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Ecotoxicity of Wastewater in Urban and Industrial Areas

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Wastewater Treatment and Reuse".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2022) | Viewed by 11251

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Mrozik

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Guest Editor

Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia, Jagiellońska 28, 40-032 Katowice, Poland
Interests: activated sludge and leachate; microbial degradation of toxic pollutants; diversity of microorganisms; bioremediation; biomonitoring; nanotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Ewa Liwarska-Bizukojc

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Guest Editor

Institute of Environmental Engineering and Building Installations, Lodz University of Technology, Al. Politechniki 6, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
Interests: aquatic and terrestrial ecotoxicology biological wastewater treatment; image analysis; modelling of activated sludge systems; removal of micropollutants and their effect on microorganisms; waste management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapidly increasing amount of wastewater contaminated with toxic compounds in industrial and urbanized areas prompts studies on their toxic effects on living organisms and ecosystem balance. This can be done for individuals, entire populations, and/or communities of organisms exposed to various contaminants in the wastewater. Therefore, this Special Issue welcomes research papers and critical reviews which aim to provide an up-to-date report on the adverse effects of environmental pollutants on different groups of organisms (e.g., microorganisms, algae, plants, invertebrates, or vertebrates) with a particular focus on new pollutants and their toxic effects in experimental short- and long-term model systems. Although laboratory tests are the primary tool for evaluating the ecological risks posed by polluted areas, works presenting the results of different stages of environmental risk assessment, including monitoring data from full-scale wastewater treatment plants and networks (e.g. sewage systems), are expected. Studies seeking potential correlations between physicochemical indicators and results of toxicity tests are also of interest.

Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Mrozik
Prof. Dr. Ewa Liwarska-Bizukojc
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. Water 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 2600 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

water pollutants
wastewater treatment
physicochemical indicators
indicator organisms biological toxicity tests
acute and chronic tests
genotoxicity
biosensors
biomonitoring

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 19347 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Salinity of the Vistula River Based on Patrol Monitoring and State Environmental Monitoring

by Andrzej Woźnica, Damian Absalon, Magdalena Matysik, Małgorzata Bąk, Anna Cieplok, Dariusz Halabowski, Adrianna Koczorowska, Mariola Krodkiewska, Marcin Libera, Edyta Sierka, Aneta Spyra, Robert Czerniawski, Łukasz Sługocki and Bartosz Łozowski

Water 2023, 15(5), 838; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w15050838 - 21 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2228

Abstract

Background: Secondary salinity of river water reduces the value of ecosystem services, negatively impacting the entire aquatic ecosystem and reducing the possibility of water use. In Poland, significant anthropogenic salinity of rivers and water reservoirs is usually associated with mining activity consisting of pumping salty mine water into settling ponds or often directly into rivers. However, to assess the reasons for the salinity of the Vistula waters, it is necessary to identify all sources of salt in surface waters, enabling the assessment of the salt load in the waters. Methods: The paper presents four sources of data which have been compiled to propose a valuable method for analyzing the threat of the river. Patrol monitoring was one method of data acquisition, and State Environmental Monitoring data ware also used. Clustering and correlation statistical techniques were used for analysis. Results: Of the 20 physical and chemical parameters analyzed, chloride, calcium sulphate and magnesium ions are important for salinity. Measurements with multi-parameter probes allowed for the identification of increased salinity pressure sites, while flow analyses were required to calculate the load. Conclusions: The Vistula River had the highest concentrations of the analyzed ions in the Silesia Region. The use of patrol monitoring can be highly useful in determining the causes of emerging problems with water quality and supporting State Environmental Monitoring. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecotoxicity of Wastewater in Urban and Industrial Areas)

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19 pages, 2205 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Occurrence of Antibiotic Resistance Genes, Antibiotics-Resistant and Multi-Resistant Bacteria and Their Correlations in One River in Central-Western Brazil

by Raylane Pereira Gomes, Thais Reis Oliveira, Ariadne Bernardes Rodrigues, Leandro Martins Ferreira, José Daniel Gonçalves Vieira and Lilian Carla Carneiro

Water 2023, 15(4), 747; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w15040747 - 14 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2506

Abstract

(1) Background: The uncontrolled increase in pollutants in the aquatic environment results in antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes (ARBs and ARGs). The overuse and misuse of antibiotics is also a crucial factor for public health. (2) Methods: In this study, the presence of ARBs and the presence of 24 resistance genes from eight different classes of antibiotics were evaluated in addition to performing statistical correlations and intercorrelations. Samples of water and sediment were collected from a river in central-western Brazil, responsible for supplying water to more than 3 million people. Physicochemical analyses were performed on the water samples, as well as methodological approaches based on culture and molecular biology, such as real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). (3) Results: The results of the analysis of apparent color, turbidity, thermotolerant coliforms and E. coli were not in accordance with Brazilian legislation. A total of 203 bacterial strains were isolated, of which 30.54% were from the Entero-bacteriaceae family and 29.06% from the Staphylococcaceae family. For the ARBs found, a higher prevalence of resistance to lyconsamides and β-lactams was detected. Among all isolated strains, a multi-drug resistance profile of 59.37% was found. The presence of ARGs was detected in all water and sediment samples; of the 24 genes searched, the presence of 22 was found, and the sul2 and ermC genes were detected in all samples. According to the statistical analysis, the Meia Ponte River is suffering a great anthropogenic impact, and the current Brazilian legislation is not sufficient to prevent it. This water environment is serving as a reservoir of resistance genes, and measures such as monitoring, depollution, management and preservation must be taken, so that the population does not suffer great damage. (4) Conclusions: This is the first study in the State of Goiás, Brazil, to indicate the existence of ARGs in samples of raw water and river sediments, supporting the worldwide investigation of ARBs and ARGs in a water environment. In addition, few studies address the correlations between the ARBs and ARGs groups, which is an important factor in the field of antimicrobial resistance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecotoxicity of Wastewater in Urban and Industrial Areas)

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18 pages, 2280 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Implications of Bacterial Adaptation to Phenol Degradation under Suboptimal Culture Conditions Involving Stenotrophomonas maltophilia KB2 and Pseudomonas moorei KB4

by Agnieszka Nowak, Daniel Wasilkowski and Agnieszka Mrozik

Water 2022, 14(18), 2845; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w14182845 - 12 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1658

Abstract

Despite the well-described abundance of phenol-degrading bacteria, knowledge concerning their degradation abilities under suboptimal conditions is still very limited and needs to be expanded. Therefore, this work aimed to study the growth and degradation potential of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia KB2 and Pseudomonas moorei KB4 strains toward phenol under suboptimal temperatures, pH, and salinity in connection with the activity of catechol dioxygenases, fatty acid profiling, and membrane permeability. The methodology used included: batch culture of bacteria in minimal medium supplemented with phenol (300 mg/L), isolating and measuring the activity of catechol 1,2- and 2,3-dioxygenases, calculating kinetic parameters, chromatographic analysis of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) and determining the membrane permeability. It was established that the time of phenol utilisation by both strains under high temperatures (39 and 40 °C) proceeded 10 h; however, at the lowest temperature (10 °C), it was extended to 72 h. P. moorei KB4 was more sensitive to pH (6.5 and 8.5) than S. maltophilia KB2 and degraded phenol 5–6 h longer. Salinity also influenced the time of phenol removal. S. maltophilia KB2 degraded phenol in the presence of 2.5% NaCl within 28 h, while P. moorei KB4 during 72 h. The ability of bacteria to degrade phenol in suboptimal conditions was coupled with a relatively high activity of catechol 1,2- and/or 2,3-dioxygenases. FAME profiling and membrane permeability measurements indicated crucial alterations in bacterial membrane properties during phenol degradation leading predominantly to an increase in fatty acid saturation and membrane permeability. The obtained results offer hope for the potential use of both strains in environmental microbiology and biotechnology applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecotoxicity of Wastewater in Urban and Industrial Areas)

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11 pages, 5257 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling of Nitrification Kinetics in a Respirometric Biosensor under Suboptimal Conditions

by Andrzej Woznica, Jerzy Karczewski, Czesław Klis, Jacek Długosz, Przemysław Ziemski, Agnieszka Nowak and Tytus Bernas

Water 2022, 14(13), 2031; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w14132031 - 25 Jun 2022

Viewed by 1545

Abstract

Sensitive detection with cell biosensors requires optimization of their working conditions and standardization of the response in variable physicochemical conditions. The introduction of an analyte to a sensor, which contributes to this variability, may account for the modeling of microbial metabolism. We constructed a multiparameter model of a water toxicity sensor of Automatic Biodetector for Water Toxicity (ABTOW), developed by our group and based on nitrifying bacteria. The model describes the kinetics of nitrification as a function of four orthogonal parameters: temperature, pH, oxygen and ammonium concentration. Furthermore, we characterized the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the ABTOW readout as a function of these parameters. Thus, a region of parameter space corresponding to optimal ABTOW operation is identified and its sensitivity quantified. We applied the model to describe the ABTOW performance in non-equilibrium conditions produced by rapid changes in pH and temperature. In sum, the model based on four physicochemical parameters describes changes in the biosensor’s activity, the biological element of which are nitrifying bacteria characterized by simple chemolithoautotrophic metabolism. The description of reaction kinetics through multiparameter modeling in combination with stability analysis can find application in process control in biotechnology, biodetection and environmental research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecotoxicity of Wastewater in Urban and Industrial Areas)

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Review

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19 pages, 415 KiB

Open AccessReview

Evaluation of Ecotoxicity of Wastewater from the Full-Scale Treatment Plants

by Ewa Liwarska-Bizukojc

Water 2022, 14(20), 3345; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w14203345 - 21 Oct 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2435

Abstract

In this work, the influence of wastewater from full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) on aquatic and soil biota was reviewed and presented. Moreover, the methods and model organisms used in testing the ecotoxicity of wastewater were shown. It was found that wastewater usually affected the biochemical activity and growth of organisms such as bacteria, algae and protozoa. They contributed to the immobilization and death of inter alia crustaceans and fishes. The values of degree of inhibition or lethality widely varied dependent on the type of wastewater, the sampling point (influent or effluent) and the model organisms applied in the biotests. Thus, a battery of ecotoxicity tests using model organisms of different sensitivities should be employed. So far, bacteria (e.g., Vibrio fischeri), green microalgae (e.g., Raphidocelis subcapitata) and crustaceans (Daphnia magna) have been frequently used organisms in the biological assessment of wastewater. They were applied in almost half (bacteria) or more than half (microalgae, crustaceans) of papers analyzed in this study. In almost all studies, the reduction of wastewater toxicity after treatment processes was found. It was proven that the conventional activated sludge systems were efficient in the removal of wastewater toxicity from both municipal and industrial wastewater, while the tertiary stage of treatment, in particular chlorination or ozonation, contributed to the increase in wastewater toxicity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecotoxicity of Wastewater in Urban and Industrial Areas)

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