Analysis of industrial effluents to determine endocrine-disrupting chemicals

Contaminated industrial effluents often contain a variety of organic pollutants that can disturb the development of the endocrine system and the organs that respond to endocrine signals in organisms. Total characterisation of the effluents to detect all these potential endocrine disruptors by standard GC-MS methods is difficult since this technique often misses the more polar or non-volatile fraction of these organic compounds. The wide spectrum of endocrine-toxic substances and their low concentrations require powerful analytical approaches like LC-MS for their identification. Furthermore, the methods for the detection of endocrine effects developed up to now do not show all the possible oestrogenic effects and results of the different tests are not comparable to one another. Therefore, further ecotoxicological research should be carried out so that new strategies can be proposed. In this article, an overview of the analytical methods for determining organic contaminants in industrial effluents and tests for the identification of endocrine disruptors and their effects is presented.     

Analytical isotachophoresis in biological monitoring of exposure to industrial chemicals

Isotachophoretic methods for the determination of compounds of interest in biological monitoring are reviewed. The analytes are charged biotransformation products such as acids or amines. Comparisons are made between isotachophoretic methods and other techniques regarding sensitivity, need for preseparation or derivatization and similar technical aspects.     

Universal 5-min on-line method for extracting and isolating pesticide residues and industrial chemicals

Summary A new method for the extraction of pesticide residues and industrial chemicals with acetone is discussed. The extraction and partition steps are combined into one step by saturating the extraction solvent with NaCl and simultaneously driving away the water by dichloromethane. The organic phase, the volume of which is now independent of the original water content, is further dried with Na₂SO₄ and evaporated for GC- and LC-analysis.

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Universelle 5-Min-On-Line-Methode zur Extraktion und Isolierung von Pesticidrückständen und Industriechemikalien

Zusammenfassung Eine neue Methode zur Extraktion von Pesticidrückständen und Industriechemikalien wird beschrieben. Die Extraktion mit Aceton, die Verteilung dieser Verbindungen in die wässerige organische Phase durch Natriumchlorid und das Entfernen des Wassers aus der wässerigen organischen Phase durch Dichlormethan erfolgen in einem Schritt. Die organische Phase, deren Volumen nun vom Wassergehalt der Probe unabhängig ist, wird mit Na₂SO₄ getrocknet und zur GC- und LC-Analyse eingeengt.

     

CO2 removal by PSA: an industrial view on opportunities and challenges

CO₂ removal from gaseous streams is one of the most important separation tasks in this decade. Adsorption processes can contribute in a wide range to this topic, thus an enormous effort is performed respectively in research and industry. In two scenarios the competitiveness of pressure swing adsorption (PSA) and vacuum pressure swing adsorption technology is assessed: Carbon capture from hydrogen production by steam methane reforming for enhanced oil recovery and CO₂ removal from direct reduction processes for iron making. Additionally, industrial requirements, project as well as operation driven, have to be considered. Robustness and stable operation is as important as optimized captial expenditure and operational expenditure. Considering economical and operational aspects PSA processes are the most attractive alternatives in the presented scenarios.     

Mass spectrometric strategies for the analysis of polar industrial chemicals and their by-products in wastewater and surface water

The purification of a 6x-histidine tagged viral coat protein (L1) in expanded mode directly following chemical extraction from the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli HMS174(DE3) is investigated. Chelating adsorbents based on the ligands iminodiacetic acid (IDA) and nitrilotriacetic acid, using chelated metal ions Ni2+ and Cu2+, were compared. The use of Ni2+-IDA resulted in a high purification factor (9.7) and moderate recovery yield (58%). However, the eluted fractions had an overall L1 purity less than 50% and were therefore significantly contaminated with other host proteins. In batch tests, Cu2+-IDA was found to be superior to all other combinations as it was characterised by higher binding capacities and faster adsorption kinetics. A subsequent immobilised metal affinity chromatography-expanded bed adsorption experiment using Cu2+-IDA resulted in a higher L1 purification factor (20), recovery yield (71%) and purity (89%). The process presented here combines direct chemical extraction with expanded bed recovery. It is simpler than traditional methods, and should find more widespread application in the recovery of inclusion body proteins. Robust pseudo-affinity ligands such as metal chelates show potential for selective primary recovery of unfolded proteins, and could be used for further processing such as on-column refolding.     

Physical and chemical properties of PAN-derived electrospun activated carbon nanofibers and their potential for use as an adsorbent for toxic industrial chemicals

A recently developed carbon material, electrospun Activated Carbon nanoFiber (ACnF), exhibits strong potential for use as an adsorbent for toxic industrial chemicals (TICs). As-prepared ACnF contains as much as 9.6?wt% nitrogen, creating a basic surface that enhances acid-gas adsorption. ACnF shows 4–20 times greater HCN adsorption capacities and 2–5 times greater SO₂ adsorption capacities in dry nitrogen, compared to commercially available activated carbon fiber cloth (ACFC) and Calgon BPL? granular activated carbon, which are considered here as reference adsorbents. ACnF has 50?% of the micropore volume (0.30?cm³/g) of these reference adsorbents, which limits its adsorption capacity at high concentrations for volatile organic compounds (>500?ppm_v). However, at low concentrations (<500?ppm_v), ACnF has a similar capacity to ACFC and about three times the VOC adsorption capacity of Calgon BPL?. ACnF’s small fiber diameters (0.2–1.5?μm) allow for higher mass transfer coefficients, resulting in adsorption kinetics nearly twice as fast as ACFC and eight times as fast as Calgon BPL?. ACnF drawbacks include hydrophilicity and reduced structural strength. The rapid adsorption kinetics and high capacity for acidic TICs warrant further investigation of ACnF as an adsorbent in respiratory protection and indoor air quality applications.     

Microcantilever biosensors for chemicals and bioorganisms

In the last fifteen years, microcantilevers (MCLs) have been emerging as a sensitive tool for the detection of chemicals and bioorganisms. Because of their small size, lightweight, and high surface-to-volume ratio, MCL-based sensors improve our capability to detect and identify biological agents by orders of magnitude. A biosensor is a device for the detection of an analyte that combines a biological component with a physicochemical detector component. The MCL biosensors have recently been reviewed in several papers. All of these papers were organized based on the sensing biological elements (antibody, enzyme, proteins, etc.) for recognition of analytes. In this review, we intend to summarize the microcantilever biosensors in a format of each specific chemical and bioorganism species to make information on individual biosensors easily accessible. We did this to aid researchers to locate relevant references.     

Evolution of camel CYP2E1 and its associated power of binding toxic industrial chemicals and drugs

Camels are raised in harsh desert environment for hundreds of years ago. By modernization of live and the growing industrial revolution in camels rearing areas, camels are exposed to considerable amount of chemicals, industrial waste, environmental pollutions and drugs. Furthermore, camels have unique gene evolution of some genes to withstand living in harsh environments. In this work, the camel cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) is compromised to detect its evolution rate and its power to bind with various chemicals, protoxins, procarcinogens, industrial toxins and drugs. In comparison with human CYP2E1, camel CYP2E1 more efficiently binds to small toxins as aniline, benzene, catechol, amides, butadiene, toluene and acrylamide. Larger compounds were more preferentially bound to the human CYP2E1 in comparison with camel CYP2E1. The binding of inhalant anesthetics was almost similar in both camel and human CYP2E1 coinciding with similar anesthetic effect as well as toxicity profiles. Furthermore, evolutionary analysis indicated the high evolution rate of camel CYP2E1 in comparison with human, farm and companion animals. The evolution rate of camel CYP2E1 was among the highest evolution rate in a subset of 57 different organisms. These results indicate rapid evolution and potent toxin binding power of camel CYP2E1.     

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in occupational toxicology: a novel approach to the study of biotransformation of industrial chemicals

Biological monitoring and biomarkers are used in occupational toxicology for a more accurate risk assessment of occupationally exposed people. Appropriate and validated biomarkers of internal dose, like urinary metabolites, besides to be positively correlated with external exposure, have a predictive value to the risk of adverse effects. The application of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) in occupational and environmental toxicology, although relatively recent, has been demonstrated valid in the determination of traditional biomarkers of exposure, as well as in metabolism studies aimed at investigating minor metabolic routes and new more specific biomarkers. This review presents selected applications of LC-MS to the study of the metabolism of industrial chemicals, like n-hexane, benzene and other aromatic hydrocarbons, styrene and other monomers employed in plastic industry, as well as to other chemicals used in working environments, like pesticides used by farmers, and antineoplastic agents prepared by hospital personnel. Analytical and pre-analytical factors, which affect quantitative determination of urinary metabolites, i.e. sample preparation, matrix effect, ion suppression, use of internal standards, and calibration, are emphasized.     

Emerging materials for sample preparation

This review provides an update on the implementation of emerging materials as sorbents for sample preparation in combination with chromatographic separation. We have focused on recent applications of metal–organic frameworks, layered double hydroxides, porous carbons obtained from polymers or biomass precursors, and silicates (clays and zeolites). The review is directed toward the strategies followed by the authors to engineer suitable supports enabling the application of materials with unconventional size and shape as high‐performance sorbents to explore new boundaries in sample pretreatment in manual or automated modes.     

Emergence temperature indices and relative retention times of pesticides and industrial chemicals determined by linear programmed temperature gas chromatography

Emergence temperature indices and relative retention times of nearly 600 pesticides and industrial chemicals are sequentially tabulated to provide a basis for the identification of unknowns detected on methyl silicone columns when programmed temperature gas chromatography is used. A technique of normalizing column parameters is described to enable duplication of the tabulated data on columns which have different dimensions, amount of stationary phase, and/or other operating parameters. Suggestions for enhancing the precision with which these data can be reproduced on other equipment are presented.     

Emerging roles for plant topoisomerase VI

Topoisomerase VI is a unique type II topoisomerase originally identified in archaea. Although lacking in most eukaryotic phyla, topoisomerase VI homologs have been recently identified and characterized in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Three new studies of Arabidopsis topoisomerase VI show that this enzyme is important to several processes involving DNA replication and gene expression.     

Emerging synthetic approaches for protein-polymer conjugations

Protein-polymer conjugates are important in diverse fields including drug delivery, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. This feature article highlights recent advances in the synthesis and application of protein-polymer conjugates by controlled radical polymerization techniques. Special emphasis on new applications of the materials, particularly in biomedicine, is provided.