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Molecules
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Environmental Changes Resulting from Biological and Chemical Pollution
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Environmental Changes Resulting from Biological and Chemical Pollution

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2022) | Viewed by 14630

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Lidia Wolska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Toxicology, Faculty of Health Sciences with Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Debowa 23A, 80-204 Gdansk, Poland
Interests: environment; air quality; indoor air; odors; water quality; soil quality; marine environment; waste issues; chemical pollutants; analytical chemistry; ecotoxicology; environmental quality assessment; biological samples; impact on human health
Dr. Marta Potrykus

E-Mail Website
Assistant Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Toxicology, Faculty of Health Sciences with Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Debowa 23A, 80-204 Gdansk, Poland
Interests: environmental microbiology; microbial air; soil, waste, and water pollution
Dr. Ewa Olkowska

E-Mail Website
Assistant Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Toxicology, Faculty of Health Sciences with Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Debowa 23A, 80-204 Gdansk, Poland
Interests: environmental samples; chemical pollutants; analytical chemistry; environmental risk assessment; human risk assessment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are cordially inviting you to contribute original research papers or reviews to this Special Issue of Molecules, dedicated to the complex relationships between environmental factors and human health, taking into account the multiple pathways and interactions. The quality of the environment affects human health and plays a crucial role in the quality of life and human wellbeing.

Therefore, the study of microbiological and chemical pollution, their fate and distribution in the environment (including biota), and influence on ecosystems and humans play an important role in the understanding of the environment.

You are invited to contribute original research papers related to microbiological (virus, bacteria, fungi) and chemical (especially newly identified) pollution and their impact on the environment (including humans). Works in the field of model research on the spread/transport of pollutants, in particular biological, in the environment will be especially welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Lidia Wolska
Guest Editor

Dr. Marta Potrykus
Dr. Ewa Olkowska
Assistant Guest Editors

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. Molecules 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 2700 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 microbiology
  • Chemical pollutants
  • Microbiological pollutants
  • Quality of the environment
  • Environmental samples
  • Prediction/prognosis
  • Pollutants fate and transport
  • Waste
  • Models

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3644 KiB  
Article
Difficulties in the Modeling of E. coli Spreading from Various Sources in a Coastal Marine Area
by Lidia Wolska, Marek Kowalewski, Marta Potrykus, Vladyslav Redko and Bartosz Rybak
Molecules 2022, 27(14), 4353; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27144353 - 07 Jul 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1472
Abstract
Coastal and transitional waters are often used as bathing waters. In many regions, such activities play an important economic role. According to the European Union Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC) (BWD) the concentration of Escherichia coli in bathing water exceeding 500 CFU·100 mL−1 [...] Read more.
Coastal and transitional waters are often used as bathing waters. In many regions, such activities play an important economic role. According to the European Union Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC) (BWD) the concentration of Escherichia coli in bathing water exceeding 500 CFU·100 mL−1 poses a high risk for bathers’ health. In order to safeguard public health, microbiological environmental monitoring is carried out, which has recently been supported or replaced by mathematical models detailing the spread of sanitary contamination. This study focuses on the problems and limitations that can be encountered in the process of constructing a mathematical model describing the spread of biological contamination by E. coli bacteria in coastal seawater. This and other studies point to the following problems occurring during the process of building and validating a model: the lack of data on loads of sanitary contamination (often connected with multiple sources of biological contamination inflow) makes the model more complex; E. coli concentrations higher than 250 CFU·100 mL−1 (low hazard for health) are observed very rarely, and are associated with great uncertainty; the impossibility of predicting the time and intensity of precipitation as well as stronger winds and rougher sea, which may be a significant source of E. coli. However, there is universal agreement that such models will be useful in managing bathing water quality and protecting public health, especially during big failures of the wastewater network. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Changes Resulting from Biological and Chemical Pollution)
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20 pages, 2024 KiB  
Article
Raw Meat Contaminated with Cephalosporin-Resistant Enterobacterales as a Potential Source of Human Home Exposure to Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria
by Bartosz Rybak, Marta Potrykus, Alina Plenis and Lidia Wolska
Molecules 2022, 27(13), 4151; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27134151 - 28 Jun 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2584
Abstract
The prevalence of cephalosporine-resistant (3GC-R) strains among United States community-related research samples ranged from 5.6 to 10.8%, while, in the European countries, it was 1.2% to 10.1%. Several studies suggest that meat of animal origin could be one of the reservoirs of 3GC-R [...] Read more.
The prevalence of cephalosporine-resistant (3GC-R) strains among United States community-related research samples ranged from 5.6 to 10.8%, while, in the European countries, it was 1.2% to 10.1%. Several studies suggest that meat of animal origin could be one of the reservoirs of 3GC-R bacteria. Here, 86 raw meat samples (turkey, pork, chicken and beef) were collected randomly and verified for the presence of 3GC-R bacteria. The 3GC-R bacteria were isolated, identified and characterized phenotypically (antibiotic resistance, motility and biofilm) and genotypically (repetitive-sequence-based rep-PCR) to elucidate any correlations with principal component analysis (PCA). From 28 3GC-R positive samples, 41 strains were isolated, from which the majority belonged to Serratia fonticola (39%), followed by Escherichia coli (19.5%), Enterobacter cloacae (17.1%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (14.6%). The isolates of E. coli and S. fonticola presented diverse profiles in rep-PCR. Generally, 3GC-R strains were more resistant to antibiotics used in veterinary medicine than in human medicine. PCA derived from antibiotic resistance, motility and biofilm formation of S. fonticola and E. coli strains showed that resistance to beta-lactams was separated from the resistance to other antibiotic classes. Moreover, for the S. fonticola, E. coli and En. cloacae, the type of meat can create a specific tendency towards antibiotic resistance and phenotypic characteristics for S. fonticola, while these relationships were not found for other tested species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Changes Resulting from Biological and Chemical Pollution)
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17 pages, 7554 KiB  
Article
Positive Effect of Ecological Restoration with Fabaceous Species on Microbial Activities of Former Guyanese Mining Sites
by Ewan Couic, Alicia Tribondeau, Vanessa Alphonse, Alexandre Livet and Noureddine Bousserrhine
Molecules 2022, 27(6), 1768; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27061768 - 08 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1482
Abstract
Understanding ecological trajectories after mine site rehabilitation is essential to develop relevant protocols adapted for gold mining sites. This study describes the influence of a range of mine site rehabilitation and revegetation protocols on soil physicochemical parameters and microbial activities related to carbon, [...] Read more.
Understanding ecological trajectories after mine site rehabilitation is essential to develop relevant protocols adapted for gold mining sites. This study describes the influence of a range of mine site rehabilitation and revegetation protocols on soil physicochemical parameters and microbial activities related to carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. We sampled soil from six rehabilitated mining sites in French Guiana with different plant cover (herbaceous, Cyperaceous, monoculture of Clitoria racemosa and Acacia mangium and association of C. racemosa and A. mangium). We measured the mineralization potential of organic matter by estimating the mineralization of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and the microbial catabolic diversity balance. The results showed an improvement in the quality of organic matter on revegetated sites with tree cover. On restored sites with fabaceous species, the microbial biomass is three times higher than non-restored sites, improving the rates of organic matter mineralization and restoring the catabolic diversity to the level of natural Guyanese soils. These results confirm that the establishment of fabaceous species under controlled conditions significantly improves the restoration of microbial communities in mining soils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Changes Resulting from Biological and Chemical Pollution)
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18 pages, 995 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Removal of Selected Phthalic Acid Esters (PAEs) in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants Supported by Constructed Wetlands
by Daniel Wolecki, Barbara Trella, Fei Qi, Piotr Stepnowski and Jolanta Kumirska
Molecules 2021, 26(22), 6966; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26226966 - 18 Nov 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2030
Abstract
Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) have a negative impact on living organisms in the environment, therefore, are among the group of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (ECDs). Unfortunately, conventional methods used in municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWWTPs) are not designed to eliminate PAEs. For this reason, [...] Read more.
Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) have a negative impact on living organisms in the environment, therefore, are among the group of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (ECDs). Unfortunately, conventional methods used in municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWWTPs) are not designed to eliminate PAEs. For this reason, the development of cheap and simple but very effective techniques for the removal of such residues from wastewater is crucial. The main aim of this study was the evaluation of the removal of six selected PAEs: diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DOP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and dimethyl phthalate (DMP), in real MWWTPs supported by constructed wetlands (MWWTP–CW system). For the first time, the possibility of using three new plants for this purpose, Cyperus papyrus (papyrus), Lysimachia nemorum (yellow pimpernel) and Euonymus europaeus (European spindle), has been presented. For determining the target PAEs in wastewater samples, a method of SPE (Solid-Phase Extraction)–GC–MS(SIM) was developed and validated, and for plant materials, a method of UAE (Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction)–SPE–GC–MS(SIM) was proposed. The obtained data showed that the application of the MWWTP–CW system allows a significant increase in the removal of DEP, DBP, BBP and DEHP from the wastewater stream. Euonymus europaeus was the most effective among the tested plant species for the uptake of analytes (8938 ng × g−1 dry weight), thus, this plant was found to be optimal for supporting conventional MWWTPs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Changes Resulting from Biological and Chemical Pollution)
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19 pages, 1279 KiB  
Article
Physiological and Biochemical Parameters of Common Duckweed Lemna minor after the Exposure to Tetracycline and the Recovery from This Stress
by Magdalena Krupka, Dariusz J. Michalczyk, Jūratė Žaltauskaitė, Gintarė Sujetovienė, Katarzyna Głowacka, Hanna Grajek, Marta Wierzbicka and Agnieszka I. Piotrowicz-Cieślak
Molecules 2021, 26(22), 6765; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26226765 - 09 Nov 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2323
Abstract
In this study, the ability of Lemna minor L. to recover to normal growth, after being degraded in a tetracycline-containing medium, was extensively investigated. The plants were exposed to tetracycline (TC) at concentrations of 1, 2.5, and 10 mM. Subsequently, their physiological status [...] Read more.
In this study, the ability of Lemna minor L. to recover to normal growth, after being degraded in a tetracycline-containing medium, was extensively investigated. The plants were exposed to tetracycline (TC) at concentrations of 1, 2.5, and 10 mM. Subsequently, their physiological status was analysed against the following criteria: rate of plant growth; free radical accumulation; antioxidant enzyme activity; chlorophyll content; HSP70 protein content; cell membrane permeability, and mitochondrial activity. The study showed that duckweed can considerably recover from the damage caused by antibiotics, within a week of cessation of stress. Of the plant properties analysed, mitochondrial activity was the most sensitive to antibiotic-induced disturbances. After transferring the plants to a tetracycline-free medium, all plant parameters improved significantly, except for the mitochondrial activity in the plants grown on the medium containing the highest dose of tetracycline. In the plants treated with this antibiotic at the concentration of 10 mM, the proportion of dead mitochondria increased and was as high as 93% after one week from the beginning of the recovery phase, even after the transfer to the tetracycline-free medium. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Changes Resulting from Biological and Chemical Pollution)
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13 pages, 3232 KiB  
Article
Synergistic Effects of Magnetic Nanomaterials on Post-Digestate for Biogas Production
by Emmanuel Kweinor Tetteh, Gloria Amo-Duodu and Sudesh Rathilal
Molecules 2021, 26(21), 6434; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26216434 - 25 Oct 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1663
Abstract
Digestate is characterized by high water content, and in the water and wastewater treatment settings, necessitates both large storage capacities and a high cost of disposal. By seeding digestate with four magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), this study aimed to recover biogas and boost its [...] Read more.
Digestate is characterized by high water content, and in the water and wastewater treatment settings, necessitates both large storage capacities and a high cost of disposal. By seeding digestate with four magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), this study aimed to recover biogas and boost its methane potential anaerobically. This was carried out via biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests with five 1 L bioreactors, with a working volume of 80% and 20% head space. These were operated under anaerobic conditions at a temperature 40 °C for a 30 d incubation period. The SEM/EDX results revealed that the morphological surface area of the digestate with the MNPs increased as compared to its raw state. Comparatively, the degree of degradation of the bioreactors with MNPs resulted in over 75% decontamination (COD, color, and turbidity) as compared to the control system result of 60% without MNPs. The highest biogas production (400 mL/day) and methane yield (100% CH4) was attained with 2 g of Fe2O4-TiO2 MNPs as compared to the control biogas production (350 mL/day) and methane yield (65% CH4). Economically, the highest energy balance achieved was estimated as 320.49 ZAR/kWh, or 22.89 USD/kWh in annual energy savings for this same system. These findings demonstrate that digestate seeded with MNPs has great potential to improve decontamination efficiency, biogas production and circular economy in wastewater management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Changes Resulting from Biological and Chemical Pollution)
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10 pages, 2953 KiB  
Communication
Application of Co-Culture Technology to Enhance Protease Production by Two Halophilic Bacteria, Marinirhabdus sp. and Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus
by Hoang Thi Hong Anh, Esmaeil Shahsavari, Nathan J. Bott and Andrew S. Ball
Molecules 2021, 26(11), 3141; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26113141 - 24 May 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2330
Abstract
Although axenic microbial cultures form the basis of many large successful industrial biotechnologies, the production of single commercial microbial strains for use in large environmental biotechnologies such as wastewater treatment has proved less successful. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of the [...] Read more.
Although axenic microbial cultures form the basis of many large successful industrial biotechnologies, the production of single commercial microbial strains for use in large environmental biotechnologies such as wastewater treatment has proved less successful. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of the co-culture of two halophilic bacteria, Marinirhabdus sp. and Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus for enhanced protease activity. The co-culture was significantly more productive than monoculture (1.6–2.0 times more growth), with Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus being predominant (64%). In terms of protease activity, enhanced total activity (1.8–2.4 times) was observed in the co-culture. Importantly, protease activity in the co-culture was found to remain active over a much broader range of environmental conditions (temperature 25 °C to 60 °C, pH 4–12, and 10–30% salinity, respectively). This study confirms that the co-culturing of halophilic bacteria represents an economical approach as it resulted in both increased biomass and protease production, the latter which showed activity over arange of environmental conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Changes Resulting from Biological and Chemical Pollution)
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