Journal of Environmental Science and Health. Part A, Toxic/hazardous Substances & Environmental Engineering

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is a global environmental pollutant. To reduce the risk caused by Cr(VI), a simple, accurate, reproducible, and inexpensive method for quantifying Cr(VI) in water and soil should be developed. In this study, three types of recombinant Escherichia coli biosensors (namely T7- lux - E. coli , T3- lux - E. coli , and SP6- lux - E. coli biosensor) containing promoters (T7, T3, and SP6), chromate-sensing regulator chrB , and the reporter gene luxAB were constructed. This study investigated the effects of cryogenic freezing temperature and time on trace Cr(VI) measurement by using recombinant E...

This study investigates biochar as an attractive option for removing pharmaceuticals from wastewater streams utilizing data from various literature sources and also explores the sensitivity of the characteristics and implementation of biochar. ANN 1 was designed to determine the optimal biochar characteristics (Surface Area, Pore Volume) to achieve the maximum percentage removal of pharmaceuticals in wastewater streams. ANN 2 was developed to identify the optimal biomass feedstock composition, pyrolysis conditions (temperature and time), and chemical activation (acid or base) to produce the optimal biochar from ANN 1...

Moringa oleifera utilization in water treatment to eliminate emerging pollutants such as heavy metal ions, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and pigments has been extensively evaluated. The efficacy of Moringa oleifera biosorbent has been investigated in diverse research work using various techniques, including its adsorption capacity kinetic, thermodynamic evaluation, adsorbent modifications, and mechanism behind the adsorption process. The Langmuir isotherm provided the most remarkable experimental data fit for batch adsorption investigations, whereas the best fit was obtained with the pseudo-second order kinetic model...

In this study, wheat straw-derived biochar was prepared by setting a temperature of 400 °C under an oxygen-limited environment using the technique of "programmed temperature increase control". The results showed that the biochar had a strong adsorption capacity for Hg2+ , Cd2+ and Pb2+ ions, and the adsorption pattern was Hg2+ >Cd2+ >Pb2+ . There was a competitive adsorption effect during the coexistence of the ions. The results of the soil remediation tests showed that the effects of biochar on soil physicochemical properties and heavy metal distribution was generally greater than those of KH2 PO4 in single or combined contaminated soil...

The use of beneficial microorganisms is an important strategy to improve rice production in a sustainable way. The study was carried out to determine the effect of single and combined beneficial microorganism on the development of upland rice. The experiment was performed in greenhouse and arranged in a completely randomized design with 29 treatments and 4 replications. Treatments consisted of rice seeds cultivar BRS A501 CL treated with single and combined multifunctional microorganisms (1 ( Serratia marcescens), 2 ( Bacillus toyonensis ), 3 ( Phanerochaete australis) , 4 ( Trichoderma koningiopsis) , 5 ( Azospirillum brasilense), 6 ( Azospirillum sp...

In the present study, drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) was reused as a catalyst in advanced oxidation processes for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. After determining their chemical and mineralogical compositions by X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD), BET surface area, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP), and FT-IR spectra. DWTS has been used as a heterogeneous photo Fenton-Like catalyst for the oxidation of MB under different parameters, including pH (3-6), H2 O2 concentration (9...

Lanthanum-doped titanium (La/TiO2 ) nano-photocatalysts were prepared using the sol-gel method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), zeta potential, and low-temperature nitrogen adsorption analyses. Ester-105, a flotation collector from beneficiation wastewater, was chosen as the target pollutant. The influence of the initial ester-105 concentration, pH, and photocatalyst dosage on the photocatalytic degradation of ester-105 was investigated. To examine the kinetics of the adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of ester-105, a Langmuir adsorption model and Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic models were established and discussed...

Plasticizers containing phthalates have the potential to alter endocrine function in vertebrates. While non-phthalate plasticizers were previously considered to be environmentally friendly and safe, our research team discovered that bis-(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) and acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC) disrupt thyroid hormones in Japanese medaka ( Oryzias latipes ). We assessed reproductive- and estrogen-responsive gene expression patterns in Japanese medaka to determine whether the phthalate plasticizers bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP, positive control) and the non-phthalate plasticizers DEHA and ATBC disrupt endocrine signaling...

The conventional electrode aluminum used in electrocoagulation (EC) for the textile wastewater undergoes pitting type of corrosion, so dissolution of the same is very high during electrolysis. This research focuses on the treatment of real-time textile effluent with copper electrodes that corrode uniformly during electrolysis, with optimizing operating parameters for high color removal efficiency (CRE%). The sludge acquired was analyzed by XPS and XRD to study the mechanism of dye removal. The treated effluent was subjected to phytotoxicity analysis using Vigna radiata to study the toxicity effect of the intermediary products...

The present study proposes the monitoring of compounds of drugs of abuse through the use of passive samplers in water systems. Initially, four positive ion compounds of interest were determined according to national surveys, and then composite sampling and passive sampling were implemented using continuous-flow passive samplers containing two types of sorbents, the Empore disk and Gerstel Twister. Two study sites were established at the beginning and at the end of the middle Bogotá River basin. After 4 days, the sorbents were removed so that they could be desorbed and analyzed using UHPLC-MS in the laboratory...

In this study, ZnFe2 O4 -Polyaniline (PANI), ZnFe2 O4 -Polystyrene (PST), and ZnFe2 O4 -Polypyrrole (Ppy) nanocomposites were synthesized by the adsorption method and characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted for removing two types of hazardous dyes Red X-GRL and Direct Sky Blue 51 from an aqueous solution and the effect of pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, and initial concentration of dyes were investigated...

In this study, we emphasize the critical role of sample pretreatment. We report on the behavior of NdFeB magnet samples exposed to four different acid media for digestion. NdFeB magnets are becoming a significant source of neodymium, a rare-earth element critical to many technologies and a potential substitute for traditional mining of the element. To address this, we meticulously tested nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, acetic acid, and citric acid, all at a concentration of 1.6 M, as economical and environmentally friendly alternatives to the concentrated mineral acids commonly used in the leaching of these materials...

Silver nanoparticles have gained worldwide attention in the scientific community due to their high antimicrobial activity. However, they tend to agglomerate and lose their shape and properties, thus capping agents necessary to protect their shapes, sizes, and properties. To enhance their antimicrobial activity, this research aimed to cap silver nanoparticles with cellulosic matrices from wheat straws. The wheat straw was delignified with 6% HNO3, and the residual was treated with 1% NaOH and NaClO: CH3 COOH (1:1), then used to synthesize cellulose nanocrystals via acid hydrolysis...

The study objective was to determine a possible association between maternal exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and anthropometric measures at birth in group of postpartum women in urban and rural areas of Armenia. The anthropometric measures of infants were obtained from birth records and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane were measured in breast milk. Gas-liquid chromatography with electron capture detection was used to identify OCPs...

Herein, ethylene glycol (EG)-modified Zn/Cu hydroxy double salts (HDS) were synthesized using a facile synthetic approach. The formation of layered structure and presence of EG in the interlayer region were confirmed using PXRD and FTIR techniques. Furthermore, XPS analysis was used to confirm presence of metal ions in synthesized HDS. The surface area and pore size diameter of the HDS was found to be 32.30 m2 g-1 and 2.22 nm, respectively, using BET. The role of HDS was evaluated for its potential application as a sorbent for Congo red (CR) dye uptake...

Micro(nano)plastics are considered an emerging threat to human health because they can interact with biological systems. In fact, these materials have already been found in the human body, such as in the lungs. However, limited data are available on the behavior of these materials under biological conditions and their impact on human cells, specifically on alveolar epithelial cells. In this study, micro(nano)plastics were exposed to various simulated biological fluids (artificial lysosomal fluids and Gamble's solution) for 2-80 h...

Sulfite auto-oxidation catalyzed by cobalt complexed with ammonia deposited on silica (CoNSi) was used to generate sulfate radicals. The material was characterized by ATR-FTIR, suggesting that the silica structure did not change, and SEM-EDS, indicating an uniform dispersion of cobalt across the material surface according with XRD results. BET analysis provided information on a mesoporous material (type IV isotherm) with regular morphology (H1 hysteresis). The DSC analysis showed that CoNSi is thermally stable under the studied conditions...

The discharge of chromium-containing wastewater in industrial production causes resource loss and damage to the ecological environment. Currently, various phenolamine materials have been used to remove chromium, but their harsh adsorption conditions bring many difficulties. For example, ideal chromium removal is only achieved at low pH. In this study, we synthesized catechol/m-phenylenediamine nanospheres (CMN) and combined CMN with Fe(II) for Cr removal from aqueous solutions, and Fe(II) comes from FeSO4 ·7H2 O...

Combining dissolved organic matter (DOM) in raw water (RW) with DOM in treated wastewater (TWW) can react with chlorine and pose emerging disinfection by-products (DBPs). This study evaluated DOM based on the molecular weight (MW) size fractionation, trihalomethane, iodinated-trihalomethane, haloacetonitrile, and trichloronitromethane formation potential (THMFP, I-THMFP, HANFP, and TCNMFP) of the RW from the U-Tapao Canal, Songkhla, Thailand and the RW mixed with TWW (RW + TWW) samples. The RW and RW + TWW were treated by coagulation with poly aluminum chloride...

Hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQ) and chloroquine diphosphate (CQ) have been used at increased rates to treat COVID-19 but can constitute a potential environmental risk. The objective was to evaluate the toxicity of sublethal concentrations of HCQ and CQ in zebrafish embryos/larvae. The 50% lethal concentrations (LC50 ) of HCQ and CQ at 96 h post-fertilization (hpf) were calculated by testing various concentrations on 2,160 embryos. The LC50 obtained were 560 and 800 µM for HCQ and CQ, respectively...