Current Trends in the Application of Nanomaterials for the Removal of Pollutants from Industrial Wastewater Treatment—A Review

In the recent decades, development of new and innovative technology resulted in a very high amount of effluents. Industrial wastewaters originating from various industries contribute as a major source of water pollution. The pollutants in the wastewater include organic and inorganic pollutants, heavy metals, and non-disintegrating materials. This pollutant poses a severe threat to the environment. Therefore, novel and innovative methods and technologies need to adapt for their removal. Recent years saw nanomaterials as a potential candidate for pollutants removal. Nowadays, a range of cost-effective nanomaterials are available with unique properties. In this context, nano-absorbents are excellent materials. Heavy metal contamination is widespread in underground and surface waters. Recently, various studies focused on the removal of heavy metals. The presented review article here focused on removal of contaminants originated from industrial wastewater utilizing nanomaterials.     

Needs for reliable analytical methods for monitoring chemical pollutants in surface water under the European Water Framework Directive

The state of the art in monitoring chemical pollutants to assess water quality status according to Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the challenges associated with it have been reviewed. The article includes information on environmental quality standards (EQSs) proposed to protect the aquatic environment and humans against hazardous substances and the resulting monitoring requirements. Furthermore, minimum performance criteria for analytical methods and quality assurance issues have been discussed. The result of a survey of existing standard methods with a focus on European (EN) and international standards (ISO) for the analysis of chemical pollutants in water is reported and the applicability of those methods for the purpose of compliance checking with EQSs is examined. Approximately 75% of the 41 hazardous substances for which Europe-wide EQSs have been proposed can be reliably monitored in water with acceptable uncertainty when applying existing standardised methods. Monitoring in water encounters difficulties for some substances, e.g., short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), tributyltin compounds, certain organochlorine pesticides and six-ring PAHs, mainly due to a lack of validated, sufficiently sensitive methods that are applicable in routine laboratory conditions. As WFD requires monitoring of unfiltered samples for organic contaminants more attention needs to be paid to the distribution of chemical pollutants between suspended particulate matter and the liquid phase. Methods allowing complete extraction of organic contaminants from whole water samples are required. From a quality assurance point of view, there is a need to organise interlaboratory comparisons specifically designed to the requirements of WFD (concentrations around EQSs, representative water samples) as well as field trials to compare sampling methodologies. Additional analytical challenges may arise when Member States have identified their river basin specific pollutants and after revision of the list of priority substances.     

Application of Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis in Environmental Forensic and Strategic Management Avenue for Pesticide Residues

Unintended pesticide pollution in soil, crops, and adjacent environments has caused several issues for both pesticide users and consumers. For users, pesticides utilized should provide higher yield and lower persistence while considering both the environment and agricultural products. Most people are concerned that agricultural products expose humans to pesticides accumulating in vegetation. Thus, many countries have guidelines for assessing and managing pesticide pollution, for farming in diverse environments, as all life forms in soil are untargeted to these pesticides. The stable isotope approach has been a useful technique to find the source of organic matter in studies relating to aquatic ecology and environmental sciences since the 1980s. In this study, we discuss commonly used analytical methods using liquid and gas chromatography coupled with isotopic ratio mass spectrometry, as well as the advanced compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA). CSIA applications are discussed for tracing organic pollutants and understanding chemical reactions (mechanisms) in natural environments. It shows great applicability for the issues on unintended pesticide pollution in several environments with the progress history of isotope application in agricultural and environmental studies. We also suggest future study directions based on the forensic applications of stable isotope analysis to trace pesticides in the environment and crops.     

铁基金属-有机骨架及其复合物高级氧化降解水中新兴有机污染物

新兴有机污染物(Emerging organic contaminants,EOCs)是对人体健康及生态环境具有潜在或实质威胁的新型化学污染物。由于其被频繁使用且能在水生生态系统中持久性存在而对水生生物健康和安全造成严重威胁,故引起大众越来越多的关注。以活性污泥法为代表的传统水处理工艺通常不足以消除这些新兴有机污染物。为高效去除新兴有机污染物,基于新材料的高级氧化技术是最主要的深度处理技术之一。铁基金属-有机骨架(Fe-MOFs)及其复合物在诸多领域得到了广泛的应用,特别是在催化氧化去除水中有机污染物方面展现出良好的应用前景。通过合成方法改进、合成后改性以及与特定功能材料复合等方法可有效提升Fe-MOFs及其相关材料的吸附性能、增强其光吸收特性和促进载流子有效分离等。本文重点综述了Fe-MOFs及其复合物高级氧化(光催化、类芬顿和硫酸根自由基($SO_{4}^{-·}$)介导的氧化)去除水中新兴有机污染物的研究进展,并探讨了未来研究所面临的机遇和挑战。     

水中有机农药分析方法研究进展

随着我国农、林、牧及养殖业的发展,有机农药的使用量显著增加。自然水体中有机农药污染程度日益严重,已对水生生态和人类健康造成严重影响和潜在威胁。为深入了解水中有机农药污染物的检测方法,该文全面系统地对水中有机农药分析方法(预处理方法和检测方法)的原理及优缺点进行了综述,并对其发展方向及趋势进行了展望。通过总结和对比分析,气相色谱和液相色谱法被认为是目前检测水中有机农药残留最有效的方法。该文可为水中有机农药污染物的检测方法选择提供重要参考。     

Analysis of industrial contaminants in indoor air: Part 1. Volatile organic compounds,carbonyl compounds,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls

This article reviews recent literature on the analysis of industrial contaminants in indoor air in the framework of the REACH project, which is mainly intended to improve protection of human health and the environment from the risks of more than 34 millions of chemical substances. Industrial pollutants that can be found in indoor air may be of very different types and origin, belonging to the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) categories. Several compounds have been classified into the priority organic pollutants (POPs) class such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/PCDFs) and related polychlorinated compounds, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Many of these compounds are partially associated to the air gas phase, but also to the suspended particulate matter. Furthermore, settled dust can act as a concentrator for the less volatile pollutants and has become a matrix of great concern for indoors contamination. Main literature considered in this review are papers from the last 10 years reporting analytical developments and applications regarding VOCs, aldehydes and other carbonyls, PCBs, PCDDs, PCDFs, and PAHs in the indoor environment. Sample collection and pretreatment, analyte extraction, clean-up procedures, determination techniques, performance results, as well as compound concentrations in indoor samples, are summarized and discussed. Emergent contaminants and pesticides related to the industrial development that can be found in indoor air are reviewed in a second part in this volume.     

Recent advances in analytical methodologies based on mass spectrometry for the environmental analysis of halogenated organic contaminants

Halogenated organic contaminants, including legislated and potential persistent organic pollutants and their precursors, represent a major environmental concern due to their hazardous effects in humans and wildlife as well as their ability to bioaccumulate through the food chain, their high resistance to environmental degradation, and their long-range atmospheric transport potential. The monitoring of these compounds in the environment at ultra-trace concentration levels requires highly selective and sensitive analytical methodologies. The lack of reference step-by-step methods led to a high number of reliable determinations depending on analytes, the complexity of the sample, and available instrumentation. Thus, this review article is mainly focused on the last advances in the analytical methodologies for the determination of halogenated organic contaminants. Methodologies regarding sample treatment, chromatographic separation, and mass spectrometry analysis have been reviewed to finally highlight the future perspectives for the improvement of the analytical determinations of these compounds and the throughput of environmental control laboratories in this field.     

Determination of total petroleum hydrocarbons in soil from different locations using infrared spectrophotometry and gas chromatography

Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) are important environmental contaminants which are toxic to human and environmental receptors. Several analytical methods have been used to quantify TPH levels in contaminated soils, specifically through infrared spectrometry (IR) and gas chromatography (GC). Despite being two of the most used techniques, some issues remain that have been inadequately studied: a) applicability of both techniques to soils contaminated with two distinct types of fuel (petrol and diesel), b) influence of the soil natural organic matter content on the results achieved by various analytical methods, and c) evaluation of the performance of both techniques in analyses of soils with different levels of contamination (presumably non-contaminated and potentially contaminated). The main objectives of this work were to answer these questions and to provide more complete information about the potentials and limitations of GC and IR techniques. The results led us to the following conclusions: a) IR analysis of soils contaminated with petrol is not suitable due to volatilisation losses, b) there is a significant influence of organic matter in IR analysis, and c) both techniques demonstrated the capacity to accurately quantify TPH in soils, irrespective of their contamination levels.     

Organic pollutants adsorbed on microplastics: Analytical methodologies and occurrence in oceans

The massive use of plastics in several products has generated microplastic debris worldwide. Besides their negative effect on marine organisms by ingestion, microplastics are a contamination vector due to their capacity to transport organic pollutants around our planet. To evaluate the magnitude of this issue, it is necessary to know what kinds of contaminants are adsorbed on microplastics, as well as their concentrations. In order to assess the adsorption and desorption of pollutants from microplastics, effective and reliable extraction procedures are required. In this overview, literature reports, in which extraction, separation and determination methods have been applied to analyse the organic pollutants adsorbed on microplastics, are revised and discussed. Furthermore, the worldwide occurrence of organic compounds found on microplastics in oceans is reviewed and the results obtained from different geographical areas and their global distribution trends are compared. Priority organic pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, hexachlorocyclohexanes, polychlorinated benzenes, perfluoroalkyl substances or bisphenol analogues, have been widely found on microplastic samples. Future research that focuses on different kinds of emerging pollutants is required.     

Trends in the monitoring of legacy and emerging organic pollutants in protected areas

Protected Areas (PAs) are locations for conservation, internationally recognized for their natural, ecological, and/or cultural values. Human presence in PAs is generally limited to minimal or banned exploitation of natural resources. However, different threats to PAs are evident as a result of short and long-range transport of organic pollutants of legacy and emerging concern. There has been a shift of interest in legacy pollutants such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to emerging compounds, resulting in a need for improved monitoring strategies in PAs. Here, we highlight the main advances in environmental analytical chemistry for legacy and emerging pollution monitoring in PAs. Trends in sampling, sample preparation and instrumental determination of multiclass organic pollutants in biotic and abiotic matrices are presented and discussed. Here, we considered the most relevant and recent literature regarding organic pollutants in PAs from terrestrial to aquatic landscapes collected within 2015 to the present time frame.     

基于气相色谱-静电场轨道阱高分辨质谱的海参中风险物质的筛选北大核心CSCD

建立了一种基于改良QuEChERs的样品前处理新方法,并通过气相色谱-静电场轨道阱高分辨质谱(GC-Orbitrap HRMS)对海参样品中的有机氯农药类(OCPs)、多环芳烃类(PAHs)、酞酸酯类(PAEs)、多氯联苯类(PCBs)及其他农药类(ACs)等10大类289种具有健康风险的有机污染物进行了高通量高精准的定性鉴别和定量分析。通过将传统的QuEChERs方法与柱净化方法结合,提出了一种基于改良QuEChERs的简便生物样品制备新方法,经弗洛里硅土(Florisil)柱净化后脂含量降低了99.9%,显著减少了基质效应对分析结果的干扰,可在高分辨质谱(6万分辨率)全扫描模式下对289种目标化合物同时进行高精准定性筛查和定量分析。该方法定量限约0.56~57.8 pg/g,线性范围约6个数量级,回收率范围为40%~120%。由于Q Exactive GC-Orbitrap HRMS具备较高的质量分辨率和灵敏度,因此对目标化合物的定量限显著优于常规的色谱和质谱分析方法,常规方法无法检出的超痕量有机污染物利用该研究开发的方法可进行精准定量。基于此高覆盖度多目标分析方法对养殖场采集的海参样品进行分析,共从海参体内检出100种有机污染物,其中PAHs、ACs、PAEs、OCPs类检出总含量相对高于其他类污染物,总含量均值分别为157.8、153.2、64.4和46.4 ng/g dw。9-氯芴、5-氯苊、3-甲基胆蒽等多种新污染物首次在海参样品中检出,但含量都非常低。该方法简单高效,定量限低,线性范围宽,结果准确。此高覆盖度多目标分析方法可广泛应用于各种水产品中风险物质的广谱筛查和精准定量,为食品安全和绿色养殖提供技术支撑。     

Methods for the extraction of microplastics in complex solid,water and biota samples

The widespread distribution of plastics, their persistence and ability to act as a vector of toxic chemicals has rendered them concerning emergent pollutants. The quantification of these contaminants is highly relevant for the evaluation of anthropogenic impacts on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and dependent of the efficacy of methods to separate microplastics from environmental matrices. Little information is available about the microplastic extraction methods on complex samples – i.e. samples with multiple types of matrices. Herein, methods for the separation of microplastics from complex samples are summarized and discussed based on their advantages and drawbacks focused on a comparative analysis of their efficiency on organic matter removal, polymer recovery and preservation of plastic integrity. The efficiency on microplastic recovery and organic matter reduction, as well as the examination of the effects of treatments on plastics are closely linked to the density and digestion approaches selected, the polymer features and the environmental matrix analyzed. High-density salt solutions are more effective for density separation, while oxidative methods have recurrently shown better rates of organic matter reduction (particularly in vegetal-rich samples) and plastic recovery, with little impact on plastics, while 10 % KOH has been described as highly efficient in samples containing animal organic matter. This comparative analysis highlights the benefits and limitations of different approaches for the analysis of microplastics in complex samples which may be helpful for the optimization and harmonization of the methods.     

Microanalysis of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Water Samples – Methods and Instruments

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), due to their toxicity and persistence in the environment, are particularly important pollutants. Some of these compounds are mutagens, teratogens or carcinogens, while others are responsible for the degradation of organoleptic parameters such as taste and odour of water. This review focuses on a number of key procedural steps in the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in water samples. A wide spectrum of techniques for the isolation and preconcentration of the aforementioned pollutants for trace organic analysis by gas chromatography are presented and discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of these techniques are discussed and novel developments are also taken into consideration.     

Estimation of unsaturated hydrocarbon pollutants in air based on selective gas chromatography with ozone

Regular monitoring of toxic organic pollutants in air is a very important issue in environmental pollution control. Among these, unsaturated hydrocarbon pollutants (UHP) such as ethylene and beta-propylene and another 18 olefins are of prime importance. A very fast method for the individual identification of UHPs in air is proposed. This method is based on gas-chromatographic separation with selective detection of unsaturated organic compounds (UOC) and on the chemical reaction of UOC with ozone in the gas phase. In view of the mathematical model derived for this ozonation process, a comparison of FID-chromatogram and ozonogram can be carried out for identification of the contaminants. This identification can be performed without preliminary separation in the presence of the main components. The method provides a high sensitivity (< 0.005 to 0.72 mass %) and selectivity.     

Multivariate geostatistical analysis of soil contaminations

Soil is one of the most endangered compartments of our environment. The input of pollutants into the soil caused by industrial production, agriculture, and other human activities is a problem of high relevance. A contour analysis of soil contamination is the first step to characterize the size and magnitude of pollution and to detect emission sources of heavy metals. The evaluation and assessment of the large number of measured samples and pollutants require the use of efficient statistical methods which are able to discover both spatial and multivariate relationships. The evaluation of the presented case study – soil contamination by heavy metals – is carried out by means of multivariate geostatistical methods, also described as theory of linear coregionalization. Multivariate geostatistics connects the advantages of common geostatistical methods (spatial correlation) and multivariate data analysis (multivariate relationships). In the given case study of soil pollution by heavy metal emissions it is excellently possible to detect multivariate spatial correlations between different heavy metals in the soil and to determine their common emission sources. These emission sources are located in the area under investigation. Received: 2 October 1997 / Revised: 22 January 1998 / Accepted: 27 January 1998     

Microplastics and associated emerging contaminants in the environment: Analysis,sorption mechanisms and effects of co-exposure

Microplastics (MPs) and other emerging pollutants exist together in the environment and their co-exposure represents a source of increasing concern as MPs have been reported to act as carriers of pollutants due to their high sorption capacity. The ingestion of contaminated MPs by organisms can enhance the desorption of pollutants, increasing their bioavailability and toxicity. This review examines the role of MPs as vectors of environmental emerging contaminants. First, the main tools used to identify and characterise MPs and the analytical methods used for the determination of associated emerging contaminants are discussed. Insightful explanations of the sorption interaction between several groups of emerging pollutants and MPs are provided. MP type (polarity, crystallinity, size) and aging process together with the environmental conditions and pollutant properties (hydrophobicity and dissociated forms) are key factors influencing the sorption process. The literature review showed that polyethylene and polystyrene were the most commonly studied polymers. Antibiotics, perfluoroalkyl compounds and triclosan showed high sorption capacities onto MPs. Finally, the effect of co-exposure to MPs-emerging pollutants and bioaccumulation in aquatic and terrestrial organisms is discussed. The combined exposure may impact the toxic effects in different ways, through synergistic or antagonic interactions. Examples of different scenarios are provided, but in general the research conducted on terrestrial systems is scarce. The results revealed a lack of standardization in laboratory studies and in the testing conditions that reflect actual environmental exposure.     

Estimation of unsaturated hydrocarbon pollutants in air based on selective gas chromatography with ozone

Regular monitoring of toxic organic pollutants in air is a very important issue in environmental pollution control. Among these, unsaturated hydrocarbon pollutants (UHP) such as ethylene and β-propylene and another ¶18 olefins are of prime importance. A very fast method for the individual identification of UHPs in air is proposed. This method is based on gas-chromatographic separation with selective detection of unsaturated organic compounds (UOC) and on the chemical reaction of UOC with ozone in the gas phase. In view of the mathematical model derived for this ozonation process, a comparison of FID-chromatogram and ozonogram can be carried out for identification of the contaminants. This identification can be performed without preliminary separation in the presence of the main components. The method provides a high sensitivity (< 0.005 to 0.72 mass %) and selectivity.     

水环境中胞内外抗生素抗性基因分析的DNA提取方法及污染现状研究进展

新型污染物抗生素抗性基因(Antibiotic resistance genes,ARGs)对公共健康产生了严重威胁,其在水环境中的长期存在和传播引起了广泛重视。胞内与胞外ARGs在水环境中的分布规律和环境行为差异明显,对其污染状况进行研究有助于全面了解水环境中ARGs的传播特性。该文总结了5种常见水样微生物DNA提取方法及其在胞内和胞外ARGs检测研究中的应用状况,比较了污水系统、淡水系统及海水系统等典型水环境中胞内和胞外ARGs的污染状况和迁移传播特性。为进一步探究水环境中ARGs的分布特征与传播机制提供了技术手段及污染现状等基础信息,对控制ARGs在水环境中的传播扩散具有重要意义。     

A critical review of hazardous waste generation from textile industries and associated ecological impacts

Among many industries, the textile industry is the oldest industry of human civilization. Cloth is the second most important human need after food. Textile processing includes several steps in which wet processing is the most important. As wet processing involves an extensive amount of water and chemicals, an enormous volume of textile effluent generates during wet processing. Textile effluents is disposed of on bare land or on water bodies, which causes soil and water contamination. Improper disposal of textile effluents causes severe soil and water contamination. Textile effluents contain dyes, heavy metals, inorganic salts, surfactants, organic contaminants, oil, and grease. Textile effluents cause contamination in water bodies. The colour present in effluents hinders the photosynthesis of aquatic plants. Inorganic salts cause the degradation of water quality and soil excellence. Heavy metals enter the food chain and cause severe health impacts on human life. Various physical, chemical, bailogical and hybrid methods are used to treat textile effluents. Textile processing has been explained in brief in this study. The current research deals with different textile processing steps, various pollutants generated in textile processing and their ecotoxicity, various ecological crises associated with textile processing, and numerous treatment methods for the remediation of textile effluents.