Direct analysis of aromatic pollutants using a HPLC-FLD/DAD method for monitoring biodegradation processes

Indene, indane and naphthalene in a mixture with BTEX affect aerobic compound biodegradation kinetics and indigenous microbial community development

BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene) are common pollutants often found in former gasworks sites together with some other contaminants like indene, indane and naphthalene (Ie, Ia, N). This study aimed to evaluate the inhibitory or stimulative substrate interactions between BTEX, and Ie, Ia, N during aerobic biodegradation. For this, batch bottles, containing originally anaerobic subsurface sediments, groundwater and indigenous microorganisms from a contaminated former gasworks site, were spiked with various substrate combinations (BTEX, BTEXIe, BTEXIa, BTEXN, BTEXIeIa, BTEXIeN, BTEXIaN, BTEXIeIaN). Subsequently concentrations were monitored over time. For the BTEXIeIaN mixture, initial concentrations were between 1 and 5 mg L-1, and all compounds were completely degraded by the microbial consortia within 39 days of incubation. The experimental data were fitted to a first order kinetic degradation model for interpretation of inhibition/stimulation between the compounds. Results showed that indene, indane, and naphthalene inhibited the degradation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene, with benzene being the most affected. M/p-xylene is the only compound whose biodegradation is stimulated by the presence of indene and indane (individually or mixed) but inhibited by the presence of naphthalene. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing revealed differentiation in the microbial communities within the batches with different substrate mixtures, especially within the two microbial groups Micrococcaceae and Commamonaceae. Indene had more effect on the BTEX microbial community than indane or naphthalene and the presence of indene increased the relative abundance of Micrococcaceae family. In conclusion, co-presence of various pollutants leads to differentiation in degradation processes as well as in microbial community development. This sheds some light on the underlying reasons for that organic compounds present in mixtures in the subsurface of former gasworks sites are either recalcitrant or subjective towards biodegradation, and this understanding helps to further improve the bioremediation of such sites.

In Silico Investigation of Selected Pesticides and Their Determination in Agricultural Products Using QuEChERS Methodology and HPLC-DAD

In this study, we considered some pesticides as active substances within formulations for the protection of plant-based food in the Republic of Serbia in silico, because these pesticides have not often been investigated in this way previously, and in an analytical way, because there are not very many available fast, cheap, and easy methods for their determination in real agricultural samples. Seven pesticides were detected in selected agricultural products (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and grapes) using the QuEChERS methodology and HPLC-DAD. Standard curves for the investigated pesticides (chlorantraniliprole, methomyl, metalaxyl, thiacloprid, acetamiprid, emamectin benzoate, and cymoxanil) show good linearity, with R² values from 0.9785 to 0.9996. The HPLC-DAD method is fast, and these pesticides can be determined in real spiked samples in less than 15 min. We further characterized the pesticides we found in food based on physicochemical properties and molecular descriptors to predict the absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination, and toxicity (ADMET) of the compounds. We summarized the data supporting their effects on humans using various computational tools to determine their potential adverse effects. The results of our prediction study show that all of the selected pesticides considered in this study have good oral bioavailability, and those with high toxicity, therefore, could be harmful to human health. Chlorantraniliprole was shown in a molecular docking study as a good starting point for a new Alzheimer's disease drug candidate.

Use of ion chromatographic pulsed amperometric method (IC-PAD) for measuring aqueous sulfide in synthetic and real domestic wastewater

Sulfide detection in domestic wastewater is widely demanded, as sulfide induces odour nuisance and wastewater assets corrosion. However, traditional sulfide detection methods are usually plagued by the limited detection range or interference from impurities. To address these constraints, this study improved the ion chromatographic pulsed amperometric method (IC-PAD) and tested its validity for use in domestic wastewater. Prior to sulfide detection, sulfide-containing sample collection usually requires the use of sulfide antioxidant buffers (SAOB) to minimize sulfide loss. Different sample matrixes require different SAOB recipes, which increases complexity and uncertainty when measuring different environmental samples. Therefore, this study also developed a more convenient and generic sample collection method without the addition of SAOB. The results indicated that the proposed SAOB-free sample collection method could minimize the sulfide loss during sample collection. The IC-PAD method showed a wide linear detection range up to 10 mg-S/L. The detection limit was 3 μg-S/L. Matrix effect studies showed that 1 g/L glucose, formate, acetate, methanol, ethanol, propionate, butyrate, lactate, or sulfate had no evident interference on sulfide measurement. However, 5 mM phosphate buffer led to interference, but reducing the KOH eluent concentration from 62 to 30 mM avoid this interference. Wolfe's vitamin mixture and Wolfe's modified mineral mixture could cause diminutive interference equivalent to 2.53 ± 1.32 μg-S/L sulfide. Moreover, the interference caused by chloride indicated that the IC-PAD method is more applicable for measuring sulfide in low-chloride wastewater. To this end, the IC-PAD method showed high accuracy and precision in the real domestic wastewater samples with chloride concentration of 68 mg/L. The recovery was higher than 97% and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was lower than 1.2%. This study demonstrated the potential use of IC-PAD method for measuring sulfide in real domestic wastewater and possible interference from the solution matrix to be considered.