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Köppe T, Jewell KS, Ehlig B, Wick A, Koschorreck J, Ternes TA. Identification and trend analysis of organic cationic contaminants via non-target screening in suspended particulate matter of the German rivers Rhine and Saar. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 229:119304. [PMID: 36459896 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Non-target screening of suspended particulate matter (SPM), collected from the German rivers Rhine and Saar, was conducted with the goal of identifying organic, permanent cationic contaminants and of estimating their temporal trends over an extended period. Therefore, annual composite samples of SPM, provided by the German Environmental Specimen Bank, were extracted and analyzed with high resolution LC-QToF-MS/MS. To facilitate the identification of substances belonging to the class "permanent cations", prioritization methods were applied utilizing the physicochemical properties of these compounds. These methods include both interactions of the analyte molecules with cation exchange resins and analyzing mass deviations when changing from non-deuterated to deuterated mobile phase solvents during LC-MS analysis. By applying both methods in a combined approach, 123 of the initially detected 2695 features were prioritized, corresponding to a 95% data reduction. This led to the identification of 22 permanent cationic species. The organic dyes Basic Yellow 28 and Fluorescent Brightener 363 as well as two quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) were detected in environmental samples for the first time to best of or knowledge. The other compounds include additional QACs, as well as quaternary tri-phenylphosphonium compounds (QPC/TPP). In addition to identification, we determined temporal trends of all compounds over a period of 13 years and assessed their ecotoxicological relevance based on estimated concentrations. The two QACs oleyltrimethylammonium and eicosyltrimethylammonium show significant increasing trends in the Rhine SPM and maximum concentrations in the Saar SPM of about 900 and 1400 µg/kg, respectively. In the case of the dyes, constant trends have been observed at the end of the studied period, but also maximum concentrations of 400 µg/kg for Basic Yellow 28 in 2006 and 1000 µg/kg for Fluorescent Brightener 363 in 2015, potentially indicating a strong ecotoxicological risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toni Köppe
- Federal Institute of Hydrology, Am Mainzer Tor 1, 56068 Koblenz, Germany
| | - Kevin S Jewell
- Federal Institute of Hydrology, Am Mainzer Tor 1, 56068 Koblenz, Germany
| | - Björn Ehlig
- Federal Institute of Hydrology, Am Mainzer Tor 1, 56068 Koblenz, Germany
| | - Arne Wick
- Federal Institute of Hydrology, Am Mainzer Tor 1, 56068 Koblenz, Germany
| | - Jan Koschorreck
- Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), Colditzstraße 34, 14193, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas A Ternes
- Federal Institute of Hydrology, Am Mainzer Tor 1, 56068 Koblenz, Germany.
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2
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Liu S, Chen S, Li X, Yue Y, Li J, Williams PN, Wang Z, Li C, Yang Y, Ying GG, Chen CE. Development and application of diffusive gradients in thin-films for in situ sampling of the bitterest chemical - denatonium benzoate in waters. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2021; 418:126393. [PMID: 34329009 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Denatonium benzoate (DB), a commonly used bitter agent in numerous products, has recently been recognized as a waterborne contaminant due to concern about its potential persistence, mobility and toxicity (PMT). However, its occurrence, levels and fate in global aquatic environments are largely unknown. In this study, a new sampling method, based on diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) with mixed-mode cation exchange (MCX) as the binding agent, was developed for measuring DB in waters. MCX shows a rapid adsorption and high capacity for DB. DB is linearly accumulated by MCX-DGT. pH (6-8), ionic strength (0.01-0.5 M), or DOM (0-10 M) do not show any significant effect on the MCX-DGT performance, confirming its reliability. The DGT measurements in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) are comparable to those by paralleled grab sampling. The field results suggest DB is persistent in WWTPs and could be a potential domestic wastewater indicator. Therefore, MCX-DGT is a promising technique for understanding the environmental occurrence, levels and fate of DB. This is a first report of using DGT for DB monitoring and of DB occurrence in Chinese environments. Further exploration of DGT as a reliable passive monitoring tool for a wide range of PMT substances in different applications is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sisi Liu
- Environmental Research Institute/School of Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Shibao Chen
- Environmental Research Institute/School of Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Xiaohao Li
- Environmental Research Institute/School of Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yubo Yue
- Environmental Research Institute/School of Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jinling Li
- Environmental Research Institute/School of Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Paul N Williams
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Biological Sciences, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Zhanyun Wang
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Cailin Li
- Environmental Research Institute/School of Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yuanyuan Yang
- Environmental Research Institute/School of Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Guang-Guo Ying
- Environmental Research Institute/School of Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Chang-Er Chen
- Environmental Research Institute/School of Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
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García-Valenzuela JA, Baez-Gaxiola MR. Comments on the Risks From Exposure to Denatonium Benzoate (Bitrex ®): Denatured Alcohol Disinfection and Pandemic Times. Int J Toxicol 2021; 40:475-477. [PMID: 34337977 DOI: 10.1177/10915818211038498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jorge A García-Valenzuela
- Programa Educativo de Licenciatura en Criminología, 422809Universidad Estatal de Sonora, Unidad Académica Hermosillo, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.,SMARTER-Lab Nucleus for Research & Divulgation A.C., Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.,Departamento de Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
| | - Martha R Baez-Gaxiola
- SMARTER-Lab Nucleus for Research & Divulgation A.C., Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.,Programa Educativo de Ingeniero Biomédico, 422809Universidad Estatal de Sonora, Unidad Académica Hermosillo, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
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4
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Non-targeted screening of trace organic contaminants in surface waters by a multi-tool approach based on combinatorial analysis of tandem mass spectra and open access databases. Talanta 2021; 230:122293. [PMID: 33934765 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Non-targeted screening (NTS) in mass spectrometry (MS) helps alleviate the shortcoming of targeted analysis such as missing the presence of concerning compounds that are not monitored and its lack of retrospective analysis to subsequently look for new contaminants. Most NTS workflows include high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (HRMS2) and structure annotation with libraries which are still limited. However, in silico combinatorial fragmentation tools that simulate MS2 spectra are available to help close the gap of missing compounds in empirical libraries. Three NTS tools were combined and used to detect and identify unknown contaminants at ultra-trace levels in surface waters in real samples in this qualitative study. Two of them were based on combinatorial fragmentation databases, MetFrag and the Similar Partition Searching algorithm (SPS), and the third, the Global Natural Products Social Networking (GNPS), was an ensemble of empirical databases. The three NTS tools were applied to the analysis of real samples from a local river. A total of 253 contaminants were identified by combining all three tools: 209 were assigned a probable structure and 44 were confirmed using reference standards. The two major classes of contaminants observed were pharmaceuticals and consumer product additives. Among the confirmed compounds, octylphenol ethoxylates, denatonium, irbesartan and telmisartan are reported for the first time in surface waters in Canada. The workflow presented in this work uses three highly complementary NTS tools and it is a powerful approach to help identify and strategically select contaminants and their transformation products for subsequent targeted analysis and uncover new trends in surface water contamination.
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Lege S, Sorwat J, Yanez Heras JE, Zwiener C. Abiotic and biotic transformation of torasemide - Occurrence of degradation products in the aquatic environment. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 177:115753. [PMID: 32302808 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.115753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 03/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The pharmaceutical torasemide is an important loop diuretic and was 2017 one of the ten most prescribed drugs in Germany. Despite its detection in different compartments of the urban water cycle including drinking water, no studies were so far performed to elucidate its fate in the environment and the occurrence of transformation products (TPs). Therefore, we investigated the phototransformation, microbial degradation, transformation with human liver microsomes and anodic oxidation of torasemide to obtain good coverage of environmentally relevant degradation products. Overall sixteen products were identified, covering the following reaction mechanisms: aromatic and aliphatic hydroxylation, including further oxidation to carboxylic acids and quinone imines, amide cleavage, N-dealkylation, N-dearylation, and sulfonamide hydrolysis to sulfonic acids. Especially the formation of quinone imines could be of concern as they are highly reactive electrophiles. Torasemide itself was observed in all investigated wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) samples and wastewater-impacted surface waters. The maximum detected concentration was about 350 ng L-1. Only three of the sixteen transformation products were generally observed in at least one of the samples and the most frequently detected TPs were the human metabolites hydroxytorasemide (TP 364a) and carboxytorasemide (TP 378a). The complete removal of TP 364a during wastewater treatment was in agreement with the results of microbial degradation experiments. TP 364a was most likely transformed into TP 378a, which was microbially less degraded in lab experiments. Based on estimated concentrations, TP 378a could reach about 1 μg L-1 in the investigated wastewater matrices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sascha Lege
- University of Tübingen, Environmental Analytical Chemistry at the Center for Applied Geoscience, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Julian Sorwat
- University of Tübingen, Environmental Analytical Chemistry at the Center for Applied Geoscience, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jorge Eduardo Yanez Heras
- University of Tübingen, Environmental Analytical Chemistry at the Center for Applied Geoscience, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Christian Zwiener
- University of Tübingen, Environmental Analytical Chemistry at the Center for Applied Geoscience, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.
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6
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Villarín MC, Merel S. Paradigm shifts and current challenges in wastewater management. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2020; 390:122139. [PMID: 32007860 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater is a significant environmental and public health concern which management is a constant challenge since antiquity. Wastewater research has increased exponentially over the last decades. This paper provides a global overview of the exponentially increasing wastewater research in order to identify current challenges and paradigm shifts. Besides households, hospitals and typical industries, other sources of wastewater appear due to emerging activities like hydraulic fracturing. While the composition of wastewater needs constant reassessment to identify contaminants of interest, the comprehensive chemical and toxicological analysis remains one of the main challenges in wastewater research. Moreover, recent changes in the public perception of wastewater has led to several paradigm shifts: i) water reuse considering wastewater as a water resource rather than a hazardous waste, ii) wastewater-based epidemiology considering wastewater as a source of information regarding the overall health of a population through the analysis of specific biomarkers, iii) circular economy through the implementation of treatment processes aiming at harvesting valuable components such as precious metals or producing valuable goods such as biofuel. However, wastewater research should also address social challenges such as the public acceptance of water reuse or the access to basic sanitation that is not available for nearly a third of the world population.
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Affiliation(s)
- María C Villarín
- Department of Human Geography, University of Seville, c/ Doña María de Padilla s/n, 41004, Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Sylvain Merel
- Institute of Marine Research (IMR), PO Box 1870 Nordnes, N-5817, Bergen, Norway; INRAE, UR RiverLy, 5 rue de la Doua, F-69625 Villeurbanne, France.
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7
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Olmos J, Pereira C. Electrochemical sensing and characterization of denatonium ion by ion transfer at polarized liquid/liquid interfaces. J Electroanal Chem (Lausanne) 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jelechem.2020.113860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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8
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Qi L, Wang R, Yu HZ. Electrochemical Quantitation of Supramolecular Excipient@Drug Complexation: A General Assay Strategy Based on Competitive Host Binding with Surface-Immobilized Redox Guest. Anal Chem 2020; 92:2168-2175. [PMID: 31858784 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b04803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The macrocyclic cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) host has exhibited great application potential as a pharmaceutical excipient due to its versatile abilities to modulate the chemical/physical properties of drug molecules (guests) and to control their in vivo delivery and release (upon complexation). The formation of stable CB[7]@drug complexes is the prerequisite for these promising applications; we report herein a general assay strategy to quantitate the complexation based on competitive binding with surface-immobilized redox guests in conjunction with conventional electrochemical techniques (e.g., cyclic voltammetry). Particularly, by incubating a mixture of CB[7] and a drug molecule with ferrocene (Fc)-terminated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold, the competitive host@guest binding between the CB[7]@drug complex formed in solution and the CB[7]@Fc complex formed on surface can be quantified with direct cyclic voltammetry measurements. On the basis of the known concentrations of CB[7]/drug and electrochemically determined surface densities of free/complexed Fc groups, the formation constant of CB[7]@drug complex can be determined. With several drug molecules as examples, we have demonstrated the capability of this method for quantitative studies of the formation of supramolecular excipient@drug complexes that are of interest in pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences. More importantly, this work promises a general assay strategy that allows electrochemical quantitation of a wide range of electro-inactive analytes based on the competitive supramolecular host@guest binding at redox-tagged molecular interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Qi
- Department of Chemistry , Simon Fraser University , Burnaby , British Columbia V5A 1S6 , Canada
| | - Ruibing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences , University of Macau , Taipa , Macau SAR 999078 , China
| | - Hua-Zhong Yu
- Department of Chemistry , Simon Fraser University , Burnaby , British Columbia V5A 1S6 , Canada
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9
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Lege S, Eisenhofer A, Heras JEY, Zwiener C. Identification of transformation products of denatonium - Occurrence in wastewater treatment plants and surface waters. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 686:140-150. [PMID: 31176813 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.05.423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Revised: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Denatonium, one of the bitterest substances known to man, was recently identified as wastewater borne micropollutant in surface waters. Therefore, photodegradation experiments and electrochemical degradation were performed to identify abiotic and putative biotic transformation products (TPs). Indirect rather than direct photodegradation proved to be important for denatonium removal by solar irradiation and produced seven TPs. Amide hydrolysis, hydroxylation, N-dealkylation, and N-dearylation were revealed as the main mechanisms. Anodic oxidation of denatonium was related to the formation of overall ten products and despite considerable different yields, all TPs from indirect photodegradation were mimicked electrochemically. Among them, lidocaine was the only TP detected after conventional wastewater treatment and in surface waters. The occurrence of lidocaine was however associated with its application as local anesthetic rather than to a degradation of denatonium. The absence of additional products suggests that denatonium degradation is negligible under environmental conditions, supporting the previously described persistent nature of this compound. Advanced water treatment techniques however have the potential to degrade denatonium. About 74% of the initial denatonium load was removed from wastewater during pilot-scale ozonation. The degradation of denatonium was accompanied here with the formation of at least two polar products, which are passing unchanged through a sand filter after ozonation. Both substances have completely unknown (toxicological) properties and this study seems to be the first report about their structures in general, as none of them was found in any of the large compound libraries (e.g. PubChem).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sascha Lege
- University of Tübingen, Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anna Eisenhofer
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jorge Eduardo Yanez Heras
- University of Tübingen, Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Christian Zwiener
- University of Tübingen, Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany.
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10
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Wang J, Kong S, Chen F, Chen W, Du L, Cai W, Huang L, Wu C, Zhang DW. A bioelectronic taste sensor based on bioengineered Escherichia coli cells combined with ITO-constructed electrochemical sensors. Anal Chim Acta 2019; 1079:73-78. [PMID: 31387721 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2019.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we developed a novel bioelectronic taste sensor for the detection of specific bitter substances. A human bitter taste receptor, hT2R4, was efficiently expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli), which was used as the primary recognition element. A simple and low-cost electrochemical device based on ITO-based electrolyte-semiconductor (ES) structure was innovatively employed as the transducer to assess bacterial metabolic consequences of receptor activation in real time. An apparent increase in extracellular acidification rate was observed, which was resulted from the triggering of hT2R4 receptors by their target ligand of denatonium. The sensor showed dose-dependent responses to denatonuim ranging from 50 nM to 500 nM, while non-bioengineered bacteria without hT2R4 receptors exhibited negligible responses to the same stimulus. In addition, the specificity of the proposed taste biosensor was verified using other typical bitter substances such as quinine and alpha-naphthylthiourea (ANTU). This research provides a simple and inexpensive approach for the construction of bioelectronic taste sensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Wang
- Institute of Medical Engineering, Department of Biophysics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Shu Kong
- Institute of Medical Engineering, Department of Biophysics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Fangming Chen
- Institute of Medical Engineering, Department of Biophysics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Institute of Medical Engineering, Department of Biophysics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Liping Du
- Institute of Medical Engineering, Department of Biophysics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Wen Cai
- Institute of Medical Engineering, Department of Biophysics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Liquan Huang
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310031, China
| | - Chunsheng Wu
- Institute of Medical Engineering, Department of Biophysics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, China.
| | - De-Wen Zhang
- Institute of Medical Engineering, Department of Biophysics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, China.
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11
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Guillet G, Knapp JLA, Merel S, Cirpka OA, Grathwohl P, Zwiener C, Schwientek M. Fate of wastewater contaminants in rivers: Using conservative-tracer based transfer functions to assess reactive transport. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 656:1250-1260. [PMID: 30625655 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Revised: 11/24/2018] [Accepted: 11/25/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Interpreting the fate of wastewater contaminants in streams is difficult because their inputs vary in time and several processes synchronously affect reactive transport. We present a method to disentangle the various influences by performing a conservative-tracer test while sampling a stream section at various locations for chemical analysis of micropollutants. By comparing the outflow concentrations of contaminants with the tracer signal convoluted by the inflow time series, we estimated reaction rate coefficients and calculated the contaminant removal along a river section. The method was tested at River Steinlach, Germany, where 38 contaminants were monitored. Comparing day-time and night-time experiments allowed distinguishing photo-dependent degradation from other elimination processes. While photo-dependent degradation showed to be highly efficient for the removal of metroprolol, bisoprolol, and venlafaxine, its impact on contaminant removal was on a similar scale to the photo-independent processes when averaged over 24 h. For a selection of compounds analyzed in the present study, bio- and photodegradation were higher than in previous field studies. In the Steinlach study, we observed extraordinarily effective removal processes that may be due to the higher proportion of treated wastewater, temperature, DOC and nitrate concentrations, but also a higher surface to volume ratio from low flow conditions that favorizes photodegradation through the shallow water column and a larger transient storage than observed in comparable studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaëlle Guillet
- Center for Applied Geoscience, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstr. 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Julia L A Knapp
- Center for Applied Geoscience, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstr. 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sylvain Merel
- Center for Applied Geoscience, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstr. 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Olaf A Cirpka
- Center for Applied Geoscience, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstr. 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Peter Grathwohl
- Center for Applied Geoscience, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstr. 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Christian Zwiener
- Center for Applied Geoscience, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstr. 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marc Schwientek
- Center for Applied Geoscience, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstr. 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany.
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12
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Merel S, Benzing S, Gleiser C, Di Napoli-Davis G, Zwiener C. Occurrence and overlooked sources of the biocide carbendazim in wastewater and surface water. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2018; 239:512-521. [PMID: 29684878 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.04.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Revised: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Carbendazim is a fungicide commonly used as active substance in plant protection products and biocidal products, for instance to protect facades of buildings against fungi. However, the subsequent occurrence of this fungicide and potential endocrine disruptor in the aqueous environment is a major concern. In this study, high resolution mass spectrometry shows that carbendazim can be detected with an increasing abundance from the source to the mouth of the River Rhine. Unexpectedly, the abundance of carbendazim correlates poorly with that of other fungicides used as active ingredients in plant protection products (r2 of 0.32 for cyproconazole and r2 of 0.57 for propiconazole) but it correlates linearly with that of pharmaceuticals (r2 of 0.86 for carbamazepine and r2 of 0.89 for lamotrigine). These results suggest that the occurrence of carbendazim in surface water comes mainly from the discharge of treated domestic wastewater. This hypothesis is further confirmed by the detection of carbendazim in wastewater effluents (n = 22). In fact, bench-scale leaching tests of textiles and papers revealed that these materials commonly found in households could be a source of carbendazim in domestic wastewater. Moreover, additional river samples collected nearby two paper industries indicate that the discharge of their treated process effluents is also a source of carbendazim in the environment. While characterizing paper and textile as overlooked sources of carbendazim, this study also shows the biocide as a possible ubiquitous wastewater contaminant that would require further systematic and worldwide monitoring due to its toxicological properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain Merel
- Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Center for Applied Geoscience, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Saskia Benzing
- Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Center for Applied Geoscience, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Carolin Gleiser
- Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Center for Applied Geoscience, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Gina Di Napoli-Davis
- Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Center for Applied Geoscience, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Christian Zwiener
- Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Center for Applied Geoscience, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.
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