An insightful overview of the distribution pattern of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in the marine sediments of the Red Sea

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are produced during the combustion of coal and oil, and they can cause sediment contamination. Marine sediments are an important source of information regarding human activities in coastal regions and the long-term fate of xenobiotics. PAHs are a serious environmental problem for marine ecosystems because of their detrimental health impacts on species, including endocrine-disrupting activities. The type of organic contaminants in marine sediments is determined by their origin, with PAHs classed as either petrogenic or pyrogenic. Accidental or deliberate discharges and spills of oil from ships, particularly tankers, offshore platforms, and pipelines, especially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, are the most obvious and visible sources of oil pollution in the marine environment. The current review study will be extremely important and beneficial as a desk review as a result of the growing human population and rapid development in the area. The distribution pattern of PAHs along the Red Sea coastal sediments was limited. The majority of research along Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast demonstrates pyrogenic and petrogenic origins of PAHs, as well as in other parts of the world. Industrial activity, municipal waste runoff, petroleum spills, and sewage runoff have a significant impact on PAH distribution throughout the Red Sea’s coastal estuaries. However, after the Gulf war in 1992, much of the attention was occurred especially in the Arabian Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia. This study portrayed a comparison of distribution pattern of PAHs with the other parts of the world as well.

Revival of Hückel Aromatic (Poly)benzenoid Subunits in Triplet State Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Silicon Substitution

By employing density functional theory (DFT) calculations we show that mono- and disilicon substitution in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, having two to four benzene units, quenches their triplet state antiaromaticity by creating Hückel aromatic (poly)benzenoid subunit(s) and weakly antiaromatic, or almost nonaromatic silacycle. Therefore, such systems are predicted to be globally aromatic in both the ground state and the first excited triplet state. Putting the silicon atom(s) into various positions of a hydrocarbon provides an opportunity to tune the singlet-triplet energy gaps. They depend on the global aromaticity degree which, in turn, depends on the type of aromatic carbocyclic subunit(s) and the extent of their aromaticity. On the basis of the set of studied compounds, some preliminary rules on how to regulate the extent of global, semiglobal and local aromaticity are proposed. The results of this work extend the importance of Hückel aromaticity concept to excited triplet states which are usually characterized by the Baird type of (anti)aromaticity.

Removal of naphthalene and phenanthrene in synthetic solutions by electro-oxidation coupled with membrane bioreactor

Naphthalene (NAPH) and phenanthrene (PHEN) are two of the most abundant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found in nature, and they are considered in the list of US EPA priority pollutants. The contribution of this research lies in the comprehensive analysis of a strategy for the coupling of electro-oxidation (EO) and biodegradation in a submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) with the objective to remove PAHs, using NAPH and PHEN as model compounds. The electrochemical degradation of NAPH and PHEN in aqueous synthetic solution has been carried out using two different anodes: Ti/IrO₂ and Ti/SnO₂. The effects of EO operating parameters (current density, reaction time, and pH) on the NAPH and PHEN removals were investigated applying 2³ factorial design with both electrodes. Additionally, the EO effluents were analyzed for COD, NH₄-N, and biodegradability (respirometry tests). The highest removals of both compounds were reached with Ti/IrO₂ anode, at acidic conditions (pH of 2), current density of 50 mA cm^-2, and electrolysis time of 60 min. However, the Ti/SnO₂ anode allowed greater reduction of the biomass inhibition, which means that the enhancement of the EO effluent biodegradability was reached; therefore, this electrode was selected for the coupled EO-SMBR system, applying the operating conditions that improved the biodegradability of the effluent. The EO process allowed NAPH and PHEN removal efficiencies of 96 ± 5% and 94 ± 3%, respectively. The membrane bioreactor was operated with organic load of 0.6 ± 0.1 gCOD gVSS^-1 d^-1, hydraulic retention time of 6 h, and solid retention time of 30 d, obtaining average COD, NH₄-N, NAPH, and PHEN removals of 98±0.5%, 91±6.4%, 99.1±0.96%, and 99.7±0.4% respectively. The sorption of phenanthrene onto the biomass had a low contribution, 0.9±0.2%, concluding that biodegradation was the main removal mechanism in the bioreactor. The coupled system EO-SMBR allowed high NAPH and PHEN removal efficiencies of 99.99±0.01 and 99.99±0.02%, respectively.

Prediction of Spin Density, Baird-Antiaromaticity, and Singlet-Triplet Energy Gap in Triplet-State Polybenzenoid Systems from Simple Structural Motifs

Triplet-state aromaticity has been recently proposed as a strategy for designing functional organic electronic compounds, many of which are polycyclic aromatic systems. However, in many cases, the aromatic nature of the triplet state cannot be easily predicted. Moreover, it is often unclear how specific structural manipulations affect the electronic properties of the excited-state compounds. Herein, the relationship between the structure of polybenzenoid hydrocarbons (PBHs) and their spin-density distribution and aromatic character in the first triplet excited state is studied. Although a direct link is not immediately visible, classifying the PBHs according to their annulation sequence reveals regularities. Based on these, a set of guidelines is defined to qualitatively predict the location of spin and paratropicity and the singlet-triplet energy gap in larger PBHs, using only their smaller tri- and tetracyclic components, and subsequently tested on larger systems.

A Large Starphene Comprising Pentacene Branches

Starphenes are attractive compounds due to their characteristic physicochemical properties that are inherited from acenes, making them interesting compounds for organic electronics and optics. However, the instability and low solubility of larger starphene homologs make their synthesis extremely challenging. Herein, we present a new strategy leading to pristine [16]starphene in preparative scale. Our approach is based on a synthesis of a carbonyl-protected starphene precursor that is thermally converted in a solid-state form to the neat [16]starphene, which is then characterised with a variety of analytical methods, such as ¹³ C CP-MAS NMR, TGA, MS MALDI, UV/Vis and FTIR spectroscopy. Furthermore, high-resolution STM experiments unambiguously confirm its expected structure and reveal a moderate electronic delocalisation between the pentacene arms. Nucleus-independent chemical shifts NICS(1) are also calculated to survey its aromatic character.

Time-Related Alteration of Aqueous-Phase Anthracene and Phenanthrene Photoproducts in the Presence of TiO2 Nanoparticles

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles (NPs) are photoactive environmental pollutants that can contaminate aquatic environments. Aqueous-phase interactions between PAHs and TiO₂-NPs are of interest due to their emerging environmental relevance, particularly with the deliberate application of TiO₂-NPs to remediate pollution events (e.g., oil spills). Our objective was to investigate anthracene (ANT) and phenanthrene (PHE) photoproduct formation and transformation following ultraviolet A (UVA) irradiation in the presence and absence of TiO₂-NPs. ANT and PHE solutions were prepared alone or in combination with TiO₂-NPs, UVA-irradiated, and either exposed to larval zebrafish or collected for chemical analyses of diverse hydroxylated PAHs (OHPAHs) and oxygenated PAHs (OPAHs). The expression profiles of genes encoding for enzymes involved in PAH metabolism showed PAH-specific and time-dependent inductions that demonstrated changes in PAH and photoproduct bioavailability in the presence of TiO₂-NPs. Chemical analyses of PAH/NP solutions in the absence of zebrafish larvae identified diverse photoproducts of differing size and ring arrangements, which suggested photodissociation, recombination, and ring re-arrangements of PAHs occurred either during or following UVA irradiation. Both ANT and PHE solutions showed heightened oxidative potential following irradiation, but TiO₂-NP-related increases in oxidative potential were PAH-specific. The exploitation of multiple analytical methods provided novel insights into distinct PAH photoactivity, TiO₂-NP influence on photoproduct formation in a PAH-specific manner, and the significant role time plays in photochemical processes.

Effect of Co-contamination by PAHs and Heavy Metals on Bacterial Communities of Diesel Contaminated Soils of South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

Diesel oil is the main source of energy used in Antarctica. Since diesel is composed of toxic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals, it represents a constant threat to the organisms inhabiting this continent. In the present study, we characterized the chemical and biological parameters of diesel-exposed soils obtained from King George Island in Antarctica. Contaminated soils present PAH concentrations 1000 times higher than non-exposed soils. Some contaminated soil samples also exhibited high concentrations of cadmium and lead. A 16S metagenome analysis revealed the effect of co-contamination on bacterial communities. An increase in the relative abundance of bacteria known as PAH degraders or metal resistant was determined in co-contaminated soils. Accordingly, the soil containing higher amounts of PAHs exhibited increased dehydrogenase activity than control soils, suggesting that the microorganisms present can metabolize diesel. The inhibitory effect on soil metabolism produced by cadmium was lower in diesel-contaminated soils. Moreover, diesel-contaminated soils contain higher amounts of cultivable heterotrophic, cadmium-tolerant, and PAH-degrading bacteria than control soils. Obtained results indicate that diesel contamination at King George island has affected microbial communities, favoring the presence of microorganisms capable of utilizing PAHs as a carbon source, even in the presence of heavy metals.

Removal of Bound PAH Residues in Contaminated Soils by Fenton Oxidation

The availability of bound residues of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in reference to their parent compounds, can be enhanced by microbial activity and chemical reactions, which pose severe risks for the ecosystems encompassing contaminated soils. Considerable attention has been raised on how to remove these bound residues from PAH-contaminated soils. This paper provides a novel application of Fenton oxidation in the removal of bound residues of model PAHs, such as naphthalene (NAP), acenaphthene (ACP), fluorene (FLU) and anthracene (ANT), from naturally contaminated soils. The citric acid-enhanced Fenton treatment resulted in the degradation of bound PAH residues that followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, with rate constants within 4.22 × 10−2, 1.25 × 10−1 and 2.72 × 10−1 h−1 for NAP, FLU, and ANT, respectively. The reactivity of bound PAH residues showed a correlation with their ionization potential (IP) values. Moreover, the degradation rate of bound PAH residues was significantly correlated with H2O2-Fe2+ ratio (m/m) and H2O2 concentrations. The highest removal efficiencies of bound PAH residues was up to 89.5% with the treatment of chelating agent oxalic acid, which was demonstrated to be superior to other acids, such as citric acid and hydrochloric acid. This study provides valuable insight into the feasibility of citric acid-Fenton and oxalic acid-Fenton treatments in rehabilitating bound PAH residues in contaminated soils.

Interaction mechanisms between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organic soil washing agents

Understanding interaction mechanisms between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and soil-washing agents can help in choosing efficient agents which are able to desorb and solubilize PAHs. This study investigated interaction mechanisms between pyrene and four washing agents including: two dissolved organic matters (DOM) F-DOM and CRC-DOM, and two commercial bio-based surfactants BBE-1000 and Supersolv using fluorescence spectroscopy combined with multivariate curve resolution alternating regression (MCR-AR). The efficiencies of these washing agents in removing PAHs from the soil were tested in a soil washing experiment. Pyrene showed π-π interactions with F-DOM and no interaction with CRC-DOM. This could be attributed to the more aromatic structures in F-DOM compared to CRC-DOM. The two DOMs were inefficient in soil washing which might be attributed to the relatively weak effect of π-π interactions in releasing PAHs from the soil. Interaction mechanisms between pyrene and the bio-based surfactants were elucidated with MCR-AR, which resolved three spectroscopically active species from pyrene emission spectra as a function of pyrene and bio-based surfactants concentrations. These species resembled pyrene emission in a polar and nonpolar microenvironment, respectively and of an excimer. Concentration profiles retrieved by the model for the three species showed that, below the critical micelle concentration (CMC), Supersolv created more nonpolar interactions with pyrene compared to BBE-1000. In soil washing, Supersolv showed the highest efficiency in extracting PAHs from the soil. This highlighted the importance of nonpolar interactions in desorbing PAHs from soils, which could then be solubilized in micelles. This study demonstrated the potential of fluorescence spectroscopy combined with the MCR-AR model for selecting efficient soil-washing agents.

Analysis of Photoirradiated Water Accommodated Fractions of Crude Oils Using Tandem TIMS and FT-ICR MS

For the first time, trapped ion mobility spectrometry (TIMS) in tandem with Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) is applied to the analysis of the low energy water accommodated fraction (WAF) of a crude oil as a function of the exposure to light. The TIMS-FT-ICR MS analysis provided, in addition to the heteroatom series identification, new insights into the WAF isomeric complexity (e.g., [m/z; chemical formula; collision cross section] data sets) for a better evaluation of the degree of chemical and structural photoinduced transformations. Inspection of the [m/z; chemical formula; collision cross section] data sets shows that the WAF composition changes as a function of the exposure to light in the first 115 h by initial photosolubilization of HC components and their photo-oxidation up to O_4-5 of mainly high double bond equivalence species (DBE > 9). The addition of high resolution TIMS (resolving power of 90-220) to ultrahigh resolution FT-ICR MS (resolving power over 400k) permitted the identification of a larger number of molecular components in a single analysis (e.g., over 47k using TIMS-MS compared to 12k by MS alone), with instances of over 6-fold increase in the number of molecular features per nominal mass due to the WAF isomeric complexity. This work represents a stepping stone toward a better understanding of the WAF components and highlights the need for better experimental and theoretical approaches to characterize the WAF structural diversity.

Characteristics of Atmospheric Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Gas and Particle Phase in April and July 2011 in Beijing, China

Presence of atmospheric PAHs in urban and suburban region (Beijing, China) was studied in April and July 2011. Forty-four pairs of gas and particle (TSP) phase samples were collected every six day by high volume (Hi-Vol) air samplers at four sampling sites, and determined separately by GC/MS based on USEPA Method TO-13A. Average total concentration (gas + particles) of PAHs (T-PAHs) was 135.1±49.0 ng/m3 and 181.2±40.9 ng/m3 in April and July, respectively. Gas phase PAHs (G-PAHs) was the major fraction, comprising 63–92% of T-PAHs. Lighter (2-, 3-, 4-ring) and heavier (5-,6-ring) PAHs were found predominantly in gas and particle phase, respectively. 2- to 6- ring PAHs contributed 10%, 53%, 26%, 7% and 4% of T-PAHs, respectively. Five major PAHs, naphthalene (NAP), fluorene (FLU), PHE, fluoranthene (FLA), and pyrene (PYR) contributed 70 – 90% of T-PAHs. G-PAHs increased significantly while PAHs in particle phase (P-PAHs) decreased from April to July. Volatilization from soil and more emission from power generation increase might explain the increase of G-PAHs, and the washout of P-PAHs along with particles might explain the decrease of P-PAHs. Given particulate organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) being well correlated, P-PAHs was moderately correlated with OC and EC, suggesting that there were other mechanisms contributing to P-PAHs different from those of OC/EC. Significant correlation between P-PAHs with SO2 and NO2 suggested coal combustion and automobile exhaust to be contamination contributors.

Environmental carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: photochemistry and phototoxicity

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of environmental contaminants that has long been of interest in the fields of organic chemistry, theoretical chemistry, physical chemistry, environmental science, toxicology, cancer research, and energy sciences. Concerning environmental science and cancer research, majority of the research has focused on the occurrence, environmental fate, degradation/remediation, chemical transformation, genotoxicity, metabolism and metabolic activation, DNA adduct formation, mutagenesis, and carcinogenesis. Although many books and reviews on these subjects have been published, PAH photochemistry and phototoxicity have received much less attention. Therefore, it is intended for this article to provide an up-to-date source of photochemical reaction, photo-transformation, and phototoxicity of PAHs and their oxygenated, nitrated, halogenated, and amino substituted derivatives on a molecular basis. A perspective for future work is also discussed.