Uptake Of Pollutants Research Articles

Hand Nicotine and Cotinine In Children Exposed to Cigars: A Pilot Study.

Past research has not examined secondhand and thirdhand smoke (THS) exposure in children of cigar smokers. We examined hand nicotine and cotinine levels in children of cigar smokers to explore the contribution of cigar smoke to tobacco smoke exposure (TSE). Participants were children (N = 24; mean (SD) age = 6.5 (3.6) years) whose parents smoked cigars only or poly-used cigars and/or cigarettes. Primary outcomes were hand nicotine and urinary cotinine levels. All children had detectable hand nicotine (range: 7.6-312.5ng/wipe) and cotinine (range: 0.3-100.3ng/ml). Positive correlations were found between hand nicotine and cotinine (r = 0.693, p = .001), hand nicotine and parents who also smoked cigarettes (r = 0.407, p = .048), and hand nicotine and number of smokers around the child (r = 0.436, p = .03). Hand nicotine (r = -0.464, p = .02), but not cotinine (r = -0.266, p = .26), was negatively correlated with child age. Multiple regression results indicated a positive association between hand nicotine and cotinine (p = .002; semi-partial r2 = 0.415), irrespective of child age. The significant association of hand nicotine with urinary cotinine suggests that THS pollution should be assessed in evaluating children's overall TSE to cigars and other tobacco products, and hand nicotine may be a proxy for overall TSE. Younger children may have increased THS pollutant uptake.

Effects of polystyrene microplastics on uptake and toxicity of phenanthrene in soybean

Microplastics (MPs) can influence the availability of contaminants in the soil and have adverse effects on plants. Up to now, the effects of MPs on the uptake of organic pollutants by leguminous plants are still unclear. In this study, we explored the impacts and mechanisms of polystyrene MPs of different sizes on the uptake of phenanthrene (Phe) by soybean seedlings. The results showed that MPs decreased the uptake of Phe in soybean roots and leaves. Micron-size MPs showed a higher inhibition of Phe uptake in roots than nano-size MPs (4.83 mg/kg) at the beginning with concentrations of 1.89 mg/kg, 3.40 mg/kg, and 0.72 mg/kg in groups 1 μm, 10 μm, and 100 μm MPs/Phe, respectively. The combined toxicity of micron-size MPs and Phe to soybean plants was higher than that of nano-size MPs and Phe, and 100 μm MPs and Phe co-contaminant show the highest toxicity to soybean. The activities of antioxidative enzymes and their gene expression showed that micron-size MPs induced higher genotoxic and oxidative damage to soybean roots than nano-size MPs, which decreased the activity of roots, thus leading to the lower uptake of Phe by soybean roots and leaves. This study highlights that the combined exposure to MPs and Phe causes harmful effects on soybean plants and MPs inhibit the uptake of organic pollutants by higher plants.

Chitosan Nanoparticles Loaded with N-Acetyl Cysteine to Mitigate Ozone and Other Possible Oxidative Stresses in Durum Wheat.

Modern durum wheat cultivars are more prone to ozone stress because of their high photosynthetic efficiency and leaf gas exchanges that cause a greater pollutant uptake. This, in turn, generates an increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production that is a challenge to control by the antioxidant system of the plant, therefore affecting final yield, with a reduction up to 25%. With the aim of mitigating oxidative stress in wheat, we used chitosan nanoparticles (CHT-NPs) either unloaded or loaded with the antioxidant compound N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), on plants grown either in a greenhouse or in an open field. NAC-loaded NPs were prepared by adding 0.5 mg/mL NAC to the CHT solution before ionotropic gelation with tripolyphosphate (TTP). Greenhouse experiments evidenced that CHT-NPs and CHT-NPs-NAC were able to increase the level of the leaf antioxidant pool, particularly ascorbic acid (AsA) content. However, the results of field trials, while confirming the increase in the AsA level, at least in the first phenological stages, were less conclusive. The presence of NAC did not appear to significantly affect the leaf antioxidant pool, although the grain yield was slightly higher in NAC-treated parcels. Furthermore, both NAC-loaded and -unloaded CHT-NPs partially reduced the symptom severity and increased the weight of 1000 seeds, thus showing a moderate mitigation of ozone injury.

Quantification of long-term accumulation of inhaled ultrafine particles via human olfactory-brain pathway due to environmental emissions – a pilot study

Olfactory pathway as a viable route for brain uptake of environmental pollutants has been hypothesized in past decade. In such a hypothesis, subclinical low-dose exposure and chronic brain accumulation of exogenous airborne agents are critical to define neurodegenerations, however the information is extremely lacking. Advances in granular measurement of air pollutants, real-time personal exposure monitoring and big data analytics have opened-up an unprecedented opportunity to enable researchers conduct longitudinal investigation and potentially link the external environment condition to risks of human developing neurodegenerative diseases in a foreseeable future. Detailed case studies are provided in this work that illustrate the quantification of human brain accumulation of ultrafine particles (UFPs) from exposure, surface deposition, and pathway penetration via the transport route of nasal olfactory in prolonged timespans. The study links the individual components along the olfactory pathway, showcases the available research capacity, and pinpoints the critical areas of research need in environmental, toxicological and epidemiological studies, significant to a joint effort to bring together an interdisciplinary solution to uncover the insight of time course and dose dependency between environmental exposure and risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases in a foreseeable future. It should be noted that current study assumes that nanoparticle penetration along the olfactory pathway is unidirectional and follows the rate observed in the rodent study. Tissue responses in determining the penetration and retention corresponding to size and composition of the inhaled nanoparticles are not considered.

Availability and assessment of microplastic ingestion by marsh birds in Mississippi Gulf Coast tidal marshes

Millions of tons of plastic enter the environment every year, where much of it concentrates in environmental sinks such as tidal marshes. With prior studies documenting harm to marine fauna caused by this plastic pollution, the need to understand how this novel type of pollution affects estuarine fauna is great. Yet, research on the fate and uptake of plastic pollutants in estuarine ecosystems is sparse. Therefore, we quantified plastic prevalence and ingestion by two species of resident marsh bird, Clapper Rails (Rallus crepitans) and Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima), in coastal marsh ecosystems within Mississippi. We detected microplastics (plastics smaller than 5 mm) in 64% of marsh sediment samples, 83% of Clapper Rail and 69% of Seaside Sparrow proventriculus samples. Dominant types of microplastics detected in sediment and bird samples were fibers. This study provides the first evidence of microplastic ingestion by marsh birds and its distribution in coastal marshes within Mississippi.

On the Use of Mechanistic Soil-Plant Uptake Models: A Comprehensive Experimental and Numerical Analysis on the Translocation of Carbamazepine in Green Pea Plants.

Food contamination is a major worldwide risk for human health. Dynamic plant uptake of pollutants from contaminated environments is the preferred pathway into the human and animal food chain. Mechanistic models represent a fundamental tool for risk assessment and the development of mitigation strategies. However, difficulty in obtaining comprehensive observations in the soil–plant continuum hinders their calibration, undermining their generalizability and raising doubts about their widespread applicability. To address these issues, a Bayesian probabilistic framework is used, for the first time, to calibrate and assess the predictive uncertainty of a mechanistic soil–plant model against comprehensive observations from an experiment on the translocation of carbamazepine in green pea plants. Results demonstrate that the model can reproduce the dynamics of water flow and solute reactive transport in the soil–plant domain accurately and with limited uncertainty. The role of different physicochemical processes in bioaccumulation of carbamazepine in fruits is investigated through Global Sensitivity Analysis, which shows how soil hydraulic properties and soil solute sorption regulate transpiration streams and bioavailability of carbamazepine. Overall, the analysis demonstrates the usefulness of mechanistic models and proposes a comprehensive numerical framework for their assessment and use.

PERBANDINGAN EFEKTIVITAS JERAPAN Pb DALAM PARTIKULAT OLEH POHON TANJUNG (Mimusops elengi) DAN POHON BUNGUR (Lagerstroemia) (STUDI KASUS DI JALAN TIMOHO YOGYAKARTA)

The ability of plants to absorb metallic pollutants varies. The research has been conducted to compare the effectiveness of Tanjung (Mimusops elengi) and Bungur (Lagerstroemia) plants in absorbing Pb metal in particulate matter. The effect of location and leaf height on the effectiveness of pollutant uptake was also observed. Sampling was carried out in July 2020-September 2020 by taking leaves that were not too dark or light in color. Leaves taken at heights 3, 6, and 9 m on Timoho side Street. The particulate and leaf samples were digested and then analyzed their Pb levels using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The results showed that the Tanjung plants with denser leaves captured more particulate deposits than the Bungur plants. This plant is also more effective at absorbing and accumulating Pb metal, which is indicated by the ratio of Pb metal in the leaves to Pb in particulates which is higher than the Bungur plant. These results were consistent for each sampling period, at each location and each crown height.

Genetic Modification of Plants: An Emerging Technology

Genetically modified (GM) plants can be created by adding specific DNA sequences obtained from the same plant species or different species. Which aims to achieve higher yields, disease and pest resistance, herbicide tolerance, production of antibodies, and other pharmaceutical molecules by manipulating gene expression to alter the protein properties. Insect resistant plants reduce the damage caused by pests and diseases. Herbicide glyphosate or glufosinate-tolerant GM plants gave promising results in combating weed. The properties of plants such as metal uptake, transport, accumulation, and detoxification of organic pollutants can be enhanced by genetically manipulating the fast-grown and introducing the responsible gene from the hyper accumulative species. GM plants can be used to produce cost-efficient and manageable drugs, vaccine, and biopharmaceuticals, if certain limitations are to be considered such as quality of final products, techniques for extraction and processing of biopharmaceuticals, and biosafety. Despite all these benefits, its adverse effects on the environment and human health have always been a matter of concern. The main limitation includes a horizontal transfer of the transgene to other species which may code for the specific antibiotic and herbicide resistance. It might be the possible transmission of resistance from the food products to the whole human population via intestinal bacteria. To address this several methods, need to be adopted to either keep away or eliminate marker genes from the transformed plants before growing in the field. Many scientists have come up with strategies to generate marker-free transgenic plants to give us safe and reliable GM technology.

Combined sediment desorption and bioconcentration model to predict levels of dioxin-like chemicals in fish

Flooding and other sediment disturbances can lead to increases in sediment resuspension. In this context, it is of central importance to understand the kinetics of release from these sediments and the uptake of pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs), into aquatic organisms. In the present study, we parameterized a sediment desorption model based on experimentally determined rapidly-desorbing fractions of dioxin-like chemicals (DLCs). We coupled this desorption model with a physiologically-based toxicokinetic model for rainbow trout. This combined model was used to predict DLC concentrations in the muscle of exposed fish. The performance of this model was evaluated using a previously published dataset on DLC uptake from sediment suspensions during simulated re-suspension events. Predictions generally differed less than 10-fold from measured values, and the model showed a good global coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.95. The root mean squared error (RMSE) for PCBs was 0.31 log units and 0.53 log units for PCDD/Fs. The results of our study demonstrate that the prediction of bioconcentration and related risk to fish resulting from sediment resuspension can be accurately predicted using coupled desorption and toxicokinetic models.

Water contamination with atrazine: is nitric oxide able to improve Pistia stratiotes phytoremediation capacity?

Atrazine is an herbicide commonly used in several countries. Due to its long half-life, associated with its use in large scales, atrazine residues remain as environmental pollutants in water bodies. Phytoremediation is often pointed out as an interesting approach to remove atrazine from the aquatic environment, but its practical application is limited by the high toxicity of this herbicide. Here, we characterize the damages triggered by atrazine in Pistia stratiotes, evaluating the role of nitric oxide (NO), a cell-signaling molecule, in increasing the tolerance to the pollutant and the phytoremediation potential of this species. Pistia stratiotes plants were exposed to four treatments: Control; Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) (0.05mgL-1); Atrazine (ATZ) (150μgL-1) and ATZ+SNP. The plants remained under those conditions for 24h for biochemical and physiological analysis and 3 days for the evaluation of relative growth rate. The presence of atrazine in plant cells triggered a series of biochemical and physiological damages, such as the increase in the generation of reactive oxygen species, damages to cell membranes, photosynthesis impairment, and negative carbon balance. Despite this, the plants maintained greater growth rates than other aquatic macrophytes exposed to atrazine and showed high bioconcentration and translocation factors. The addition of SNP, a NO donor, decreased the herbicide toxicity, with an increase of over 60% in the IC50 value (Inhibitor Concentration). Indeed, the NO signaling action was able to increase the tolerance of plants to atrazine, which resulted in increments in pollutant uptake and translocation, with the maintenance of overall cell (e.g. membranes) and organs (root system) structure, and the functioning of central physiological processes (e.g. photosynthesis). These factors allowed for more quickly and efficient removal of the pollutant from the environment, reducing costs, and increasing the viability of the phytoremediation process.

Interactions between Air Pollution and Terrestrial Ecosystems: Perspectives on Challenges and Future Directions

AbstractInteractions between air pollution and terrestrial ecosystems play an important role in the Earth system. However, process-based knowledge of air pollution–terrestrial ecosystem interactions is limited, hindering accurate quantification of how changes in tropospheric chemistry, biogeochemical cycling, and climate affect air quality and its impact on humans and ecosystems. Here we summarize current challenges and future directions for advancing the understanding of air pollution–ecosystem interactions by synthesizing discussions from a multidisciplinary group of scientists at a recent Integrated Land Ecosystem–Atmosphere Processes Study (iLEAPS) early-career workshop. Specifically, we discuss the important elements of air pollution–terrestrial ecosystem interactions, including vegetation and soil uptake and emissions of air pollutants and precursors, in-canopy chemistry, and the roles of human activities, fires, and meteorology. We highlight the need for a coordinated network of measurements of long-term chemical fluxes and related meteorological and ecological quantities with expanded geographic and ecosystem representation, data standardization and curation to reduce uncertainty and enhance observational syntheses, integrated multiscale observational and modeling capabilities, collaboration across scientific disciplines and geographic regions, and active involvement by stakeholders and policymakers. Such an enhanced network will continue to facilitate the process-level understanding and thus predictive ability of interactions between air pollution and terrestrial ecosystems and impacts on local-to-global climate and human health.

Soil Amendment with Biochar, Hydrochar and Compost Mitigates the Accumulation of Emerging Pollutants in Rocket Salad Plants

The uptake of organic pollutants by agricultural plants and their accumulation in edible parts cause serious health problems to animals and humans. In this study, we used carbon-rich materials, such as biochar (BC), hydrochar (HC), and green compost (GC), to reduce the absorption and accumulation of three pesticides, imidacloprid (IMI), boscalid (BOS), and metribuzin (MET) and two endocrine disruptors, 4-tert-octylphenol (OP) and bisphenol A (BPA), in rocket salad plants (Eruca vesicaria L.). After an experimental period of 35 days, compared to unamended soil, the addition of BC, HC, and GC significantly reduced chemical phytotoxicity, increasing the elongation of the aerial plant parts by 26, 25, and 39%, respectively, whereas GC increased the fresh biomass by 21%. The assessment of residual chemicals in both soil and plant tissues indicated that any amendment was very effective in enhancing the retention of all compounds in soil, thus reducing their uptake by plants. Averagely for the five compounds, the reduction of plant absorption followed the trend BC > HC > GC. In particular, the presence of BC decreased the chemical residues in the plants from a minimum of 71% (IMI) to a maximum of 91% (OP). The overall results obtained encourage the incorporation in soil of C-rich materials, especially BC, to protect leafy food plants from the absorption and toxicity of organic pollutants of a wide range of hydrophobicity, with relevant benefits for consumers.

Uptake and translocation of multiresidue industrial and household contaminants in radish grown under controlled conditions

The uptake, bioconcentration and translocation of 22 endocrine disrupting compounds (six perflurocarboxylic acids (PFAAs), perfluorooctanoic sulfonic acid, four anionic surfactants (alkylsulfates (ASC) from C12 to C16), bisphenol A (BPA), four preservatives (parabens), two biocides (triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCB)) and five UV-filters (benzophenones)) in radish (Raphanus sativus) has been investigated. Radishes were grown in sewage sludge-amended soil under controlled conditions in a grown chamber. Degradation in soil adhered to root was higher than in soil and varied significantly from a family to another. The most recalcitrant compounds were PFCs, anionic surfactants and TCB. Perfluorinated compounds and AS-C12 were detected in all plant tissues and were the compounds with the highest bioconcentration factors (BCF). A decrease of BCF was observed for ASCs with the increase of the alkyl chain. Non-ionic compounds, except TCB, were mainly accumulated in bulb. Phenolic compounds were detected at lower concentration levels than non-phenolic compounds probably due to metabolisation in radish cells. The highest BCF in edible bulb were obtained for PFOS (BCF: 1.668), perfluorooctanoic acid (BCF: 0.534) and AS-C12 (BCF: 0.523). This study reports for the first-time multiresidue plant uptake and translocation of pollutants from different chemical classes (perfluorinated compounds, surfactants, plasticiser, preservatives, biocides and UV-filters) and with a wide variety of physical-chemical properties.

A single tree model to consistently simulate cooling, shading, and pollution uptake of urban trees

Extremely high temperatures, which negatively affect the human health and plant performances, are becoming more frequent in cities. Urban green infrastructure, particularly trees, can mitigate this issue through cooling due to transpiration, and shading. Temperature regulation by trees depends on feedbacks among the climate, water supply, and plant physiology. However, in contrast to forest or general ecosystem models, most current urban tree models still lack basic processes, such as the consideration of soil water limitation, or have not been evaluated sufficiently. In this study, we present a new model that couples the soil water balance with energy calculations to assess the physiological responses and microclimate effects of a common urban street-tree species (Tilia cordata Mill.) on temperature regulation. We contrast two urban sites in Munich, Germany, with different degree of surface sealing at which microclimate and transpiration had been measured. Simulations indicate that differences in wind speed and soil water supply can be made responsible for the differences in transpiration. Nevertheless, the calculation of the overall energy balance showed that the shading effect, which depends on the leaf area index and canopy cover, contributes the most to the temperature reduction at midday. Finally, we demonstrate that the consideration of soil water availability for stomatal conductance has realistic impacts on the calculation of gaseous pollutant uptake (e.g., ozone). In conclusion, the presented model has demonstrated its ability to quantify two major ecosystem services (temperature mitigation and air pollution removal) consistently in dependence on meteorological and site conditions.

Magnetically recoverable nanoparticles for the simultaneous removal of Sb and As from water

This study examines the development of a nanocomposite consisting of iron oxy-hydroxides (FeOOH) embedded on magnetite (Fe3O4) nanocarriers, towards its application for the simultaneous uptake of As(V) and Sb(V) ionic forms at concentrations below drinking water regulation and its magnetically-assisted recovery at the end of the process. Considering Fe3O4 as the reductant, assisting the transformation of highly mobile Sb(V) to Sb(III), and the high affinity of FeOOH to adsorb both As(V) and Sb(III), adsorption experiments carried out at equilibrium pH 7 indicated that a FeOOH/Fe3O4 composition of 50%wt. is the optimum to establish a sufficient efficiency in the uptake of both pollutants. Particularly, the adsorption capacity for As(V) at residual concentration 10 μg/L is around 2.3 mg/g whereas around 0.4 mg/g of Sb(V) can be captured by the nanocomposite while keeping the residual concentration below 5 μg/L. Such efficiencies are preserved in the case of simultaneous adsorption of both pollutants without any appearance of cross-interference effects, at least for residual concentrations below 400 μg/L. The high magnetic response of Fe3O4 nanoparticles allows the application of the nanocomposite for water purification in an alternative setup, consisting of a contact stirring reactor and a magnetic separator constructed by permanent magnets. The dimensions and flowrates of the continuous-flow system were properly designed on the basis of theoretical calculations using the magnetization, adsorption efficiency and kinetics as input, to combine maximum purification and solid recovery. Suggestively, operation of the system using a natural water with pH 7 containing 50 μg/L As(V) and 10 μg/L Sb(V) showed successful decrease of residual concentrations below regulation limits for drinking water and 100% recovery of the solid when a nanocomposite's dose of 20 mg/L was added.

Boronate affinity imprinted Janus nanosheets for macroscopic assemblies: From amphiphilic surfactants to porous sorbents for catechol adsorption

The fabrication of macroscopic assemblies from Janus-like nanosheets to porous sorbents, that can be used for highly efficient pollutant uptake in waters is a very meaningful work. Here, Janus nanosheets (NS-1) with amino groups on one side and Cl initiators on the other side are firstly prepared by interfacial sol-gel process from anisotropic emulsion droplets. Amphiphilic NS-1 can spontaneously assemble at the water/oil interface of high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) to reduce the interfacial tension, and can also be firmly immobilized onto porous foam substance (NS-1-HIPEs) by initiating the continuous phase. Boronate affinity imprinted Janus nanosheets for macroscopic assemblies (NS-1-MIPs) can be obtained via selectively grafting imprinted polymers onto one side of Janus nanosheets, which can be applied for sorptive extraction of cis-diol-containing catechol. Under the conditions of 308 K, 298 K (pH = 8.5), the saturated adsorption capacity of NS-1-MIPs is 128.1 μmol g−1 and 99.6 μmol g−1, respectively, and the Langmuir model can well describe the equilibrium performance. In addition, NS-1-MIPs possess quick rebinding kinetics in 40 min, and the pseudo-second-order model fits well with the adsorption process, and the adsorption rate is controlled by the chemical adsorption. After 7 cycles of regeneration, adsorption capacity of NS-1-MIPs remains 95.57% of the initial value. This work opens a new pathway to prepare MIPs composite sorbents by the interfacial assembly strategy, and provides for a strategy to overcome the bottleneck of engineering nanoparticles for pollutant uptake.

A patient-specific model of reactive air pollutant uptake in proximal airways of the lung: Effect of tracheal deviation

We present a three-dimensional dosimetry model to examine the influence of proximal airway deformations such as the tracheal deviation that often occur in the setting of fibrotic lung disease, on transport and uptake of inhaled reactive air pollutants in the human lung. Anatomically-accurate models of proximal airways are reconstructed from high-resolution multidimensional computer tomography (MDCT) scans of healthy and fibrotic adult male lungs. Numerical simulation of pollutant transport and reaction within the virtual airways is then performed to determine the toxicant flux distribution at the airway wall. For quasi-steady inspiratory flow under rest conditions, the flow structure and toxicant concentration distribution in the fibrotic lung are qualitatively different from those in the healthy lung, thereby leading to significantly different patterns of elevated toxicant flux at the airway walls. In contrast to the healthy lung where regions of elevated wall flux are primarily confined to the carina and subsequent bifurcations, hotspots of flux in the disease-modified lung are more widely distributed in the distal trachea and the main bronchi where secondary flow generated by the tracheal deviation persists. This leads to much larger fractional uptake of toxicant in the trachea and main bronchi of the fibrotic lung.

Multivalent magnetic nanoaggregates with unified antibacterial activity and selective uptake of heavy metals and organic pollutants

Covalently functionalized magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoaggregates carrying an imidazolium-derivative (1-hexadecyl-3-vinyl imidazolium bromide, HDVI) and L-cysteine (L-Cys) as surface ligands act as bimodal water-treatment particulate agents (HDVI@L-Cys@PAA@Fe3O4) with high antibacterial efficacy and specific surface adsorption properties. For covalent conjugation of HDVI the polyacrylic acid (PAA)-coated magnetite nanocrystals (PAA@Fe3O4) were functionalized with L-cysteine via carbodiimide coupling (L-Cys@PAA@Fe3O4) having terminal -SH groups that were used for thiol-ene click chemistry. The carefully performed series of water-remediation tests with magnetically separable HDVI@L-Cys@PAA@Fe3O4 nanoaggregates demonstrated their high efficiency in the concomitant removal transition metal ions and organic pollutant without losing the antibacterial effect. Time-dependent adsorption experiments showed high degree (>90%) of trapping and removal activity. Antibacterial action of the HDVI@L-Cys@PAA@Fe3O4 nanoaggregates originates from the amphiphilic structure of HDVI groups capable of penetrating the bacterial cell walls. The presence of surface-bound ligands and conversion efficiency of carbodiimide and click chemistry protocol was verified by FT-IR, elemental and thermogravimetric analysis. The phase, composition morphology and surface charge of nanoaggregates were examined by XRD, SEM/TEM and zeta potential studies, respectively. The experimental findings reported here represent a conceptual advancement in the state-of-the-art magnetic beads developed for water purification or remediation purposes. Our results evidently demonstrate that nanoaggregates are highly effective in unifying bactericidal activity against different microorganism with heavy metal and organic pollutant removal properties.

Combined LA-ICP-MS/LIBS: powerful analytical tools for the investigation of polymer alteration after treatment under corrosive conditions

Polymers are used in a variety of different areas, including applications in food packaging, automotive and the semiconductor industry. Information about degradation of these materials during application, but also uptake of pollutants from the surrounding environment is therefore of great interest. Conventional techniques used for polymer characterization such as FT-IR or Raman spectroscopy, but also thermo-analytical techniques offer insights into degradation processes but lack the possibility to detect uptake of inorganic species. Moreover, these techniques do not allow the measurement of depth profiles, thus information about degradation or pollutant uptake with sample depth is not accessible. In this work, we propose LA-ICP-MS and LIBS as powerful analytical tools for polymer characterization, overcoming the limitations of conventional analytical techniques used for polymer analysis. Applicability of the developed procedures is demonstrated by the analysis of artificially weathered polyimides and modern art materials, indicating that the degradation of the polymer but also the uptake of corrosive gases is not limited to the sample surface. Finally, a tandem LA-ICP-MS/LIBS approach is employed, which combines the advantages of both laser-based procedures, enabling the simultaneous analysis of polymer degradation and cadmium uptake of polystyrene after exposure to UV radiation and treatment with artificial sea water.

Role of Microorganisms in the Remediation of Wastewater in Floating Treatment Wetlands: A Review

This article provides useful information for understanding the specific role of microbes in the pollutant removal process in floating treatment wetlands (FTWs). The current literature is collected and organized to provide an insight into the specific role of microbes toward plants and pollutants. Several aspects are discussed, such as important components of FTWs, common bacterial species, rhizospheric and endophytes bacteria, and their specific role in the pollutant removal process. The roots of plants release oxygen and exudates, which act as a substrate for microbial growth. The bacteria attach themselves to the roots and form biofilms to get nutrients from the plants. Along the plants, the microbial community also influences the performance of FTWs. The bacterial community contributes to the removal of nitrogen, phosphorus, toxic metals, hydrocarbon, and organic compounds. Plant–microbe interaction breaks down complex compounds into simple nutrients, mobilizes metal ions, and increases the uptake of pollutants by plants. The inoculation of the roots of plants with acclimatized microbes may improve the phytoremediation potential of FTWs. The bacteria also encourage plant growth and the bioavailability of toxic pollutants and can alleviate metal toxicity.