Removal Rate Of Organic Pollutants Research Articles

Degradation mechanism of saliferous compounding heavy metals-organic wastewater by manganese and iron cycling in the microbial fuel cell

With the rapid development of industry and agriculture, the heavy metal ions and organic matter pollution coexistence systems become increasingly common, aggravating environmental damage and endangering water safety. Therefore, an urgent need to find a general method to achieve the typical removal of two pollutants or promote the removal of one to improve another degradation, solving the related pollution problems. Meanwhile, the related research microorganism’s salt and heavy metal tolerance is lower, limiting the related research. Therefore, the study makes the deep-sea sediment as the strain source, obtaining the low-valence manganese-oxidizing functional bacteria (OMF) with salt-tolerant and heavy metal-tolerant characteristics, constructing the closed-circuit microbial fuel cell (MFC), carried out the degradation mechanism of saliferous compounding heavy metals-organic wastewater by manganese and iron cycling processes. The results showed that under the salt content conditions of 3%, pH = 6, external resistance of 510 Ω, Mn2+ concentration of 11 g/L, Mn2+:Fe2+ = 1:0.3 and OMF (Rhodococcus erythropolis: Microbacterium kitamiense: Dietzia = 1:2:1) inoculation amount of 20%. The maximum removal rates of organic pollutants (400 mg/L), Cu2+ (250 mg/L), Co2+ (150 mg/L) and Ni2+ (200 mg/L) were 94.72%, 91.23%, 99.89% and 99.97%, respectively. Realizing the heavy metal ions and organic matter pollution coexisting systems purification. The manganese-iron cycle mediated by oxidized low-valent manganese functional bacteria has a dual effect on the pollutant’s degradation process through MFC. Firstly, the synergistic redox cycle transformation of iron and manganese promoted the production of OH and accelerated the degradation of organic matter. Secondly, the ferromanganese oxidation products and bio-nanowires enhance material oxidation and electron transfer, improving the organic pollution oxidation and heavy metal ions fixation efficiency. This study provides a new idea for the heavy metal ions and organic matter pollution coexisting systems remediation and MFC degradation efficiency optimization.

Evaluation of the dependence of methyl orange organic pollutant removal rate on the amount of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in MWCNTs-TiO2 photocatalyst using statistical methods and Duncan’s multiple range test

ABSTRACT Here, we prepared two kinds of nanocomposites (MCT#1 and MCT#2) involving MWCNTs and TiO2 nanoparticles. The characterisation of the samples is carried out based on FTIR spectroscopy and TEM. The Ti-O groups that is attributed to the TiO2 nanoparticles can be confirmed according to the FTIR analysis. TEM images show that the average particle size of TiO2 nanoparticles in prepare MCT#1 and MCT#2 is equal to 13 nm and 15 nm, respectively. The influences of nanocomposites weight fraction and illumination time are investigated on the decomposition rate of methyl orange (MO) as pollutant. The photocatalytic results exhibit that the decomposition rate of MO is increased with respect to the weight fraction and illumination time. Meanwhile, higher decomposition rate can be observed using MCT#2 compared to MCT#1. Statistical analysis of the results based on Duncan’s multiple range test at α = 0.05 reveals that all of the applied levels of the factors have a significant effect on the decomposition rate. The response surface results confirm that the effect of illumination time is high that that of weight fraction of MCT#1 and MCT#2.

Fe-based metal organic frameworks (Fe-MOFs) for organic pollutants removal via photo-Fenton: A review

• Fe-MOFs were excellent photocatalysts and can effectively activate Fenton reagents to remove organic pollutants. • The application of different types of Fe-MOFs in the photo-Fenton system was presented. • Factors to improve the efficiency of Fe-MOFs under photo- Fenton were identified. • The different types of Fe-MOFs in photo-Fenton system degradation mechanisms were summarized. • The future development prospects of this technology were proposed. Organic pollutants are stable chemical substances occurring widely in aquatic environments. Their long-term impact on the entire ecosystem has directly resulted in irreversible damage worldwide. Thus, advanced technology is required to restore the water quality. The photo-Fenton process has been widely applied due to its high removal rate of organic pollutants in water. Fe-based metal-organic frameworks (Fe-MOFs) not only have good porosity and catalytic properties but also are non-toxic, abundant, and inexpensive and have promising applications in practical engineering. Fe-MOFs are good photocatalysts and can couple well with Fenton reagents compared with other MOFs. This paper reviews the research progress of Fe-MOFs in the photo-Fenton process and proposes a method to overcome the limitations of the photo-Fenton process. The different factors influencing these processes, the stability and reusability of the materials after use, and the mechanism of the photo-Fenton reaction after the modification of different materials are discussed. Finally, conclusions and the future prospects of Fe-MOFs in photo-Fenton systems for the treatment of wastewater containing organic pollutants are proposed. This study provides a valuable resource for researchers using Fe-MOFs to remove organic pollutants from water bodies.

Thermal activation significantly improves the organic pollutant removal rate of low-grade manganese ore in a peroxymonosulfate system.

Low-cost, eco-friendly and effective catalysts are essential for activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to purify water. Hence, we investigated using thermal activation natural low-grade manganese ore (CNMO) as an effective catalyst to activate PMS for the removal of Acid Orange 7 (AO7), a harmful azo dye. CNMO exhibited a more effective activation ability than either the pure component substances alone or natural manganese ore (NMO), owing to its increased charge transfer, pore size and acidic sites. The activation mechanism of PMS was elucidated, and the degradation of AO7 was noted to have been caused by singlet oxygen (1O2), and increased electron transfer. Moreover, the outstanding degradation of AO7 in actual water indicated that the CNMO/PMS system was highly resistant to surrounding organic and inorganic compounds, and the CNMO exhibited extraordinarily high stability and recyclability. Thus, this study provides not only a new choice of PMS activator that offers low cost, and excellent and stable performance, but also a novel direction for the efficient utilization of low-grade manganese ore.

Novel designs for the reliability and safety of supercritical water oxidation process for sludge treatment

For strengthening the safety and reliability for supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) process, the essential causes and solutions of key challenges such as the high corrosion risk of the heat-exchanger and the entrance part of SCWO reactor, the blockage problems resulted from the solid deposition, and the safety and environmental issues caused by the emergency discharge of supercritical aqueous fluids, were investigated theoretically and experimentally. The thermodynamic state division between chemical- and electrochemical corrosion and the corrosion sensitive temperature range of 280−450 °C featuring the predominant electrochemical corrosion were proposed. A set of optimized parameters for the petrochemical sludge treatment such as a temperature of 520–580 ℃, a pressure of 23−25 MPa, and an oxidation coefficient of 1.1–1.3, which not only can ensure the high enough removal rate of organic pollutants but also prevent the corrosion of construction materials as much as possible; the critical velocity of conveying fluid for avoiding the deposition of solid particles were also obtained. On the bases of innovatively developing the “indirect heat transfer” unit, the mixing-preoxidation equipment, the oxygen removal process for SCWO effluents, and the emergency discharge protection device, a novel SCWO process and its corresponding control scheme were proposed and analyzed.

Removal mechanism of persistent organic pollutants by Fe-C micro-electrolysis

ABSTRACT The degradation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the simulated wastewaters was investigated by Fe-C micro-electrolysis system. With phenanthrene (PHE) and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) as target pollutants, different iron-carbon (Fe-C) micro-electrolysis systems have been established. The effects of initial pH, Fe/C mass ratio, and intake air flow on the degradation and mineralization of PHE and 2,4-DCP were studied. At the initial pH of 5.0, Fe/C of 1.5:1, and an aeration flow rate of 1.5 L/min, after 120 min of reaction, the removal efficiency of FHE and COD was 94.3% and 73%, respectively. Under the conditions of initial pH is 3.0, Fe/C is 1:2, aeration flow rate of 1.5 L/min, and reaction time of 90 min, the best removal efficiency of 2,4-DCP can be obtained in the Fe-C micro-electrolysis system as 97% and COD removal efficiency can reach 76%. The results of kinetic studies show that the Fe-C micro-electrolysis process of PHE and 2,4-DCP follows pseudo-first-order kinetics. Commercial activated carbon (AC) was used for comparison under the same condition. The results indicated that the removal rate of organic pollutants and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of Fe-C micro-electrolysis were superior to that of AC. Analyze the structure of iron after reaction by SEM and XRD. The degradation pathway and mechanism for PHE and 2,4-DCP were proposed based on LC-MS analyses of treated wastewater.

Potentiality of municipal sludge for biological gas production at Soba Station South of Khartoum (Sudan)

Potentiality of municipal sludge for biological gas production at Soba Station South of Khartoum (Sudan)

One-pot solvothermal fabrication of S-scheme OVs-Bi2O3/Bi2SiO5 microsphere heterojunctions with enhanced photocatalytic performance toward decontamination of organic pollutants

Bi2O3/Bi2SiO5 microsphere heterojunctions self-assembled by nanoplatelets with rich oxygen vacancies (OVs) were fabricated through a mild one-step solvothermal approach. The existence of OVs was confirmed by XPS and low temperature electron spin resonance (ESR) technique. The crystal texture, morphology, and optical property of the 3D OVs-Bi2O3/Bi2SiO5 microsphere heterojunctions were analyzed by a series of characterization methods. The results reveal that OVs-Bi2O3/Bi2SiO5 heterojunctions were constructed and the diameter of microspheres is about 1 μm. The photocatalytic performance of OVs-Bi2O3/Bi2SiO5 composite microspheres was assessed using methyl orange (MO) and colorless phenol as model contaminant. The synergistic effect of Bi2O3 and Bi2SiO5 greatly enhances the removal rates of organic pollutants. O2– and h+ are predominant active free radicals in the photocatalytic process, supporting by ESR, nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) and trapping experiments. The separation and transfer of the photoinduced charge pairs of OVs- Bi2O3/Bi2SiO5 heterojunctions follow a step-scheme mechanism. The step-scheme mechanism endows OVs-Bi2O3/Bi2SiO5 heterojunctions with higher photocatalytic performance than the bare Bi2SiO5.

Photothermal Janus Anode with Photosynthesis‐Shielding Effect for Activating Low‐Temperature Biological Wastewater Treatment

AbstractBiological wastewater treatment (BWT), which is used to manage global wastewater, suffers from a sharp decrease in microbial activity at low temperature (<10 °C). Photothermal technology with a high energy efficiency theoretically exceeding 80% has the potential to activate low‐temperature BWT. However, photothermal BWT is threatened by the propagation of photosynthetic algae in wastewater under irradiation, and these microorganisms can suppress the functional bacteria or even kill anaerobic species by photosynthetically releasing oxygen. Herein, taking microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as a representative biological reactor, a photothermal Janus anode (PTJA) is designed, composed of a carbon black/polydimethylsiloxane photothermal nonporous layer and a graphite felt porous layer to promote low‐temperature BWT. Unlike traditional symmetrical porous anodes, the nonporous layer of the PTJA can isolate the wastewater in the porous layer from light irradiation during photothermal conversion, thus preventing photosynthetic algae from poisoning anaerobic functional microbes. Under ≈1 sun illumination, the PTJA MFC exhibits 1.6 and 24.2 times higher organic pollutant removal rate and power density generation, respectively, than MFCs using traditional anodes for low‐temperature BWT (7.0 ± 2.0 °C). This development can allow novel utilization of solar energy and is a promising resolution for low‐temperature BWT.

Responses of soil microbial community and enzymes during plant-assisted biodegradation of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and pyrene

A pot experiment was conducted to explore the plant-assisted degradation efficiency of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and pyrene. Three plant species: Ceylon spinach, sunflower, and leaf mustard were cultivated in co-contaminated soils under three contamination levels: control (T0), 20 mg kg−1 (T20), and 50 mg kg−1 (T50). The results showed that a higher DEHP and pyrene degradation efficiency was observed evidently in planted cases, increasing from 42 to 53–59% (T0), 61 to 65–76% (T20) and 52 to 68–78% (T50) for DEHP, and from 22 to 30–49% (T0), 58 to 62–72% (T20), and 54 to 57–70% (T50) for pyrene. Under T20 contamination level, soil phospholipid fatty-acid analysis depicted the increased microbial biomass in rhizosphere, especially the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus that is effective for the degradation of organic pollutants. The study also revealed that the activities of dehydrogenase, acid phosphomonoesterase, urease, and phenol oxidase negatively correlated with pollutant concentration. In general, the removal rate of DEHP and pyrene was highest in the soil planted with leaf mustard for each contamination level considered. For soils at T20 level, sunflower and leaf mustard appeared as interesting phytoremediation plants due to the improved removal rates of organic pollutants and the soil microbial activity.

Oxidation of high iron content electroplating sludge in supercritical water: stabilization of zinc and chromium.

The stabilization of heavy metals (zinc and chromium) and the degradation of organic pollutants during supercritical water (SCW) and supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) treatment of electroplating sludge (EPS) with a high iron content were studied. Experiments were performed in a batch reactor at temperatures in the range from 623.15 to 823.15K with an oxygen coefficient (OE) from 0 to 2.0, a reaction time of 7min and pressure of 25MPa to examine the effect of the operation conditions. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC) in raw sludge and liquid products under different reaction conditions were detected. The results indicated that more organic pollutant degradation occurred under supercritical conditions than in subcritical water. Additionally, as the temperature and amount of oxidant increased, the organic pollutant removal rate increased. In addition, the Zn and Cr removal efficiency from sludge was more than 98% under all conditions. Temperatures under 773.15K had a positive effect, whereas the oxygen ratio was more significant than the other factors above 773.15K. Furthermore, leaching toxicity tests of the heavy metals in solid products were conducted based on the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP). All heavy metals showed greatly reduced leaching toxicity due to their stabilization. The Zn in the EPS is more easily converted into a solid product after SCWO treatment; however, Cr is more difficult to leach from the solid product. Oxides of iron, zinc, and chromium were detected by X-ray diffraction and an electron probe microanalyzer, and the yield of the oxides increased with increasing temperature and oxidant amount. Using the obtained data and analysis results, the effect of Fe on the stabilization of Zn and Cr was studied.

Coking Wastewater Treatment Efficiency and Comparison of Acute Toxicity Characteristics of the AnMBR-A-MBR and A2-MBR Processes

Coking wastewater contains high-strength refractory organic pollutants and is commonly treated by biological treatment processes. To improve the efficiency of biological treatment, two laboratory scale processes, anaerobic membrane bioreactor/anoxic/aerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR-A-MBR) and anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic membrane bioreactor (A2-MBR), were developed for coking wastewater treatment. The removal of main pollutants and the stability of different pollutant loadings were compared under the optimum operating conditions. Acute toxicity distribution, variations, and toxic matter characteristics of the two processes were investigated by solid-phase extraction, components separation, the luminous bacteria Q67 test, and three-dimensional fluorescence spectrometry. The results showed that the organic pollutant removal rate of AnMBR was 15.3%, which was significantly higher than the anaerobic stage of the A2-MBR system (3.4%), and the AnMBR-A-MBR system had greater resistance to pollutant loading. Acute toxicity of AnMBR-A-MBR system in each stage effluent was lower than the A2-MBR system and the total toxic unit removal rate of both were 85.2% and 79.2%, respectively. The acute toxicity of the polar component in each stage effluent was the highest, and the polar and mid-polar components contributed to the majority of the toxicity. The toxicity of each stage effluent mainly originated from Region Ⅱ aromatic protein analogues, which could be the main acute toxicity substances of the polar component.

Research Progress in Biofilm-Membrane Bioreactor: A Critical Review

Biofilm-membrane bioreactor (BF-MBR), combining a biofilm and a conventional membrane bioreactor (MBR), can sustain the stable organic pollutant removal rate, decrease membrane fouling, reduce production of excess sludge, and provide a good living environment for denitrification and dephosphorization process. This mini-review summarized R&D progresses in a BF-MBR. Reports published within the last 15 years are reviewed with respect to BF-MBR studies, analyzing the fundamentals and advantages proposed, identifying the mechanism and performance for pollutant degradation and membrane fouling and discussing the reactor configurations and designs. Finally, on the basis of reported results, future research perspectives regarding the development of BF-MBR are proposed.

3D-3D porous Bi2WO6/graphene hydrogel composite with excellent synergistic effect of adsorption-enrichment and photocatalytic degradation

A novel visible-light 3D-3D Bi2WO6/graphene hydrogel (BWO/GH) photocatalyst with the synergistic effect of adsorption and photocatalysis has been successfully synthesized by a facile one-step hydrothermal method and is applied in environment remediation. 3D porous graphene hydrogel, in which 3D-structured flower-like BWO as an efficient photocatalyst is homogenously distributed, not only exhibits the great absorption toward the organic pollution, but also provides multidimensional quality and electron transfer channels. The 3D-3D structure of BWO/GH composite is beneficial to light refraction and reflection, which highly improves the utilization rate of light. The synergistic effect of the 3D-3D BWO/GH composite greatly enhanced the removal rates of organic pollutants and it is ease of separation and recycling in water purification. The removal rate of methylene blue (MB) by BWO/GH composite is about 2.3 times as that of the pure BWO in static systems, and the removal rates of MB and 2, 4-dichlorophenol (2, 4-CDP) are about 1.3 and 3 times as these of the pure BWO in dynamic system. When the irradiation time lasted for 74h, the removal rate of MB is nearly unchanged and still kept at 36.1%, indicating that the 3D BWO/GH composite has a high stability. The construction of BWO/GH composite resolved the adsorption saturation problem of GH and improved the photocatalytic activity of BWO, thus greatly improved the removal rate of water pollutants.

Pollutant removal in subsurface wastewater infiltration systems with/without intermittent aeration under different organic pollutant loadings

Organic pollutant and nitrogen removal performance of subsurface wastewater infiltration systems (SWISs) with and without intermittent aeration, and operated under different organic pollutant loadings, was investigated. The intermittent aeration strategy not only significantly increased removal rates of organic pollutants and NH 4 + - N, but also successfully created aerobic conditions at a depth of 50 cm and did not change anoxic or anaerobic conditions at a depth of 80 and 110 cm, resulting in high TN removal. Increasing organic pollutant loading did not affect the removal of organic pollutants and nitrogen in intermittent aerated SWISs. High removal rates of COD (98.0%~98.4%), NH 4 + - N (93.8%~98.1%) and TN (84.5%~94.0%) were simultaneously obtained in intermittent aerated SWISs for organic pollutant loadings ranging from 7.4 to 29.1 g COD/(m 2 ∙d), and these removal rates were significantly higher than for non-aerated SWISs. The results suggest that intermittent aeration is a reliable option to achieve high nitrogen removal in SWISs, especially with high organic pollutant loading. Keywords: subsurface wastewater infiltration system, intermittent aeration, oxidation reduction potential, organic pollutant loading, pollutants removal

Enhanced Pollutant Removal Performance of an Integrated Biological Settling Tank from Micro-polluted Water Bodies

To improve the capacity of present drinking water purification process on the removal of soluble pollutants and solve the problem of large area requirement and single function existing in the application of horizontal sedimentation tank, a novel biological settling tank was developed based on the designing concepts of rotating biological disk and sedimentation tank. Experimental results showed that the usage of rotating biological disk did not have notable effects on the turbidity removal capacity of the horizontal sedimentation tank. When the organic loading rate was 0.46 g·(m2·d)-1, the removal rates of organic pollutants, NH4+-N, TN, and TP were determined to be 81.4%, 95.0%, 21.1% and 86.0%, respectively. Further study showed that denitrification and dephosphorization processes competed for the limited carbon source existing in the water phase. With the increase of organic loading rate in the raw water, the removal rate of TP was improved. Meanwhile, the concentrations of organic matters and NH4+-N in the settled water were not affected, which indicated that the biological settling tank showed a capacity in resisting organic loading rate shock and could be used in the enhanced pollutant removal in treating micro-polluted water.

Nitrogen removal in subsurface wastewater infiltration systems with and without intermittent aeration

Matrix dissolved oxygen (DO) levels, organic pollutants and nitrogen removal performances in subsurface wastewater infiltration systems (SWISs) with and without intermittent aeration operated under different organic pollutant loadings were investigated. The intermittent aeration strategy not only significantly increased removal rates of organic pollutants and NH4+-N, but also successfully created aerobic conditions in the depth of 50cm and did not change anoxic or anaerobic conditions in the depth of 80 and 110cm resulting in high TN removal. Increasing organic pollutant loading did not affect the removal of organic pollutants and nitrogen in intermittent aerated SWISs. High removal rates of COD (95.68±0.21%–98.41±0.23%), NH4+-N (93.77±0.39%–98.06±0.16%) and TN (84.48±0.57%–94.02±0.25%) were obtained simultaneously in intermittent aerated SWISs for the organic pollutant loading from 7.4 to 29.1g COD/(m2d), and significantly higher than non-aerated SWISs. Intermittent aeration boosted the growth and reproduction of nitrifying bacteria and denitrifying bacteria. In the depth of 80 and 110cm, nitrate reductase (NR) and nitrite reductase (NIR) activities with intermittent aeration were higher than that without aeration. The results suggest that intermittent aeration was a reliable option to achieve high nitrogen removal in SWISs, especially under high organic pollutant loading.

Magnetically recyclable Bi/Fe-based hierarchical nanostructures via self-assembly for environmental decontamination.

Pristine bismuth ferrite usually possesses weak magnetic properties (e.g., saturation magnetization Ms < 3 emu g(-1)) for practical magnetic separation applications. Herein, a superparamagnetic bismuth ferrite with coral-like hierarchical morphology (BFO-M) was fabricated through methanol solvothermal treatment of the as-prepared Bi2Fe4O9 nanoclusters (P-BFO). The BFO-M shows a higher Ms of ∼31 emu g(-1) compared to that of P-BFO treated in water (BFO-A), in ethanol (BFO-E) and in ethylene glycol (BFO-G). Compared to single-crystalline Bi2Fe4O9 (PS) and Bi2Fe4O9 clusters (NSP), BFO-M shows an excellent organic pollutant removal rate by virtue of its high adsorption capacity and catalytic activity when methyl orange (MO) is used as the model organic pollutant. BFO-M also exhibits good visible light photo-Fenton oxidation rates for pharmaceuticals and pesticides. Even at a low catalyst loading of 0.12 g L(-1), the removal rate of organic pollutants (e.g., 5-fluorouracil, isoproturon) can be ∼99% in 100 min under visible light irradiation. Besides, BFO-M is also a good adsorbent for different kinds of heavy metal ions (Pb(ii), Cr(iii), Cu(ii), As(v), etc.). For example, its maximal adsorption capacity for Pb(ii) is 214.5 mg g(-1). The used BFO-M can be recovered via magnetic separation. The outstanding performances of BFO-M can be ascribed to its coral-like hierarchical morphology which consists of the self-assembly of 1D nanowires (∼6 nm in diameter) and 2D ultrathin nanoflakes (∼4.5 nm in thickness). A schematic illustration of its morphology formation is proposed.

QSAR models for removal rates of organic pollutants adsorbed by in situ formed manganese dioxide under acid condition.

Manganese dioxide formed in oxidation process by potassium permanganate exhibits promising adsorptive capacity which can be utilized to remove organic pollutants in wastewater. However, the structure variances of organic molecules lead to wide difference of adsorption efficiency. Therefore, it is of great significance to find a general relationship between removal rate of organic compounds and their quantum parameters. This study focused on building up quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) models based on experimental removal rate (r(exp)) of 25 organic compounds and 17 quantum parameters of each organic compounds computed by Gaussian 09 and Material Studio 6.1. The recommended model is rpre = -0.502-7.742 f(+)x + 0.107 E HOMO + 0.959 q(H(+)) + 1.388 BOx. Both internal and external validations of the recommended model are satisfied, suggesting optimum stability and predictive ability. The definition of applicability domain and the Y-randomization test indicate all the prediction is reliable and no possibility of chance correlation. The recommended model contains four variables, which are closely related to adsorption mechanism. f(+)x reveals the degree of affinity for nucleophilic attack. E HOMO represents the difficulty of electron loss. q(H(+)) reflect the distribution of partial charge between carbon and hydrogen atom. BO x shows the stability of a molecule.

Discrimination of the effects on zebrafish reproduction from pollutants in drinking water via female, via male and/or via fecundation water

The lack of preventive policy legislation and the low removal rate of organic pollutants in conventional potabilization treatments lead to some of them being present in drinking water. The problem arises because some of these substances have detrimental effects on human reproduction health, via females, via males or even both. In this work, we established the zebrafish as a bioindicator of these types of substances with the goal of discriminating the effects through three different pathways: male, female or water where the fertilization took place. For this purpose, four parameters were analysed: fertility rate, hatching rate and survival and abnormalities rates. So, for each parameter two groups were formed, according to whether adult males or females were reared in bottled spring water (Z) or tap water (B) and if the in vitro fertilization took place in water Z or B. Results revealed a decline in the fertility and hatching rate in water B, due to a water effect. The most plausible explanation could be the presence of substances which affect the micropyle and chorion. Moreover, a decrease in the fertility rate due to an effect over the female was also observed, but in this case by an alteration of the oocyte quality.