Prospecting toxicity of octocrylene in Allium cepa L. and Eisenia fetida Sav

Octocrylene sunscreen is found in different environmental compartments. Unlike aquatic organisms, there are few studies evaluating the adverse effects caused by this pollutant on terrestrial plants, and no studies on soil fauna. In this study, octocrylene was evaluated at concentrations of 10, 100, and 1000 µg/L for phytotoxicity, cytogenotoxicity, and oxidative stress in Allium cepa L., and acute toxicity and oxidative stress in Eisenia fetida Sav. In A. cepa, at concentrations of 100 and 1000 µg/L, octocrylene reduced the germination potential in seeds, inhibited root elongation, and caused disturbance in cell division in roots. In E. fetida, the concentration of 1000 µg/L promoted an avoidance rate of 80%, while 10 µg/L caused a hormesis effect. The concentrations 100 and 1000 µg/L caused lipid peroxidation in A. cepa and E. fetida. Based on the results, the recurrent use of biosolids in soil fertilization, as well as the irrigation of plants with wastewater, with the presence of octocrylene can negatively impact the survival of different species that depend directly or indirectly on the soil.

Multivariate optimization approach applied to natural polymers from Ceratonia siliqua L. and Moringa oleifera Lam as coagulating/flocculating agents

In this study, a multivariate 23 experimental design was applied to optimize the operational conditions (seed mass, salt concentration, and pH) to employ Ceratonia siliqua L. (carob) and Moringa oleifera Lam (moringa) as coagulating/flocculating agents for water treatment. Currently, the coagulation stage in water treatment uses aluminium compounds, due to the characteristic reaction to natural alkalinity in raw water, and for its low market value. Considering that aluminium effects on human health are not sufficiently studied to acknowledge its toxicity, and its significant environmental impacts, it is suitable for the studies to search for alternatives to be employed in the water treatment that will be distributed to human consumption. This study was carried out with raw water of high turbidity level, 83.7 NTU. The raw water collected was also characterized according to pH, colour, Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC), and Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM), with values of 6.7, 178 NTU, 6.80, 2.45 and 138.58 mg/L, respectively. The optimized results showed that with 2 g of seed, 0.5 mol L-1 of NaCl, and pH 11.0 In these conditions, moringa coagulant reached 90%, 86%, 6%, 67%, and 81% for turbidity, colour, DOC, TOC, and DOM removal, respectively, whereas the carob coagulant achieved 85%, 76%, 5%, 55.6%, 66.7%, respectively for the same parameters' removal. Both coagulants presented lower sludge formation, 1.1 mL L^-1 for moringa coagulant, and 1.1 mL L^-1 for carob coagulant. The results could be considered promises, and natural polymers carob and moringa can be suggested as alternatives agents in coagulation/flocculation stages for water treatment.

Zinc adsorption from aqueous solution on biosorbent from urban pruning waste

In this study, urban pruning waste biosorbent after thermal activation process was used to remove zinc ion from aqueous solution. The zinc adsorption was fast, with values above 98.0% removal after 5 min. The maximum removal achieved was 99.4% in 360 min, at 30°C, pH 5.0, and initial zinc concentration of 10 mg L^-1. The adsorption process was adequately described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R² = 1.000), and data obtained from batch adsorption experiments fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity of zinc onto urban pruning waste biosorbent was 18.382 mg g^-1 at 30°C. Thus, it is concluded that urban pruning waste can be used as a low-cost alternative biosorbent to remove zinc in aqueous solutions.