Pharmaceuticals and their metabolites are released into the environment by domestic, hospital, and pharmaceutical industry wastewaters. Conventional wastewater treatment technology does not guarantee ...effluents of high quality, and apparently clean water may be loaded with pollutants. In this study, we assess the performance and efficiency of free and immobilised cells of microalgae
sp. in removing four pharmaceuticals, chosen for their occurrence or persistence in the environment. These are paracetamol, ibuprofen, olanzapine and simvastatin. The results showed that free microalgae cells remain alive for a longer time than the immobilised ones, suggesting the inhibition of cell proliferation by the polymeric matrix polyvinyl alcohol. Both cells, free and immobilised, respond differently to each pharmaceutical. The removal of paracetamol and ibuprofen by
sp., after 24 h of culture, was significantly higher in immobilised cells. Free cells removed a significantly higher concentration of olanzapine than immobilised ones, suggesting a higher affinity to this molecule than to paracetamol and ibuprofen. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of
sp. free cells for removing olanzapine and
sp. immobilised cells for removing paracetamol and ibuprofen.
Endocrine disrupting chemicals Encarnação, Telma; Pais, Alberto ACC; Campos, Maria G ...
Science progress,
03/2019, Letnik:
102, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Endocrine disrupting chemicals are a group of pollutants that can affect the endocrine system and lead to diseases and dysfunctions across the lifespan of organisms. They are omnipresent. They are in ...the air we breathe, in the food we eat and in the water we drink. They can be found in our everyday lives through personal care products, household cleaning products, furniture and in children's toys. Every year, hundreds of new chemicals are produced and released onto the market without being tested, and they reach our bodies through everyday products. Permanent exposure to those chemicals may intensify or even become the main cause for the development of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer. In recent years, legislation and regulations have been implemented, which aim to control the release of potentially adverse endocrine disrupting chemicals, often invoking the precautionary principle. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of research on environmental aspects of endocrine disrupting chemicals and their effects on human health, based on evidence from animal and human studies. Emphasis is given to three ubiquitous and persistent groups of chemicals, polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and organochlorine pesticides, and on two non-persistent, but ubiquitous, bisphenol A and phthalates. Some selected historical cases are also presented and successful cases of regulation and legislation described. These led to a decrease in exposure and consequent minimization of the effects of these compounds. Recommendations from experts on this field, World Health Organization, scientific reports and from the Endocrine Society are included.
This review summarizes the legislation applied to pesticides and highlights the physicochemical properties of the past and recently listed PPs under Water Framework Directive (WFD). It reports ...important information regarding the analysis, occurrence and long-term screening of PPs in sediments of European coastal lagoons. Among the entire list of PPs, those analyzed have been the organochloride insecticides, such as lindane, hexachlorobenzene and DDT. Although flood events pointed to the possible redistribution of pesticides, which may increase under climate change conditions, few studies are available concerning PPs screening in sediments of European coastal lagoons. Data is scarce not only in terms of the number of listed PPs that have been analyzed but also in terms of their long-term screening. This lack of data on PP concentrations is probably a consequence of the fact that less importance is given to the sediments contamination/quality.
•Among the entire list of PPs the most analyzed were the organochloride insecticides.•PP distribution in coastal lagoons is likely to increase after heavy rains.•Sediment contamination assessment by PPs allows to predict remobilization under GCC.
The large-scale use of pesticides is one of the main causes of the dramatic degradation of our environment. Pesticides such as imidacloprid (IMID) have been linked to declines in bee health and ...toxicity to other beneficial insects. They pose a threat to human health due to their persistence in the environment and accumulation in the food chain. Therefore, it is essential to test possible environmentally-friendly solutions for their elimination. The present study evaluates the efficiency of microalgae
Nannochloropsis
sp. for the removal of IMID from synthetic wastewater. The influence of aeration, light, and the presence of UV radiation on the degradation of IMID were factors considered in the study. A rapid RP-HPLC method was developed and validated for the analysis and quantification of IMID in the context of bioremediation with microalgae.
Nannochloropsis
sp. removed 4.39 µg mL
−1
from an initial content of 9.59 µg mL
−1
(reaching approximately 50%) of IMID in the first 20 h. This study demonstrated that the removal of IMID by the marine microalgae
Nannochloropsis
sp. is both effective and light-dependent.
The absorption and photoluminescence spectra of the cationic conjugated polyelectrolyte poly3-(6-trimethylammoniumhexyl)thiophene (P3TMAHT) were observed to be dramatically altered in the presence of ...anionic surfactants due to self-assembly through ionic complex formation. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), UV/vis, and photoluminescence spectroscopy were used to probe the relationship between the supramolecular complex organization and the photophysical response of P3TMAHT in the presence of industrially important anionic surfactants. Subtle differences in the surfactant mole fraction and chemical structure (e.g., chain length, headgroup charge density, perfluorination) result in marked variations in the range and type of complexes formed, which can be directly correlated to a unique colorimetric and fluorimetric fingerprint. Our results show that P3TMAHT has potential as an optical sensor for anionic surfactants capable of selectively identifying distinct structural subgroups through dual mode detection.
Five push-pull heterocyclic dyes 4–7, and 9 were synthesized and characterized in order to study the variations in the optical, electronic and photovoltaic properties induced by structural ...modifications, i.e. different spacer units and anchoring groups. The final push-pull conjugated dyes 6–7 and 9 are formed by a N,N-dimethylaniline donor moiety conjugated with bithiophene, ethynyl-bithiophene or ethynyl-thieno3,2-bthiophene spacers and cyanoacetic acid or rhodanine-3-acetic acid as anchoring group. The synthesis of the precursor aldehydes 4–5 was accomplished through a Sonogashira coupling, on the other hand, compound 8 was prepared by Suzuki coupling. Knoevenagel condensation of aldehydes 4, 5 and 8 with cyanoacetic acid or rhodamine-3-acetic acid afforded the final push-pull dyes 6, 7 and 9. Information on conformation, electronic structure and electron distribution was obtained by DFT and TDDFT calculations. This multidisciplinary study regarding the evaluation of the optical, redox and photovoltaic properties of the dyes reveals that compound 7, bearing an ethynyl-bithiophene spacer conjugated with a cyanoacetic acid anchoring group, has the highest conversion efficiency (3.51%) as dye sensitizer in nanocrystalline TiO2 solar cells. Co-adsorption studies were also performed for dyes 6–7 with N719 as co-adsorbent, and this enhanced dye efficiencies by 33–45%. The best cell performance was obtained by co-adsorbing N719 and dye 7 (75/25 vol%) with 4.66% efficiency.
Display omitted
•Convenient and improved methods of synthesis afforded dyes 5 and 7 in higher yields.•Metal free ethynyl-bithiophene or ethynyl-thieno3,2-bthiophene dyes for DSSC.•Structure-performance relationship was studied with the aid of theoretical calculation.•Influence of different π-spacers and anchoring groups on photovoltaic performances.•Best cell performance was obtained by co-adsorbing N719 and 7 with 4.66% efficiency.
Cyanobacteria and microalgae ENCARNAÇÃO, TELMA; PAIS, ALBERTO A.C.C.; CAMPOS, MARIA G. ...
Science progress,
06/2015, Letnik:
98, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Microalgae and cyanobacteria are rich sources of many valuable compounds, including important bioactive and biotechnologically relevant chemicals. Their enormous biodiversity, and the consequent ...variability in the respective biochemical composition, make microalgae cultivations a promising resource for many novel chemically and biologically active molecules and compounds of high commercial value such as lipids and dyes. The nature of the chemicals produced can be manipulated by changing the cultivation media and conditions. Algae are extremely versatile because they can be adapted to a variety of cell culture conditions. They do not require arable land, can be cultivated on saline water and wastewaters, and require much less water than plants. They possess an extremely high growth rate making these microorganisms very attractive for use in biofuel production – some species of algae can achieve around 100 times more oil than oil seeds. In addition, microalgae and cyanobacteria can accumulate various biotoxins and can contribute to mitigate greenhouse gases since they produce biomass through carbon dioxide fixation. In this review, we provide an overview of the application of microalgae in the production of bioactive and other chemicals.
PDF
