Effects of substituent position on the interactions between PBDEs/PCBs and DOM

Changes in the Aggregation Behaviour of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Influenced by Perfluorooctanoic Acid, Salts, and Humic Acid in Simulated Waters

The increasing utilization of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) in many consumer products is of concern due to their eventual release into the natural environment and induction of potentially adverse impacts. The behaviour and environmental impacts of ZnO-NPs could be altered through their interactions with environmentally coexisting substances. This study investigated the changes in the behaviour of ZnO-NPs in the presence of coexisting organic pollutants (such as perfluorooctanoic acid [PFOA]), natural organic substances (i.e., humic acid [HA]), and electrolytes (i.e., NaCl and CaCl2) in simulated waters. The size, shape, purity, crystallinity, and surface charge of the ZnO-NPs in simulated water after different interaction intervals (such as 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks) at a controlled pH of 7 were examined using various characterization techniques. The results indicated alterations in the size (such as 162.4 nm, 1 day interaction to >10 µm, 3 weeks interaction) and zeta potential (such as -47.2 mV, 1 day interaction to -0.2 mV, 3 weeks interaction) of the ZnO-NPs alone and when PFOA, electrolytes, and HA were present in the suspension. Different influences on the size and surface charge of the nanoparticles were observed for fixed concentrations (5 mM) of the different electrolytes. The presence of HA-dispersed ZnO-NPs affected the zeta potential. Such dispersal effects were also observed in the presence of both PFOA and salts due to their large aliphatic carbon content and complex structure. Cation bridging effects, hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, and van der Waals forces could be potential interaction forces responsible for the adsorption of PFOA. The presence of organic pollutants (PFOA) and natural organic substances (HA) can transform the surface characteristics and fate of ZnO-NPs in natural and sea waters.

Molecular insight into the binding properties of marine algogenic dissolved organic matter for polybrominated diphenyl ethers and their combined effect on marine zooplankton

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are widespread in marine ecosystems, despite the limits placed on several congeners, and pose a threat to marine organisms. Many coexisting factors, especially dissolved organic matter (DOM), affect the environmental behavior and ecological risk of PBDEs. Since blooms frequently occur in coastal waters, we used algogenic DOM (A-DOM) from the diatom Skeletonem costatum and examined the interaction of A-DOM with 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47). Moreover, their combined effect on the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis was analyzed. During the stationary period, A-DOM had more proteins than polysaccharides, and 7 extracellular proteins were identified. A-DOM fluorescence was statically quenched by BDE-47, and amide, carbonyl, and hydroxyl groups in A-DOM were involved. Molecular docking analysis showed that all 5 selected proteins of A-DOM could spontaneously bind with BDE-47 and that hydrophobic interactions, van der Waals forces and pi-bond interactions existed. The reproductive damage, oxidative stress and inhibition of mitochondrial activity induced by BDE-47 in rotifers were relieved by A-DOM addition. Transcriptomic analysis further showed that A-DOM could activate energy metabolic pathways in rotifers and upregulate genes encoding metabolic detoxification proteins and DNA repair. Moreover, A-DOM alleviated the interference effect of BDE-47 on lysosomes, the extracellular matrix pathway and the calcium signaling system. Alcian blue staining and scanning electron microscopy showed that A-DOM aggregates were mainly stuck to the corona and cuticular surface of the rotifers; this mechanism, rather than a real increase in uptake, was the reason for enhanced bioconcentration. This study reveals the complex role of marine A-DOM in PBDEs bioavailability and enhances the knowledge related to risk assessments of PBDE-like contaminants in marine environments.

Recent advances in the role of dissolved organic matter during antibiotics photodegradation in the aquatic environment

The presence of residual antibiotics in the environment is a prominent issue. Photodegradation behavior is an important way of antibiotics reduction, which is closely related to dissolved organic matter (DOM) in water. The review provides an overview of the latest advancements in the field. Classification, characterization of DOM, and the dominant mechanisms for antibiotic photodegradation were discussed. Furthermore, it summarized and compared the effects of DOM on different antibiotics photodegradation. Moreover, the review comprehensively considered the factors influencing the photodegradation of antibiotics in the aquatic environment, including the characteristics of light, temperature, dosage of DOM, concentration of antibiotics, solution pH, and the presence of coexisting ions. Finally, potential directions were proposed for the development of predictive models for the photodegradation of antibiotics. Based on the review of existing literature, this paper also considered several pathways for the future study of antibiotic photodegradation. This study allows for a better understanding of the DOM's environmental role and provides important new insights into the photochemical fate of antibiotics in the aquatic environment.

Influence of dissolved organic carbon on multimedia distribution and toxicity of fipronil and its transformation products in lotic waterways

Environmental fate and ecological impacts of fipronil and its transformation products (FIPs) in aquatic environment have caused worldwide attention, however, the influence of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on multimedia distribution, bioavailability, and toxicity of FIPs in field waterways was largely unknown. Here, we collected 11 companion water and sediment samples along a lotic stream in Guangzhou, South China. FIPs were ubiquitous with total water concentrations ranging from 1.22 to 43.2 ng/L (14.8 ± 12.9 ng/L) and fipronil sulfone was predominant in both water and sediment. More than 70% of FIPs in aqueous phase were bound to DOC and the K_DOC values of FIPs were approximately 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than K_d-s/K_OC, emphasizing the significance of DOC in phase partitioning and transport of FIPs in aquatic environment. Water and sediment samples were more toxic to Chironomus dilutus than Hyallela azteca, and FIPs (especially fipronil sulfone) pronouncedly contributed toxicity to C. dilutus. Toxic units (TU) based on freely dissolved concentrations in water determined by solid phase microextraction significantly improved toxicity estimation of FIPs to the invertebrates compared to TUs based on aqueous concentrations. The present study highlights the significance of DOC association on fate and ecological risk of hydrophobic insecticides in lotic ecosystem.

The interaction mechanisms of co-existing polybrominated diphenyl ethers and engineered nanoparticles in environmental waters: A critical review

This review focuses on the occurrence and interactions of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in water systems and the generation of highly complex compounds in the environment. The release of ENPs and BFRs (e.g. PBDEs) to aquatic environments during their usage and disposal are summarised together with their key interaction mechanisms. The major interaction mechanisms including electrostatic, van der Waals, hydrophobic, molecular bridging and steric, hydrogen and π-bonding, cation bridging and ligand exchange were identified. The presence of ENPs could influence the fate and behaviour of PBDEs through the interactions as well as induced reactions under certain conditions which increases the formation of complex compounds. The interaction leads to alteration of behaviour for PBDEs and their toxic effects to ecological receptors. The intermingled compound (ENPs-BFRs) would show different behaviour from the parental ENPs or BFRs, which are currently lack of investigation. This review provided insights on the interactions of ENPs and BFRs in artificial, environmental water systems and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), which are important for a comprehensive risk assessment.

Interaction between polychlorinated biphenyls and dissolved organic matter of different molecular weights from natural and anthropic sources

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are compounds of significant interest due to high toxicity, persistence, long-range atmospheric transport, and bioaccumulation. These compounds can interact with components present in the environment, including dissolved organic matter (DOM) in soils and waters, thereby modifying its availability and movement. In this study, DOM was fractionated by ultrafiltration and characterized according to its hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity, then the interaction of a series of PCBs and different DOM fractions was evaluated. The DOM was collected from the surface waters of three sectors located along a river in the southern part of America. These sectors are subject to different anthropic activities, thus the DOM of sector 1, with the least anthropic influence, was mainly hydrophobic and with a high content of aromatic structures. In contrast, the DOM collected from sectors 2 and 3, where anthropic activity is highest, was slightly hydrophobic and hydrophilic, respectively. The DOM of these two sectors was mainly composed of low molecular weight macromolecules. These results revealed that more hydrophobic PCBs (i.e., 101, 118, 138, and 180) have a greater affinity to DOM with a higher molecular weight (i.e., >1 kDa). In turn, PCBs with lesser chlorination and hydrophobicity presented a greater affinity to DOM with a lower molecular weight. In conclusion, our study shows that the high molecular weight DOM is responsible for mobilizing PCBs with a high degree of chlorination.

Elucidating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor antagonism from a chemical-structural perspective

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) plays an important role in several biological processes such as reproduction, immunity and homoeostasis. However, little is known on the chemical-structural and physicochemical features that influence the activity of AhR antagonistic modulators. In the present report, in vitro AhR antagonistic activity evaluations, based on a chemical-activated luciferase gene expression (AhR-CALUX) bioassay, and an extensive literature review were performed with the aim of constructing a structurally diverse database of contaminants and potentially toxic chemicals. Subsequently, QSAR models based on Linear Discriminant Analysis and Logistic Regression, as well as two toxicophoric hypotheses were proposed to model the AhR antagonistic activity of the built dataset. The QSAR models were rigorously validated yielding satisfactory performance for all classification parameters. Likewise, the toxicophoric hypotheses were validated using a diverse set of 350 decoys, demonstrating adequate robustness and predictive power. Chemical interpretations of both the QSAR and toxicophoric models suggested that hydrophobic constraints, the presence of aromatic rings and electron-acceptor moieties are critical for the AhR antagonism. Therefore, it is hoped that the deductions obtained in the present study will contribute to elucidate further on the structural and physicochemical factors influencing the AhR antagonistic activity of chemical compounds.

Solubility, uptake, and translocation of BDE 47 as affected by DOM extracted from agricultural wastes

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) extracted from wheat straw (SDOM) and cow manure (MDOM) were used to investigate their effects on the solubilization, uptake, and translocation of 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47). Partition coefficients (K_DOC) of BDE 47 between water and the two types of DOM were measured by the solubility enhancement method. The uptake and translocation of BDE 47 by wheat plants were explored by hydroponic exposure experiments. In the range of 0 to 100 mg/L of DOM, the solubility of BDE 47 increased with increasing concentrations of DOM. The log [K_DOC] values of BDE 47 in SDOM and MDOM solutions were 5.77 and 5.31, respectively. The log [K_DOC] values of BDE 47 in SDOM solutions were higher than those in MDOM solutions, which might be ascribed to the higher content of aliphatic carbon and lower molecular weight of SDOM. The addition of DOM (50 mg/L) significantly increased the accumulation of BDE 47 in the shoots of wheat plants. Wheat straw DOM had greater effect than MDOM in enhancing the accumulation of BDE 47. This study demonstrated the potential risk of BDE 47 to plants resulting from DOM-facilitated transport or the changes in metabolic properties.

A general-applicable model for estimating the binding coefficient of organic pollutants with dissolved organic matter

The binding constant (K_doc) of organic pollutants (OPs) with dissolved organic matter (DOM) is an important parameter in determining the partitioning of OPs in the aquatic environment. Most estimation models have focused on calculating the K_doc of a specific group of OPs but failed to obtain K_doc values of different OPs effectively over the last three decades. In this study, we attempted to build a general-applicable K_doc model based on various organic compounds' K_doc values from the literature since 1973. Two multiple linear regression models, a DOM nonspecific model and an Aldrich HA model, were developed based on two solid and easy to access parameters-molecular connectivity indices (MCI) and polarity correction factors (PCF). In addition, the models' corresponding K_ow-K_doc models, which were mostly used in previous model studies, were developed for comparison. The adjusted determining coefficient (adj-R²) and standard error of the estimate (SEE) of the DOM nonspecific MCI-PCF-K_doc model were 0.815 and 0.579, respectively, whereas the adj-R² and SEE for the MCI-PCF-K_doc model of Aldrich HA reached 0.907 and 0.438, respectively. The Aldrich HA model showed higher pertinence to the nonspecific model. Furthermore, both models exhibited better fit than the K_ow-K_doc models. The dipole moment modification attempts did not significantly improve either MCI-PCF-K_doc models; hence, the two models were not altered with the dipole moment. The robustness tests by a Jackknifed method showed that the two MCI-PCF-K_doc models exhibited higher robustness than the K_ow-K_doc. Of all of the OPs, the phenols contributed the most to their robustness. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis showed that the two MCI-PCF-K_doc models were sensitive to the robust parameters.

Adsorption-uptake-metabolism kinetic model on the removal of BDE-47 by a Chlorella isolate

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are persistent and toxic organic pollutants, causing hazardous to ecosystems and human health but are difficult to remove from contaminated environments. The mechanism and kinetics of a Chlorella isolate to remove BDE-47 were investigated. This species isolated from the influent of wastewater treatment plants in Hong Kong was PBDE tolerant. More than 80% of BDE-47 was removed in short- and long-term experiments lasting 1 h and 7 days, respectively. The dominant removal process was adsorption on cell surfaces, with 73% of the spiked BDE-47 removed within five minutes of exposure. As the exposure prolonged, the adsorption became saturated. BDE-47 on cell surfaces was then gradually taken up into cells. At the end of the 7-day exposure, 17% of the spiked BDE-47 was within cells, while 27% was metabolized. Four metabolites, including BDE-28, 6-OH- and 5-OH-BDE-47, and 6-MeO-BDE-47, were produced from the debromination, hydroxylation and methoxylation of BDE-47. The removal kinetics of BDE-47 by freshwater microalgae could be explained by the multi-compartmental adsorption-uptake-metabolism model developed in this study.

Adsorption of 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) on a soil organic matter. A DFT M05 computational study

Adsorption of 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) by soil organic matter considering the Leonardite Humic Acid (LHA) model at the M05/tzvp level of Density Functional Theory (DFT) applying cluster approximation has been investigated. Different orientations of CL-20 toward LHA surface were examined. It was found that deprotonation of LHA is required to obtain stable complexes with CL-20. Hydrogen bonds between CL-20 and deprotonated LHA were analyzed applying the atoms in molecules (AIM) theory. An attachment or removal of an electron with respect to the complex does not have significant effect on mutual orientation of the adsorbent in complexes. It was shown that adsorbed CL-20 does not undergo redox transformation and, therefore, adsorption on soil organic matter may be responsible for decrease of the degradation rate of CL-20 in soil.

Influences of binding to dissolved organic matter on hydrophobic organic compounds in a multi-contaminant system: Coefficients, mechanisms and ecological risks

The complexation flocculation (CF) method was successfully employed to identify binding coefficients (Kdoc) of specific organic contaminants to dissolved organic matter (DOM, often indicated by dissolved organic carbon, DOC) in a multi-contaminant hydrophobic organic contaminant (HOC) system. Kdoc values were obtained for most of the evaluated 33 HOCs, indicating the feasibility and applicability of the CF method in a multi-contaminant system. Significant positive correlations were observed between binding coefficients and octanol-water partition coefficients (Kow) for organic halogen compounds, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (R(2) = 0.95, p < 0.05) and organic chlorine pesticides (OCPs) (methoxychlor excluded, R(2) = 0.82, p < 0.05). The positive correlations identified between the lgKdoc and lgBCF (bioconcentration factor) for PBDEs and OCPs, as well as the negative correlation observed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), indicated that different binding or partition mechanisms between PAHs and organic halogen compounds exist. These differences further result in discriminative competition partitions of HOCs between DOM and organisms. Assuming that only freely dissolved HOCs are bioconcentrative, the results of DOM-influenced bioconcentration factor (BCFDOM) and DOM-influenced lowest observed effect level (LOELDOM) indicate that the ecological risk of HOCs is decreased by DOM.

A Study on Pathway and QSPR Models for Debromination of PBDEs with Pseudopotential Method

Neutral PBDEs congeners and their corresponding radical anions were studied with the pseudopotential method of stuttgart group (SDD) effective-core potentials basis set for the bromine atoms and the all-electron basis set for all other atoms. The pseudopotential method can be used for compounds containing heavy elements with relativistic effects and can reduce the computational time. The quantitative structure property relationship (QSPR) study was also performed in this work to develop models to predict the normolized reaction rate constants for the reductive debromination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) by zero-valent iron (ZVI). The partial least squares regression (PLSR), principal component analysis-multiple linear regression analysis (PCA-MLR), and back propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) approaches were employed for the QSPR study between the molecular descriptors and the logarithm of normalized reaction rate constants of fourteen selected BDE congeners. The results show that the ANN models could be more satisfactorily to predict the rate constants than the PLSR and PCA-MLR models.

Bioaccumulation and elimination kinetics of hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (2'-OH-BDE68 and 4-OH-BDE90) and their distribution pattern in common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs) have attracted wide concerns due to their toxicities and universal presence in wildlife and humans. The relatively high Kow values of OH-PBDEs imply these compounds may have a significant bioaccumulation potential, but so far, the existing data provide little information regarding the kinetics of uptake and depuration in any organisms. Here we exposed common carps separately to two OH-PBDEs, 2'-OH-BDE68 and 4-OH-BDE90, for 30 days (d) in a flow-through system, followed by a 60-d depuration period in clean water to investigate compound-specific bioaccumulation and tissue distribution. Two OH-PBDEs could accumulate in common carp, and the high concentration was observed in liver or kidney. The uptake rates (k1) of two OH-PBDEs ranged from 0.15 to 21.3 d(-1) in fish, and the elimination rates (k2) ranged from 0.027 to 0.075 d(-1), which leaded to their BCF values in 4.8-299.2 ranges. Half-lives ranged from 9.2 d to 25.6 d. The exposure concentration significantly affected BCF values but didn't change their relative compositions in liver, kidney and muscle after a long exposure time. To our knowledge, this is the first study to systematically assess uptake, depuration kinetics and tissue distribution for OH-PBDEs via a controlled experimental animal model.

Partitioning of polybrominated diphenyl ethers to dissolved organic matter isolated from Arctic surface waters

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a class of brominated flame retardant that is distally transported to the Arctic. Little is known about the fate of PBDEs in Arctic surface waters, especially in the presence of dissolved organic matter (DOM). DOM has been shown to interact with hydrophobic organic contaminants and can alter their mobility, bioavailability, and degradation in the environment. In this study, the partitioning of six PBDE congeners between Arctic DOM (isolated via solid phase extraction) and water was measured using the aqueous solubility enhancement method. Measured dissolved organic carbon (DOC)-water partition coefficient (KDOC) values were nearly an order of magnitude lower than previously reported values for the same PBDE congeners in soil or commercial organic matter, ranging from 10(3.97) to 10(5.16) L kg(-1) of organic carbon. Measured results compared favorably with values calculated using polyparameter linear free energy models for Suwannee River fulvic acid. Log KDOC values increased with increasing PBDE hydrophobicity. Slightly lower than expected values were observed for the highest brominated congeners, which we attribute to steric hindrance. This study is the first to comprehensively measure KDOC values for a range of PBDE congeners with DOM isolated from Arctic surface waters.