Analysis of bacteria degradation products of methyl parathion by liquid chromatography/electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Sulfur-functionalized porphyrin-based covalent organic framework as a metal-free dual-functional catalyst for photodegradation of organophosphorus pesticides under visible-LED-light

Parathion and diazinon are two significant organophosphorus pesticides broadly used in agriculture. However, these compounds are toxic and can enter into the environment and atmosphere via various processes. Herein, we synthesized and post-functionalized a porphyrinic covalent organic framework (COF), COF-366, with elemental sulfur under solvent-free conditions to give polysulfide-functionalized COF-366, namely PS@COF. The resulting material consisting of porphyrin sensitizer and sulfur nucleophilic sites was used as a dual-functional heterogeneous catalyst for the degradation of these organic compounds using visible-LED-light. Accordingly, the effects of several pertinent parameters such as pH (3-9), the catalyst dosage (5-30 mg), time (up to 80 min), and substrate concentration (10-50 mg L-1) were studied in detail and optimized. The post-modified COF showed excellent photocatalytic activity (>97%) in the detoxification of diazinon and parathion for 60 min at pH 5.5. Kinetic studies indicated a fast degradation rate with pseudo-second order model for 20 mg L-1 of diazinon and parathion. The total organic carbon detection and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) confirmed the organic intermediates and byproducts formed during the process. PS@COF displayed good recyclability and high reusable efficiency for six cycles without a noteworthy lose in its catalytic activity, owing to its robust structure.

Fabrication of FeVO4/RGO Nanocomposite: An Amperometric Probe for Sensitive Detection of Methyl Parathion in Green Beans and Solar Light-Induced Degradation

Pesticide usage is one of the significant issues in modern agricultural practices; hence, monitoring pesticide content and its degradation is of utmost importance. A novel and simple one-pot deep eutectic solvent-based solvothermal method has been developed for the synthesis of FeVO₄/reduced graphene oxide (FeV/RGO) nanocomposite. The band gap of FeV decreased upon anchoring with RGO. Enhanced activity in the detection and photocatalytic degradation has been achieved in the FeV/RGO nanocomposite compared to pure FeV and RGO. FeV/RGO was used to modify glassy carbon electrode (GCE), and the fabricated electrode was evaluated for its electrochemical detection of methyl parathion (MP). The amperometric technique was found to be more sensitive with a 0.001-260 μM (two linear ranges; 0.001-20 and 25-260 μM) wide linear range and low limit of detection value (0.70 nM). The practical applicability of modified GCE is more selective and sensitive to real samples like river water and green beans. Photocatalytic degradation of MP has been examined using FeV, RGO, and FeV/RGO nanocomposite. FeV/RGO managed to degrade 95% of MP under solar light in 80 min. Degradation parameters were optimized carefully to attain maximum efficiency. Degradation intermediates were identified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The degradation mechanism has been studied in detail. FeV/RGO could serve as a material of choice in the field of electrochemical sensors as well as heterogeneous catalysis toward environmental remediation.

GCMS and FTIR spectral analysis of aqueous methylparathion biotransformation by the microbial mpd strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Fusarium spp

This study aimed to find out the effective biotreatment processes of aqueous methyl parathion in stipulations of its biotransformation by potential indigenous mpd strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Fusarium spp. Microbial biotransformation study of methyl parathion in contaminated synthetic wastewater at optimum conditions by P. aeruginosa mpd-5 (at temperature 33 °C, pH 7, under the aerobic condition with inoculum density of 10⁸cells/mL) and by Fusarium spp mpd-1 (at temperature 30 °C, pH 7, under the aerobic condition with inoculum density of 25 mgL^-1 dry biomass) was carried out. The major biodegradation compounds formed during the biotreatment process were analyzed by spectral studies using GCMS and FTIR. GCMS analysis of bacterial transformed compounds was p-nitrophenol, dimethylaminophenol, and glycyl-L-proline of 2-(3-methylpiperidino-4-5, 6-benzothiazin-4-one) and 2, 5-piperazinodione 3, 6-bis (2-methylpropyl). And the fungal transformed compounds were observed to be p-nitrophenol, phenol,2,4-Bis(1,1-Dimethylethyl), beta-L-arabinopyranoside-methyl, Cyclobutanethiol, 3-2(4)-thiophenone, dihydro-5-(1-methylethyl), Benzene,1,3-bis(1,1-dimethyl ethyl), Butanoic acid, 2-methyl methyl ester, and L-(+)-Ascorbic acid. The FTIR spectra of the molecule and the products of methyl parathion are observed to be changed in structures. It can be concluded from the aforementioned results and discussions that P. aeruginosa mpd-5 and Fusarium spp mpd-1 can be used in the biotreatment of pesticide wastewater having the high methyl parathion concentration and is possible by the indigenous microbial strains; they utilize as phosphate and carbon source of energy. Hence the strains can be used as a whole microbial cell, or its bioactive metabolites can be applied for the biotreatment of pesticide wastewater and potentially degrade methylparathion.

Remediation of organophosphorus pesticide polluted soil using persulfate oxidation activated by microwave

Contaminated sites from pesticide industry have attracted global concern due to the characteristics of organic pollution with high concentrations and complete loss of habitat conditions. Remediation of organophosphorus pesticide polluted soil using microwave-activated persulfate (MW/PS) oxidation was investigated in this study, with parathion as the representative pesticide. Approximately 90 % of parathion was degraded after 90 min of MW/PS oxidation treatment, which was superior to those by single PS or MW treatment. Relatively greater performances for parathion degradation were obtained in a relatively larger PS dosage, higher microwave temperature, and lower organic matter content. Appropriate soil moisture favored parathion degradation in soil. SO₄^-, OH, O₂^-, and ¹O₂ generated in the MW/PS system all contributed to parathion degradation. Multiple spectroscopy analyses indicated that PO and PS bonds in parathion were destroyed after MW/PS oxidation, accompanied by generation of hydroxylated and carbonylated byproducts. The soil safety after parathion degradation was assessed via model prediction. Furthermore, MW/PS oxidation also exhibited great performance for degradation of other organophosphorus pesticides, including ethion, phorate, and terbufos.

Acute toxicity of the insecticide methyl parathion and its hydrolytic product p-nitrophenol to the native Australian cladoceran Daphnia carinata

The toxicity of an organophosphorus (OP) insecticide, methyl parathion (MP), and its hydrolysis product, p-nitrophenol (PNP), to the native Australian cladoceran species, Daphnia carinata, was assessed. Both MP and PNP were stable in cladoceran water during the test period. D. carinata was sensitive to both MP and PNP; however, the parent compound was more toxic than its metabolite. This is the first study that demonstrated the acute toxicity of MP and PNP towards an Australian daphnid species. The present investigation emphasizes the need for including the native taxa as non-target test organisms while evaluating the toxicity of environmental pollutants.

Hydrolytic decontamination of methyl parathion in the presence of 2-aminoethanol: Kinetics study

Methyl parathion (MP) decontamination by hydrolysis in aqueous solutions containing 2-aminoethanol (EA) was investigated using the UV-Visible and GC/MS techniques. The kinetics of the hydrolysis reaction was studied at pH values of 4, 7, and 9 in water at 75, 85, and 95°C, respectively. At various EA concentrations 60, 100, and 200 mg/L MP degradation followed pseudo-first order kinetics and was found to be strongly pH and temperature dependent. The rate of MP degradation accelerated significantly as pH increased. The conversion reached 93.5% after 90 min of hydrolysis at a pH of 9, as compared to 69.9% and 49.8% at pH values of 7 and 4, respectively. The MP degradation byproducts removed from aqueous solutions by solid phase microextraction (SPME) were identified. The main intermediate products were p-nitrophenol and O,O-dimethyl phosphorothioate. This study concludes that hydrolysis in the presence of EA is an effective process for decontaminating solutions containing MP.

Potential of Biological Agents in Decontamination of Agricultural Soil

Pesticides are widely used for the control of weeds, diseases, and pests of cultivated plants all over the world, mainly since the period after the Second World War. The use of pesticides is very extensive to control harm of pests all over the globe. Persistent nature of most of the synthetic pesticides causes serious environmental concerns. Decontamination of these hazardous chemicals is very essential. This review paper elaborates the potential of various biological agents in decontamination of agricultural soils. The agricultural crop fields are contaminated by the periodic applications of pesticides. Biodegradation is an ecofriendly, cost-effective, highly efficient approach compared to the physical and chemical methods which are expensive as well as unfriendly towards environment. Biodegradation is sensitive to the concentration levels of hydrogen peroxide and nitrogen along with microbial community, temperature, and pH changes. Experimental work for optimum conditions at lab scale can provide very fruitful results about specific bacterial, fungal strains. This study revealed an upper hand of bioremediation over physicochemical approaches. Further studies should be carried out to understand mechanisms of biotransformation.

Hydrolysis mechanism of methyl parathion evidenced by Q-Exactive mass spectrometry

Organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs), a kind of widely used pesticides, are currently attracting great attention due to their adverse effects on human central nervous systems, particularly in children. Although the hydrolysis behavior of OPPs has been studied well, its hydrolysis mechanism remained controversial, especially at various pH conditions, partly due to their relatively complex structures and abundant moieties that were prone to be attacked by nucleophiles. The Q-Exactive mass spectrometer, part of those hybrid high-resolution mass spectrometers (HRMS), was used to determine hydrolysis products of methyl parathion (MP), a kind of OPPs in situ buffer aqueous solution with pH ranging from 1 to 13 in this study. Most of the complex hydrolysis products of MP were identified due to the high sensitivity and accuracy of HRMS. The results demonstrated that the hydrolysis rate and pathway of MP were strong pH dependent. With the increase of pH, the hydrolysis rate of MP increased, and two different reaction mechanisms were identified: SN (2)@P pathway dominated the hydrolysis process at high pH (e.g., pH ≥ 11) while SN (2)@C was the main behavior at low pH (e.g., pH ≤ 9). This study helps understand the hydrolysis mechanism of OPPs at various pH and extends the use of Q-Exactive mass spectrometry in identifying organic pollutants and their degradation products in environmental matrices.

Photocatalytic degradation of commercial methyl parathion in aqueous suspension containing La-doped TiO2 nanoparticles

The photocatalytic degradation of a commercial methyl parathion (MP) under UV irradiation was investigated in aqueous suspension containing lanthanum-doped mesoporous TiO2 nanoparticles (La/m-TiO2) as photocatalyst. The rate of photodecomposition of MP was measured using UV-Vis spectrophotometry, and its mineralization was followed using ion chromatography (IC). The identification of possible intermediate products was carried out using several powerful analytical techniques such as gas chromatography-pulsed flame photometric detector (GC-PFPD) and high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (HPLC-MS). Under our conditions, complete disappearance of 20 mg/L of MP occurred within 2 h of illumination, whereas complete mineralization of MP was not achieved through IC analysis. There was a single intermediate product found in the research, which was identified to be methyl paraoxon, owing to the substitution of S by the O atom in the MP molecule. Based on the experimental facts, it is concluded that MP was mainly attacked not by OH radicals but photo-generated holes (h+), resulting from the good adsorption of MP on the catalyst surfaces due to the enhanced adsorption by La doping.

Development of square wave voltammetry method for the assessment of organophosphorus compound impact on the cholinesterase of Pheretima with 2,6-dichloroindophenol as a redox indicator

A square wave voltammetry method was developed for the assessment of organophosphorus (OPs) compound impact on the cholinesterase of Pheretima with 2,6-dichloroindophenol (2,6-DCIP) as a redox indicator. The substrate of acetylthiocholine is hydrolysed by the cholinesterase (ChE) from soil animal pheretima, and the produced thiocholine reacts with the 2,6-DCIP to give obvious shift of electrochemical signal. The inhibition of ChE was assessed by measuring the enzyme activity before and after incubating with parathion-methyl. The reduction peak current of 2,6-DCIP decreases with the time of enzymatical reaction. The ChE loses almost 32.74% activity after 10 min incubation with 1ng mL(-1) paraoxon and 54.62% with 10 microg mL(-1) paraoxon, while the activity that corresponds to 100 microg mL(-1) paraoxon was nearly completely inhibited. This method can be employed to assess the inhibition of ChE and investigate OPs impact on environmental animals.