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Applied Sciences
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Advances in Environmental Effects, Fate and Remediation of Organic Pollutants
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Advances in Environmental Effects, Fate and Remediation of Organic Pollutants

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2024 | Viewed by 3014

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Gerald Sims

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Weed Science, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Interests: biodegradation; environmental chemistry; soil microbiology; environmental microbiology; microbial ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Applied Sciences Special Issue, “Advances in Environmental Effects, Fate and Remediation of Organic Pollutants”, focuses on the environmental fate, ecotoxicology and remediation of emerging organic contaminants (and microorganisms) as well as recent advances in the remediation or fate and effects of any organic contaminants. For this Special Issue, we are especially interested in contributions of original research and review articles on the fate, effects, and remediation of:

  • Nanoplastics, microplastics, or bioplastics;
  • Pharmaceuticals or personal care products;
  • Antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms;
  • Synthetic herbicides;
  • Neonicotinoid insecticides;
  • RNA interference pesticides;
  • Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances;
  • Brominated flame retardants;
  • Petroleum biomarkers;
  • Other emerging contaminants.

We are also interested in:

  • Advances in recycling, upcycling, or bioremediation of organic materials;
  • Characterization of global impact of plastic wastes;
  • Use of biochars for enhancing the cleanup of pollutants;
  • Potential for biochars to function as pollutants (e.g., free radicals in biochars);
  • Microbial electrochemical technology (MET) for bioremediation;
  • Spatially resolved environmental fate models;
  • Potential linkages between global climate change and pollution (air, water, soil);
  • Case studies in environmental remediation.

The target audiences of this Special Issue include professionals in environmental engineering, organic chemistry, production of organic chemicals, wastewater treatment, environmental science, regulatory policy, agriculture, soil science, microbiology, and academics engaged in environmental research.

Dr. Gerald Sims
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • environmental effects
  • environmental fate
  • remediation
  • organic pollutants
  • nanoplastics
  • bioplastics
  • RNA interference pesticides
  • PFAS
  • biochars
  • microbial electrochemical technology

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 4080 KiB  
Article
Yarrowia lipolytica CMGB32 Biosurfactants Produced Using n-Hexadecane: Developing Strategies for Environmental Remediation
by Ortansa Elisabeta Csutak, Nicoleta-Oana Nicula, Eduard-Marius Lungulescu, Virgil Marinescu and Viorica Maria Corbu
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 3048; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app14073048 - 04 Apr 2024
Viewed by 538
Abstract
The yeast Yarrowia lipolytica degrades petroleum compounds, including alkanes, via the monoterminal oxidation pathway, the hydrophobic carbon substrate assimilation is mediated by biosurfactants, and extracellular amphiphilic molecules are produced by the yeast cell. This study focuses on the ability of the strain Y. [...] Read more.
The yeast Yarrowia lipolytica degrades petroleum compounds, including alkanes, via the monoterminal oxidation pathway, the hydrophobic carbon substrate assimilation is mediated by biosurfactants, and extracellular amphiphilic molecules are produced by the yeast cell. This study focuses on the ability of the strain Y. lipolytica CMGB32 to degrade n-hexadecane by producing biosurfactants with high potential for bioremediation. The hydrocarbon-degrading potential of the yeast strain was observed via a 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol (DCPIP) test in Bushnell–Hass medium with 1% n-hexadecane, and cell hydrophobicity was expressed as microbial adhesion to hydrocarbons (MATH). Biosurfactant production on yeast peptone (YP) with 1% n-hexadecane was estimated after 72 h using the emulsification index (E24%) against toluene. Crude biosurfactant (cell-free broth) stability tests were performed at different temperatures (4 °C, 70 °C) and NaCl concentrations (2–10%). The effects of a biosurfactant on synthetic wastewater remediation comprised the growth curves (OD measurements) of natural heavy metal degrader Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, determination of nutrients (spectrophotometrically), physico-chemical parameters, and removal capacity of lead and cadmium ions (via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry—ICP-MS). The antimicrobial and anti-adherence activities of 20 mg/mL and 40 mg/mL of the biosurfactant against pathogenic Candida krusei strains involved growth observations and the crystal violet microtiter method. The DCPIP decolorization occurred after six days, corresponding to the maximum growth phase of the Y. lipolytica culture. After 72 h, the cells presented high hydrophobicity (82.61% MATH) and stable biosurfactant production (E24% 47%). The crude biosurfactant (5%) increased the growth of R. mucilaginosa strains cultivated on synthetic wastewater cultures contaminated with Pb2+ and Cd2+, increased the conductivity and COD (86%) of the samples, and determined Pb2+ (66%) and Cd2+ (42%) ions reduction. The concentrated biosurfactant inhibited C. krusei growth (70%) and biofilm adherence. In conclusion, Y. lipolytica CMGB32 shows important potential for development of biosurfactant-based technologies for the remediation of heavy-metal- and emerging pathogen-contaminated wastewaters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Environmental Effects, Fate and Remediation of Organic Pollutants)
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13 pages, 3855 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Degradation of Decabromodiphenyl Ether via Synergetic Assisted Mechanochemical Process with Lithium Cobalt Oxide and Iron
by Xiaoyi Lou, Yifan Sui, Qichao Zhang, Changling Fang, Yunyu Tang, Xuan Zhang, Guangxin Yang, Yongfu Shi, Dongmei Huang, Jie Guan and Yaoguang Guo
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(23), 12924; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app132312924 - 02 Dec 2023
Viewed by 766
Abstract
The removal of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 209), as a typical persistent organic pollutant (POP), is of worldwide concern. Mechanochemical (MC) processes are promising methods to degrade environmental pollutants, most of which use a single grinding reagent. The performance of MC processes with co-milling [...] Read more.
The removal of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 209), as a typical persistent organic pollutant (POP), is of worldwide concern. Mechanochemical (MC) processes are promising methods to degrade environmental pollutants, most of which use a single grinding reagent. The performance of MC processes with co-milling agents still needs to be further verified. In this study, an efficient MC treatment with combined utilization of lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) and iron (Fe) as co-milling reagents for BDE 209 degradation was investigated. The synchronous action of LiCoO2 and Fe with a LiCoO2/Fe/Br molar ratio of 1.5:1.67:1 and a ball-to-powder ratio of 100:1 led to almost thorough-paced abatement and debromination of BDE 209 within 180 min using a ball milling rotation speed of 600 rpm. The reduction in particle sizes and the destruction of crystal structure in mixture powders with the increase in milling time induced the enhanced degradation of BDE 209, as characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization showed that the valence state of Co was converted from Co(III) to Co(II), and Fe(0) was changed to Fe(III) when treated with an MC process. This indicated that the reductive debromination of BDE 209 by Fe and the following oxidative degradation of debrominated products by LiCoO2 were integrated in a concerted way. It proved the removal of BDE 209 via an MC treatment. The full breakage of C-Br and C-O bonds in BDE 209 was confirmed by Fourier transform-infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) spectra, and a possible abatement pathway was also proposed based on the identified intermediate products using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). These obtained results indicated that a combination of LiCoO2 and Fe as co-milling reagents is promising in the MC treatment of toxic halogenated pollutants like BDE 209. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Environmental Effects, Fate and Remediation of Organic Pollutants)
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Review

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27 pages, 2624 KiB  
Review
Removal of Antibiotics by Biochars: A Critical Review
by Umut Sen, Bruno Esteves, Terencio Aguiar and Helena Pereira
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(21), 11963; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app132111963 - 02 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1404
Abstract
Antibiotics are pharmaceuticals that are used to treat bacterial infections in humans and animals, and they are also used as growth promoters in livestock production. These activities lead to an alarming accumulation of antibiotics in aquatic environments, resulting in selection pressure for antibiotic [...] Read more.
Antibiotics are pharmaceuticals that are used to treat bacterial infections in humans and animals, and they are also used as growth promoters in livestock production. These activities lead to an alarming accumulation of antibiotics in aquatic environments, resulting in selection pressure for antibiotic resistance. Given that it is impractical to completely avoid the use of antibiotics, addressing the removal of antibiotics from the environment has become an important challenge. Adsorption methods and adsorbents have received particular attention because adsorption is highly efficient in the removal of low-concentration chemicals. Among the different adsorbents, biochars have shown promise for antibiotic removal, owing to their low cost and efficiency as well as their potential for modification to further increase their adsorption capacity. This review attempts to analyze the surface properties and ash contents of different biochars and to critically discuss the knowledge gaps in antibiotic adsorption. A total of 184 articles on antibiotic properties, adsorption of antibiotics, and biochar properties were reviewed, with a focus on the last 12 years. Antibiotic adsorption by pristine biochars and modified biochars was critically reviewed. Recommendations are provided for the adsorption of different antibiotic classes by biochars. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Environmental Effects, Fate and Remediation of Organic Pollutants)
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