Large Volume Water Samples Research Articles

A novel solid-phase extraction device for the pneumatic cycle pharmaceuticals residues adsorption: A proof of concept study

In this study, a pneumatic cycle device, herein called the air-operated solid-phase extraction (AO-SPE), was designed for the enrichment of pharmaceutical residues. The device consisted of two parts: an air circulation system and an adsorption system. The continuous air flow ensured that the water sample flowed past the adsorbent, completing the adsorption process. One significant advantage of this device is that the air circulation system can generate pneumatic cycle adsorption with the continuous air flow, increasing the interaction between the adsorbent and the target analytes. Additionally, the entire device is easy to install and dismantle, and the adsorbent can be easily replaced, making the AO-SPE suitable for various types of adsorbents materials tailored to specific target analytes. The smart design is aimed at extracting trace analytes in the large-volume water samples. As a proof-of-concept, the AO-SPE was applied to enrich non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in soil. A Ce-based metal organic framework composite was prepared and applied to verify the applicability of AO-SPE, exhibiting the enrichment factor of up to 538. The results showed that AO-SPE exhibited a maneuverable approach with high efficiency and sensitivity for analyzing large-volume samples, indicating a great potential for extracting of trace analytes.

Influence of suspended particles and dissolved organic matters on virus enrichment in reclaimed water by two-step tangential flow ultrafiltration: Phenomena and mechanisms

Enteric virus concentration in large-volume water samples is crucial for detection and essential for assessing water safety. Certain dissolution and suspension components can affect the enrichment process. In this study, tangential flow ultrafiltration (TFUF) was used as an enrichment method for recovering enteric virus in water samples. Interestingly, the bacteriophage MS2 recovery in reclaimed water and the reclaimed water without particles were higher than that in ultrapure water. The simulated reclaimed water experiments showed that humic acid (HA) (92.16% ± 4.32%) and tryptophan (Try) (81.50 ± 7.71%) enhanced MS2 recovery, while the presence of kaolin (Kaolin) inhibited MS2 recovery with an efficiency of 63.13% ± 11.17%. Furthermore, Atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed that the MS2-HA cluster and the MS2-Try cluster had larger roughness values on the membrane surface, making it difficult to be eluted, whereas MS2-Kaolin cluster had compact surfaces making it difficult to be eluted. Additionally, the MS2-HA cluster is bound to the membrane by single hydrogen bond with SO, whereas both the MS2-Try cluster and the MS2-Kaolin cluster are bound to the membrane by two hydrogen bonds, making eluting MS2 challenging. These findings have potential implications for validating standardized methods for virus enrichment in water samples.

Green Techniques for Detecting Microplastics in Marine with Emphasis on FTIR and NIR Spectroscopy—Short Review

The amount of microplastics (MPs) present in marine ecosystems are a growing concern, with potential impacts on human health because they are associated with an increase in the ecotoxicity of certain foods, such as fish. As a result, there has been a growing interest in developing effective methods for the analysis of MPs in marine waters. Traditional methods for MP analysis involve visual inspection and manual sorting, which can be time-consuming and subject to human error. However, novel methods have been developed that offer more efficient and accurate analyses. One such method is based on spectroscopy, such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Another method involves the use of fluorescent dyes, which can selectively bind to microplastics and allow for their detection under UV light. Additionally, machine learning approaches have been developed to analyze large volumes of water samples for MP detection and classification. These methods involve the use of specialized algorithms that can identify and classify MPs based on their size, shape, and texture. Overall, these novel methods offer more efficient and accurate analyses of MPs in marine waters, which is essential for understanding the extent and impacts of MP pollution and for developing effective mitigation strategies. However, there is still a need for continued research and development to optimize these methods and improve their sensitivity and accuracy.

MICROPLASTICS IN NATURAL WATER: SOURCES AND DETERMINATION

The paper is devoted for origin of microplastics in aquatic environment and possible methods of characterization and analysis. According to US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, microplastics are synthetic organic polymer particles with a size less than 5 mm. Microplastics pollution is a significant ecological problem in the world. A lot of surface waters are significantly polluted by various types of microplastics. These pollutants were found in rivers, lakes, oceans, sediments, wastewater, drinking water and bottled water. But in Ukraine microplastic problem of surface water do not meet the interest of scientists and ecological organizations. Disintegration of plastic waste is one of the main sources of microplastics in water. But there are a lot of other sources of primary and secondary microplastics, including components personal care products, industrial abrasives, abrasion from car tires, paint failure, industrial processes, textile washing, at-sea losses, etc. Microplastics can harm ecosystems and cause many health problems for different organisms, including problems with feeding and digestion, endocrine disruptions and changes in cellular functions. In general, health effects and environmental impacts are dependent on the size of the microplastic particles and chemical structure of these polymers. Thus, it is very important to understand chemical composition, physical forms, transport in environment and fragmentation of microplastics due to the need to predict possible exposure effects. There are a lot of methods for characterization and analysis of microplastics, but all of them have some disadvantages. Microplastics determination is often especially difficult for water with low microplastics content due to very large volumes of water samples and very small mass of separated plastics.

Spatial and temporal variations in anti-androgenic activity and environmental risk in a small river

The biological effects of multiple compounds have been widely investigated in aquatic environments. However, investigations of spatial and temporal variations in biological effects are rarely performed because they are time-consuming and labor-intensive. In this study, the variability of the anti-androgen, receptor-mediated activity of surface water samples was observed over 3 years using in vitro bioassays. Large-volume water samples were collected at one site upstream (Wer site) and two sites downstream (Sil and Nien sites) of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) outfall in the Holtemme River. Anti-AR activity was persistently present in all surface water samples over the three years. Large spatial variations in anti-androgenic activity were observed, with the lowest activity at the Wer site (mean concentration of 9.5 ± 7.2 μg flutamide equivalents/L) and the highest activity at the Sil site (mean concentration of 31.1 ± 12.0 μg flutamide equivalents/L) directly influenced by WWTP effluents. On the temporal scale, no distinct trend for anti-AR activity was observed among the seasons in all three years. The anti-androgenic activity at the upstream Wer site showed a decreasing trend from 2014 to 2016, indicating improved water quality. A novel bioanalytical-equivalent-based risk assessment method considering the frequency of risk occurrence was developed and then utilized to assess the environmental risk of anti-androgenic activity in the Holtemme River. The results revealed that the highest risk was present at the Sil site, while the risk was considerably reduced at the Nien site. The risk at the upstream Wer site was the lowest.

Evaluation of a virus concentration method based on ultrafiltration and wet foam elution for studying viruses from large-volume water samples

Assessing the presence of viruses in large-volume samples involves cumbersome methods that require specialized training and laboratory equipment. In this study, a large volume concentration (LVC) method, based on dead-end ultrafiltration (DEUF) and Wet Foam Elution™ technology, was evaluated in different type of waters and different microorganisms. Its recovery efficiency was evaluated through different techniques (infectivity assays and molecular detection) by spiking different viral surrogates (bacteriophages PhiX174 and MS2 and Coxsackie virus B5 (CVB5) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Furthermore, the application of a secondary concentration step was evaluated and compared with skimmed milk flocculation. Viruses present in river water, seawater and groundwater samples were concentrated by applying LVC method and a centrifugal ultrafiltration device (CeUF), as a secondary concentration step and quantified with specific qPCR Human adenoviruses (HAdV) and noroviruses (NoVs). MS2 was used as process control, obtaining a mean viral recovery of 22.0 ± 12.47%. The presence of other viruses was also characterized by applying two different next-generation sequencing approaches. LVC coupled to a secondary concentration step based on CeUF allowed to detect naturally occurring viruses such as HAdV and NoVs in different water matrices. Using HAdV as a human fecal indicator, the highest viral pollution was found in river water samples (100% of positive samples), followed by seawater (83.33%) and groundwater samples (66.67%). The LVC method has also proven to be useful as a virus concentration method in the filed since HAdV and NoVs were detected in the river water and groundwater samples concentrated in the field. All in all, LVC method presents high concentration factor and a low limit of detection and provides viral concentrates useful for subsequent molecular analysis such as PCR and massive sequencing.

Drones can reliably, accurately and with high levels of precision, collect large volume water samples and physio-chemical data from lakes

The rapid development and application of drone technology has included water sampling and collection of physiochemical data from lakes. Previous research has demonstrated the significant potential of drones to play a future pivotal role in the collection of such data from lakes that fulfil requirements of large-scale monitoring programmes. However, currently the utilisation of drone technology for water quality monitoring is hindered by a number of important limitations: i) the low rate of successful sample captured; ii) the relatively low volume of water sample retrieved for analyses of multiple water chemistry parameters; and critically iii) differences between water chemistry parameters when using a drone versus samples collected by boat.Here we present results comparing the water chemistry results of a large number of parameters (pH, dissolved oxygen concentration, temperature, conductivity, alkalinity, hardness, true colour, chloride, silica, ammonia, total oxidised nitrogen, nitrite, nitrate, ortho-phosphate, total phosphorous and chlorophyll) sampled via drone with samples collected by boat in a number of lakes. The drone water sampling method used here is the first to collect a sufficiently large volume of water to meet the monitoring requirements of large scale water monitoring programmes, 2 L, at a 100% success rate and most crucially, with water chemistry variables that are not significantly different to those taken using traditional boat water sampling. This study therefore shows that drone technology can be utilised to collect water chemistry data and samples from lakes in a reliable, more rapid and cost effective manner than traditional sampling using boats, that is safer for personnel and poses less of a biosecurity risk.

Cooccurrence of Five Pathogenic Legionella spp. and Two Free-Living Amoebae Species in a Complete Drinking Water System and Cooling Towers.

Pathogenic Legionella species grow optimally inside free-living amoebae to concentrations that increase risks to those who are exposed. The aim of this study was to screen a complete drinking water system and cooling towers for the occurrence of Acanthamoeba spp. and Naegleria fowleri and their cooccurrence with Legionella pneumophila, Legionella anisa, Legionella micdadei, Legionella bozemanii, and Legionella longbeachae. A total of 42 large-volume water samples, including 12 from the reservoir (water source), 24 from two buildings (influents to the buildings and exposure sites (taps)), and six cooling towers were collected and analyzed using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). N. fowleri cooccurred with L. micdadei in 76 (32/42) of the water samples. In the building water system, the concentrations of N. fowleri and L. micdadei ranged from 1.5 to 1.6 Log10 gene copies (GC)/100 mL, but the concentrations of species increased in the cooling towers. The data obtained in this study illustrate the ecology of pathogenic Legionella species in taps and cooling towers. Investigating Legionella’s ecology in drinking and industrial waters will hopefully lead to better control of these pathogenic species in drinking water supply systems and cooling towers.

Evaluation of a modified rapid viability-polymerase chain reaction method for Bacillus atrophaeus spores in water matrices

A rapid method that provides information on the viability of organisms is needed to protect public health and ensure that remediation efforts following a release of a biological agent are effective. The rapid viability-polymerase chain reaction (RV-PCR) method combines broth culture and molecular methods to provide results on whether viable organisms are present in less than 15 h. In this study, a modified RV-PCR (mRV-PCR) method was compared to a membrane-filtration culture method for the detection of viable Bacillus spores in water matrices. Samples included small and large volumes of chlorine and non‑chlorine treated tap water. Large volume water samples (up to 100 L), were processed by ultrafiltration using a semi-automated waterborne pathogen concentrator, followed by centrifugation as a secondary concentration technique. The concentrated samples were analyzed by mRV-PCR and culture methods. The overall agreement between the mRV-PCR and culture methods when seed concentrations were greater than 10 spores per sample volume analyzed was 96%. The total time from the start of sample processing to the final sample result for the mRV-PCR method was decreased by approximately 2 h, in comparison to the previously published RV-PCR method because of the incorporation of shorter, more efficient primary and secondary concentration steps and a shorter DNA extraction technique. Overall, this study confirmed that RV-PCR is a promising approach for identifying viable Bacillus spores in small- and large-volume water samples and for producing results in less time than traditional culture methods.

Amidation modified waste polystyrene foam as an efficient recyclable adsorbent for organic dyes removal.

Modifying environmentally harmful waste polystyrene foam as an efficient recyclable adsorbent for organic dyes is important. Amidation modified polystyrene (PS-SD) was prepared by the Friedel-Crafts reaction and N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) dehydration condensation reaction of waste polystyrene foam. PS-SD had highly efficient removal performance for organic dyes in large volume water sample solutions, and equilibrium was achieved in 0.5 h. The maximum adsorption capacities for Methylene blue (MB) and Congo red (CR) were 881.62 and 1,880.91 mg/g, respectively, at room temperature according to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm (R2 > 0.99). The kinetic data of the two dyes followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. The removal percentage remained high (>85%) after eight filtration-regeneration cycles. Experimental results showed that PS-SD was an excellent adsorbent for water treatment with high recyclability and long life.

Evaluation of a Virus Concentration Method Based on Ultrafiltration and Wet Foam Elution for Studying Viruses from Large-Volume Water Samples

Evaluation of a Virus Concentration Method Based on Ultrafiltration and Wet Foam Elution for Studying Viruses from Large-Volume Water Samples

Ultrasonic assisted-dispersive solid-phase extraction for rapid enrichment of N-nitrosodimethylamine in water

a novel and rapid analytical method was established for the extraction of N-nitrosodimethylamine in large-volume water samples. Pretreatment was on the basis of ultrasonic-assisted-dispersed solid phase extraction. Coco housing activated carbon was incorporated into the water samples, and the rapid enrichment of N-nitrosodimethylamine was realized by implementing ultrasonic-assisted dispersion. After that, the suspension was filtered by suction, and the residue was eluted by dichloromethane. The eluate was collected and then concentrated to dry using rotary evaporation. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometer, which equipped with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization source was employed for determination under the multiple reaction monitoring mode. Limit of detection and quantification for N-nitrosodimethylamine in 500 mL water was 2. 0 ng/mL and 6. 0 ng/mL, respectively. Throughout the validation, good linearity with R~2>0. 999 were achieved with the range from 0. 5 ng/mL to 150. 0 ng/mL. Satisfactory recovery(95. 7%-100. 8%) and inter-day reproducibility(<4. 2%) were obtained by three-level spiking experiments in different water matrices. Finally, the established method was applied for analysis of 48 real samples, the detectable concentrations of positive samples were in the range of <2. 0 ng/L to 14. 4 ng/L. Compared with the traditional solid-phase extraction method, this method ology showed the characteristics of rapid and more efficient, and could save at least 50% of the pretreatment time. Meanwhile, the result of method ology validation were satisfactory.

Validation of an eDNA-based method for the detection of wildlife pathogens in water.

Monitoring the occurrence and density of parasites and pathogens can identify high infection-risk areas and facilitates disease control and eradication measures. Environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques are increasingly used for pathogen detection due to their relative ease of application. Since many factors affect the reliability and efficacy of eDNA-based detection, rigorous validation and assessment of method limitations is a crucial first step. We evaluated an eDNA detection method using in situ filtration of large-volume water samples, developed to detect and quantify aquatic wildlife parasites by quantitative PCR (qPCR). We assessed method reliability using Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a pathogenic fungus of amphibians and the myxozoan Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, causative agent of salmonid proliferative kidney disease, in a controlled experimental setup. Different amounts of parasite spores were added to tanks containing either clean tap water or water from a semi-natural mesocosm community. Overall detection rates were higher than 80%, but detection was not consistent among replicate samples. Within-tank variation in detection emphasises the need for increased site-level replication when dealing with parasites and pathogens. Estimated parasite DNA concentrations in water samples were highly variable, and a significant increase with higher spore concentrations was observed only for B. dendrobatidis. Despite evidence for PCR inhibition in DNA extractions from mesocosm water samples, the type of water did not affect detection rates significantly. Direct spiking controls revealed that the filtration step reduced detection sensitivity. Our study identifies sensitive quantification and sufficient replication as major remaining challenges for the eDNA-based methods for detection of parasites in water.

An innovative platform exploiting solid microcrystalline cellulose for selective separation of bromate species in drinking water: Preparation, characterization, kinetics and thermodynamic study

It is a major challenge to synthesis a cost-effective, efficient and reliable solid phase extractor with exceptional selectivity, capacity and reproducibility for removal of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water. Thus, the current study extends the analytical utility of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) as a novel solid extractor against the underexplored bromate ions at trace levels as one of DBPs in drinking water. The proposed MCC platform was prepared via acid (HCl) hydrolysis of cellulose that was isolated from date pits (DPs). Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopic (TEM) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) were used for characterization of MCC sorbent prepared from DPs (D-MCC). Disappearance of the distinct FTIR peaks of hemicellulose and lignin were observed. The particle size of D-MCC ranged from 2.5 to 4 µm and rougher. SEM micrographs exhibited clear, smooth and stretched polymer structures on the surface and confirmed from the energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectra. SEM, TEM images and XRD data also revealed surface agglomeration in microstructures with a satisfactory crystallinity index of 80.81%. High stability of D-MCC was confirmed as compared to raw DPs A dual retention mechanism of bromate involving an ion association interaction of “weak base anion exchanger” and an added component of “surface adsorption” by the available surface area of the D-MCC is proposed. The D-MCC sorbent was successfully used for complete removal of BrO3− ions from environmental water samples. The sorbent presented extraordinary sorption capacity towards bromate ions in comparison to the frequently available extractor counterparts. D MCC can be packed in column for complete separation of trace levels of bromate ions from water from large volumes of water samples without decrease in its performance. Thus, this system can be utilized for ultra-trace determination of bromate in water using the standard addition method. The reusability of MCC towards bromate removal from drinking water is also included.

Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry determination of 34 priority and emerging pollutants in water from the influent and effluent of a drinking water treatment plant

This study evaluates the applicability of a method based on the direct injection of a large volume of water samples to identify and quantify 34 priority and emerging substances, most of them discussed in Directive 2013/39/EU on priority substances in the field of water policy, and Decision 2018/840/EU (Watch List). The method directly injects 500 µL of filtered water sample and so does not use a pre-concentration step. The method was satisfactorily validated for influent and effluent water from a drinking water treatment plant, at three concentrations (1, 10 and 100 ng L−1) with precision and accuracies in the range 1–17% and 71–122% respectively. Sensitivity was good with detection limits in the range 0.15–10 ng L−1 and complied with EU limits in all cases except for estrone, 17-β-estradiol and 17-α-ethinylestradiol. For these hormones, an on-line solid phase extraction was developed and evaluated. The methods were applied to the analysis of water collected at the influent and effluent of a drinking water treatment plant and revealed the presence of 18 of the target compounds in the influent water and 8 in the effluent water. This showed that most the compounds had been efficiently removed by the processes of the drinking water treatment plant.

Effect of flow rate and freezing on cyanocobalamin recovery using a commercial solid phase extraction cartridge

Analysis of vitamin B₁₂ in sea water is laborious, time consuming, and often requires storage of relatively large-volume water samples. Alleviating these major limitations will increase the throughput of samples and, as a consequence, improve our understanding of the distribution and role of vitamin B₁₂ in the oceans.

Detection of Cryptosporidium Recovered from Large-Volume Water Samples Using Dead-End Ultrafiltration.

The procedure described here provides instructions for detection of Cryptosporidium recovered from large-volume water samples. Water samples are collected by dead-end ultrafiltration in the field and ultrafilters are processed in a laboratory. Microbes recovered from the filters are further concentrated and subjected to Cryptosporidium isolation or nucleic acid extraction methods for the detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts or Cryptosporidium DNA.

Improved detection of rare, endangered and invasive trout in using a new large‐volume sampling method for eDNA capture

AbstractEnvironmental DNA (eDNA) detection probability increases with volume of water sampled. Common approaches for collecting eDNA samples often require many samples since these approaches usually use fine filters, which restrict the volume of water that can be sampled. An alternative to collecting many, small volume water samples using fine filters may be to collect fewer, large volume water samples using coarse filters that do not clog as rapidly. We used mesocosm experiments and field evaluations to compare coarse filter‐large water volume samples (hereafter large volume filter samples) versus fine filter‐small water volume samples (hereafter small volume filter samples) for detection and quantification of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) DNA. We found that large volume filter sampling can be an effective approach for detecting DNA of low‐density target taxa. In mesocosm experiments, large‐volume and small‐volume water samples detected similar quantities of rainbow trout DNA. In the field, large volume samples more frequently detected bull trout DNA, had higher bull trout DNA copy number, and higher total DNA concentrations than small volume samples. However, sampling higher water volumes increased the potential for PCR inhibition so the DNA workflow had to be altered for large volume samples. Combining larger water volume samples with other strategies, like increasing PCR sensitivity and the number of PCR replicates, will improve detection of rare species, which is crucial for advancing conservation and ecological understanding.

A green deep eutectic solvents microextraction coupled with acid-base induction for extraction of trace phenolic compounds in large volume water samples

A simple, effective and convenient method for determination of phenolic compounds by acid-base induced deep eutectic solvents (DESs) microextraction was developed. The binary and ternary DESs were prepared by a range of fatty acids (C8-C12), which can act as hydrogen bond donors and hydrogen bond acceptors simultaneously. The gas-assisted mixing customization provides excellent mixing performance and concentration efficiency through the bubble adsorption mechanism for the handling of large-volume aqueous sample. In extraction process, NH3·H2O can act as the emulsifier agent and reacted with DESs to form salts with a cloudy solution, which can obviously improve the extraction efficiency. HCl can act as the phase separation agent, and there is no need to centrifuge, which increases the efficiency of analysis procedure. The factors affected on extraction efficiency were carefully optimized. At optimum conditions and molar ratio of C8:C9:C12 (3:2:1), the limit of detections (LODs), the preconcentration factor, the repeatability (RSDs%) were in the range of 0.22–0.53 μg L−1, 235–244, and 2.6–6.7%, respectively. Finally, the proposed method was applied to analyze four phenolic compounds in real water samples and the recoveries were between 87.4% and 106.6%.

The use of hollow fiber dialysis filters operated in axial flow mode for recovery of microorganisms in large volume water samples with high loadings of particulate matter

Ultrafiltration concentration of microorganisms in large volume water samples containing high levels of particulate matter was evaluated in a proof of concept study. The organisms tested were Bacillus atrophaeus subspecies globigii spores and MS2 bacteriophage. To produce the large volume samples, fresh water sediment of a known particle size was added to 51 l of tap water. Five different concentrations of particulate matter were studied: 0, 50, 100, 150 and 750 mg solids/l. The concentration procedure used a dialysis filter as the ultrafilter configured for axial flow, either with or without recirculation. The target number of organisms spiked was 1 × 105 of either spores or bacteriophage per 51 l. After concentration, the filters were dissected to retrieve the fibers which were then washed using surfactant solution which was then analyzed for the target organisms. Two washes of the filter fibers were carried out sequentially. For axial flow with recirculation, the first wash produced statistically greater recovery of B. globigii spores (26–40% of spike) compared to the second wash (8–13% of spike). Total recovery (the sum of the recoveries for the first and second washes) ranged from 35 to 53%. Recovery increased as the solids level increased from 0 to 150 mg solids/l. Recovery at the 100 and 150 mg solids/L loadings was statistically higher at the P < .05 level than recovery at 0 mg/L solids. At 150 mg solids/L, axial flow without recirculation (dead end) yielded lower recovery than axial flow with recirculation, however the difference was not significant at the P < .05 level. Recovery of B. globigii at 750 mg solids/L averaged 38% using dead end axial flow. The average recovery of MS2 bacteriophage was 45% at a solids concentration of 150 mg/L using axial flow with recirculation. PhiX174 and Phi8 were also studied, however these bacteriophage appeared to be inactivated in the matrix of concentrated wash water. One hundred liters of water containing 750 mg solids/L was concentrated using dead end axial flow, and only minimal problems with filter clogging were observed. Results described herein suggest axial flow ultrafiltration is an effective concentration method for microorganisms in water containing high levels of particulate matter.