Monitoring of Photodegradation Process of Various Benzothiazoles by HPLC and UV Spectrometry: Application of LC-MS in Photoproduct Identification

Nontargeted identification and predicted toxicity of new byproducts generated from UV treatment of water containing micropollutant 2-mercaptobenzothiazole

Comprehensive identification of byproducts including intermediate transformation products (TPs) of micropollutants in source water is challenging and paramount for assessment of drinking water quality and treatment technologies. Here, we have developed a nontargeted analysis strategy coupled with computational toxicity assessment to identify indistinguishable TPs including isomers with large differences in toxicity. The new strategy was applied to study the UV treatment of water containing micropollutant 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (2-MBT), and it enabled successful identification of a total of 22 organic TPs. Particularly, the structures of nine new TPs were identified for the first time; in addition, three isomers (P2, P3, and P4) were distinguished from the toxic contaminant 2-hydroxybenzothiazole (2-OH-BT). Computational assessments indicate that estrogenic activity of the three isomers (P2-P4) is higher than that of 2-OH-BT. Mass balance study shows that the 22 organic products accounted for 70% of the 2-MBT degraded, while 30% may degrade to inorganic products. Most TPs are resistant to UV photolysis. Computational toxicity assessment predicted the TPs to increase inhibition of human thyroperoxidase activity although they have lower aquatic toxicity compared to original 2-MBT. This study emphasizes the importance of monitoring the 2-MBT photodegradation products and the overall toxicity of finished water whose production included a UV light-based treatment process.

Degradation of 2-mercaptobenzothizaole in microbial electrolysis cells: Intermediates, toxicity, and microbial communities

The compound 2-mercaptobenzothizaole (MBT) has been frequently detected in wastewater and surface water and is a potential threat to both aquatic organisms and human health (its mutagenic potential has been demonstrated). This study investigated the degradation routes of MBT in the anode of a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) and the involved microbial communities. The results indicated that graphene-modified anodes promoted the presence of more enriched, developed, and specific communities compared to bare anodes. Moreover, consecutive additions of the OH substituent to the benzene ring of MBT were only detected in the reactor equipped with the graphene-treated electrode. Both phenomena, together with the application of an external voltage, may be related to the larger reduction of biotoxicity observed in the MEC equipped with graphene-modified anodes (46.2 eqtox∙m^-3 to 27.9 eqtox∙m^-3).