activity and total protein concentration. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interferon-gamma (INF-γ) were significantly higher, whereas interleukin-10 (IL-10) content was considerably lower in unstimulated and stimulated saliva of patients with psoriasis compared to the controls, and the changes increased with the disease duration. Similarly, we observed that the intensity of nitrosative stress in the salivary glands of psoriasis patients depended on the duration of the disease. By means of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, we showed that the evaluation of nitric oxide (NO), nitrotyrosine, and IL-2 concentration in non-stimulated saliva with high sensitivity and specificity differentiated psoriasis patients on the basis of the rate of saliva secretion (normal salivation vs. hyposalivation). In summary, the dysfunction of salivary glands in psoriasis patients is caused by inflammation and nitrosative stress. Full article

The development of civilization entails a growing demand for consumer goods. A side effect of the production and use of these materials is the production of solid waste and wastewater. Municipal and industrial wastewater usually contain a large amount of various organic compounds and are the main source of pollution of the aquatic environment with these substances. Therefore, the search for effective methods of wastewater and other polluted water treatment is an important element of caring for the natural environment. This Special Issue contains nine peer-review articles presenting research on the determination and removal of environmentally hazardous organic compounds from aqueous samples. The presented articles were categorized into three major fields: new approaches to the degradation of water pollutants, new methods of isolation and determination of the emerging organic contaminants (EOCs), and the occurrence of EOCs in the water environment. These articles present only selected issues from a very wide area, which is the removal of organic pollution in water environment, but can serve as important references for future studies. Full article

Ultrasound-assisted emulsification microextraction with solidification of floating organic droplet (USAEME-SFOD) has been applied to isolate hormones and other emerging contaminants from groundwater samples. Simultaneously with the extraction process, derivatization in the matrix was carried out using acetic anhydride. Quantification of studied organic pollutants was done through gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Hormones included β-estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), and diethylstilbestrol (DES). Other compounds belonged to groups of pharmaceuticals (diclofenac (DIC)), antiseptics (triclosan (TRC)), preservatives (propylparaben (PP) and butylparaben (BP)), sunscreen agents (benzophenone (BPH), and 3-(4-methylbenzylidene)camphor (3MBC)), repellents (N,N-diethyltoluamide (DEET)), industrial chemicals (bisphenol A (BPA), 4-t-octylphenol (4OP), 4-n-nonylphenol (4NP)). A non-toxic and inexpensive 1-undecanol was successfully used as the extraction solvent. Volume of extractant and derivatization agent, ionic strength, and time of extraction were optimized. Very low limits of detection (LoD) ranging from 0.01 to 5.9 ng/L were obtained. Recoveries ranged from 90% to 123%, with relative standard deviation being lower than 17%. The developed procedure was used to determine target compounds in groundwater collected at municipal waste landfills as well as in groundwater from wells distant from sources of pollution. Full article