Airborne antibiotic and metal resistance genes - A neglected potential risk at e-waste recycling facilities

Heavy metal-rich environments can promote the selection of metal-resistance genes (MRGs) in bacteria, often leading to the simultaneous selection of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) through a process known as co-selection. To comprehensively evaluate the biological pollutants at electronic-waste (e-waste) recycling facilities, air, soil, and river samples were collected at four distinct Swiss e-waste recycling facilities and analyzed for ARGs, MRGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), endotoxins, and bacterial species, with correlations drawn to heavy metal occurrence. To our knowledge, the present work marks the first attempt to quantify these bio-pollutants in the air of e-waste recycling facilities, that might pose a significant health risk to workers. Although ARG and MRG's profiles varied among the different sample types, intl1 consistently exhibited high relative abundance rates, identifying it as the predominant MGE across all sample types and facilities. These findings underscore its pivol role in driving diverse bacterial adaptations to extreme heavy metal exposure by selection and dissemination of ARGs and MRGs. All air samples exhibited consistent profiles of ARGs and MRGs, with blaTEM emerging as the predominant ARG, alongside pbrT and nccA as the most prevalent MRGs. However, one facility, engaged in batteries recycling and characterized by exceptionally high concentrations of heavy metals, showcased a more diverse resistance gene profile, suggesting that bacteria in this environment required more complex resistance mechanisms to cope with extreme metal exposure. Furthermore, this study unveiled a strong association between gram-negative bacteria and ARGs and less with MRGs. Overall, this research emphasizes the critical importance of studying biological pollutants in the air of e-waste recycling facilities to inform robust safety measures and mitigate the risk of resistance gene dissemination among workers. These findings establish a solid foundation for further investigations into the complex interplay among heavy metal exposure, bacterial adaptation, and resistance patterns in such distinctive ecosystems.

Multiscale Analysis of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles in Tissue: Insights into Biodistribution and Biotransformation

Metal oxide nanoparticles have emerged as exceptionally potent biomedical sensors and actuators due to their unique physicochemical features. Despite fascinating achievements, the current limited understanding of the molecular interplay between nanoparticles and the surrounding tissue remains a major obstacle in the rationalized development of nanomedicines, which is reflected in their poor clinical approval rate. This work reports on the nanoscopic characterization of inorganic nanoparticles in tissue by the example of complex metal oxide nanoparticle hybrids consisting of crystalline cerium oxide and the biodegradable ceramic bioglass. A validated analytical method based on semiquantitative X-ray fluorescence and inductively coupled plasma spectrometry is used to assess nanoparticle biodistribution following intravenous and topical application. Then, a correlative multiscale analytical cascade based on a combination of microscopy and spectroscopy techniques shows that the topically applied hybrid nanoparticles remain at the initial site and are preferentially taken up into macrophages, form apatite on their surface, and lead to increased accumulation of lipids in their surroundings. Taken together, this work displays how modern analytical techniques can be harnessed to gain unprecedented insights into the biodistribution and biotransformation of complex inorganic nanoparticles. Such nanoscopic characterization is imperative for the rationalized engineering of safe and efficacious nanoparticle-based systems.

Dual-porous cellulose nanofibril aerogels via modular drying and cross-linking

Nanofibrillar foams and aerogels are traditionally either macroporous with low surface area and high mechanical strength, or mesoporous with high surface area and low mechanical strength. In this work, an anionic cellulose nanofibril (CNF)-based dual-porous aerogel with BET specific surface area up to 430 m2 g-1 was prepared via a modular process combining directional freeze-thawing (creating macro-pores, ca. 50-200 μm) and supercritical drying (creating meso-pores, ca. 2-50 nm). Furthermore, by optionally utilizing both physical and chemical cross-linking strategies, aerogels with a Young's modulus of up to 711 kPa and good stability in aqueous conditions were demonstrated. By altering cross-linking strategies, the properties of resulting aerogels, such as hydrophilicity, mechanical strength and stability in water, can be precisely controlled for different applications. As a result, cationic methylene blue (MB) and metal ions (Ag+) were chosen as model species to investigate the absorption properties of the physically cross-linked aerogels in water. The aerogels showed a maximum adsorption of MB up to 234 mg g-1 and of Ag+ up to 116 mg g-1 as a result of the high specific surface area of the aerogels and their strong electrostatic interaction with the model species. Importantly, the hierarchical dual porosity of the aerogels enabled fast adsorption kinetics combined with a considerable adsorption capacity overall. Finally, it was shown that the adsorbed Ag+ could be converted to metallic Ag, demonstrating the additional functionality of these dual porous hybrid aerogels for antibacterial or catalytic applications.

Multi-element chemical analysis of printed circuit boards - challenges and pitfalls

Printed circuit boards (PCB) are an essential component of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and account for roughly 5% of the mass of EEE. Knowledge about the chemical composition of PCB is crucial to enable an enhanced recycling, especially for elements considered critical regarding their economic importance and supply risk (e.g. precious metals or specialty metals such as tantalum, germanium, gallium). No standard reference methods exist for determining the chemical composition of PCB. Previously published element mass fractions cover a wide range and were produced with numerous methods for sample preparation, digestion, and measurement. This impedes comparability of PCB composition from different studies. To investigate sample- and element-specific effects of applied methods a PCB sample from desktop PC was analysed in two separate labs. One lab applied sample- and element-specific validated methods (aqua regia, HF, H₂SO₄ blend; ICP-OES, QQQ-ICP-MS), providing reference values, the other applied routine in-house methods (aqua regia; ICP-OES, ICP-MS) to assess the validity of in-house methods for chemical analysis of PCB. A t-test was used to identify elements depicting significant differences between validated and in-house methods. For base metals, in-house methods led to comparable results. For precious, specialty, and hazardous metals as well as REE investigated in this study, significant differences were detected. With respect to all results for in-house methods in this study, the combination of aqua regia and ICP-OES led to less significant differences than aqua regia and ICP-MS. The results show that sample- and element-specific quality assurance is crucial to prevent analytical bias.

High-performance carbon/MnO2 micromotors and their applications for pollutant removal

The wide applications of particulate micromotors in practice, especially in the removal of environmental pollutants, have been limited by the low production yields and demand on high concentration of fuel such as H₂O₂. Carbon/MnO₂ micromotors were made hydrothermally using different carbon allotropes including graphite, carbon nanotube (CNT), and graphene for treatment of methylene blue and toxic Ag ions. The obtained micromotors showed high speed of self-propulsion. The highest speed of MnO₂-based micromotors to date was observed for CNT/MnO₂ (>2 mm/s, 5 wt% H₂O₂, 0.5 wt% surfactant). Moreover, different from previous studies, even with low H₂O₂ concentration (0.5 wt%) and without surfactant addition, the micromotors could also be well dispersed in water by the O₂ stream released from their reaction with H₂O₂. The carbon/MnO₂ micromotors removed both methylene blue (>80%) and Ag ions (100%) effectively within 15 min by catalytic decomposition and adsorption. Especially high adsorption capacity of Ag (600 mg/g) was measured on graphite/MnO₂ and graphene/MnO₂ micromotors.

Functional lignocellulosic material for the remediation of copper(II) ions from water: Towards the design of a wood filter

In this study, the chemical modification of bulk beech wood is described along with its utilization as biosorbent for the remediation of copper from water. The material was prepared by esterification using anhydrides, and reaction conditions were optimized to propose a greener process, in particular by reducing the amount of solvent. This modification yields a lignocellulosic material whose native structure is preserved, with an increased amount of carboxylic groups (up to 3 mmol/g). We demonstrate that the material can remove up to 95% of copper from low concentration solutions (100- 500 ppm). The adsorption efficiency decreases with concentrated copper solutions, and we show that a limited number of -COOH groups participate in copper binding (ca. 0.1 Cu/-COOH). This result suggests a limited accessibility of -COOH groups in the wood scaffold. This was demonstrated by the characterization of -COOH and copper distributions inside wood. Raman and EDX imaging confirmed that most -COOH groups are located inside the wood cell walls, thereby limiting interactions with copper. According to this study, critical limitations of bulk wood as a biosorbent were identified, and the results will be used to improve the material and design an efficient wood filter for heavy metal remediation.

Refractive indices of layers and optical simulations of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells

Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ based solar cells have reached efficiencies close to 23%. Further knowledge-driven improvements require accurate determination of the material properties. Here, we present refractive indices for all layers in Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ solar cells with high efficiency. The optical bandgap of Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ does not depend on the Cu content in the explored composition range, while the absorption coefficient value is primarily determined by the Cu content. An expression for the absorption spectrum is proposed, with Ga and Cu compositions as parameters. This set of parameters allows accurate device simulations to understand remaining absorption and carrier collection losses and develop strategies to improve performances.

Agglomeration potential of TiO2 in synthetic leachates made from the fly ash of different incinerated wastes

Material flow studies have shown that a large fraction of the engineered nanoparticles used in products end up in municipal waste. In many countries, this municipal waste is incinerated before landfilling. However, the behavior of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) in the leachates of incinerated wastes has not been investigated so far. In this study, TiO₂ ENPs were spiked into synthetic landfill leachates made from different types of fly ash from three waste incineration plants. The synthetic leachates were prepared by standard protocols and two types of modified procedures with much higher dilution ratios that resulted in reduced ionic strength. The pH of the synthetic leachates was adjusted in a wide range (i.e. pH 3 to 11) to understand the effects of pH on agglomeration. The experimental results indicated that agglomeration of TiO₂ in the synthetic landfill leachate simultaneously depend on ionic strength, ionic composition and pH. However, when the ionic strength was high, the effects of the other two factors were masked. The zeta potential of the particles was directly related to the size of the TiO₂ agglomerates formed. The samples with an absolute zeta potential value < 10 mV were less stable, with the size of TiO₂ agglomerates in excess of 1500 nm. It can be deduced from this study that TiO₂ ENPs deposited in the landfill may be favored to form agglomerates and ultimately settle from the water percolating through the landfill and thus remain in the landfill.

“Water-in-salt” electrolytes enable the use of cost-effective aluminum current collectors for aqueous high-voltage batteries

Anodic aluminum dissolution is strongly suppressed in highly concentrated aqueous electrolytes.

Determination of non-gaseous and gaseous mercury fractions in unused fluorescent lamps: a study of different lamp types

Since incandescent light bulbs have been phased out in the European Union from 2009, the use of fluorescent lamps has drastically increased as a reliable, more energy-efficient and cost-effective alternative. State-of-the-art fluorescent lamps are dependent on mercury/mercury alloys, posing a risk for the consumer and the environment, and appropriate waste management is challenging. Consequently analytical methods to determine possible mercury species (non-gaseous/gaseous) in these lamps are of need. Here, a straightforward and wet-chemistry-based analytical strategy for the determination of gaseous and non-gaseous mercury in commercially available fluorescent lamps is presented. It can be adapted in any analytical laboratory, without or with only minimum modifications of already installed equipment. The analytical figures of merit, as well as application of the method to a series of commercially available fluorescent lamps, are presented. Out of 14 analysed and commercially available lamp types, results from this study indicate that only one contains a slightly higher amount of mercury than set by the legislative force. In all new lamps the amount of gaseous mercury is negligible compared with the non-gaseous fraction (88%-99% of total mercury).

Quantitative analysis of heavy metals in automotive brake linings: a comparison between wet-chemistry based analysis and in-situ screening with a handheld X-ray fluorescence spectrometer

Two extraction procedures for ecologically relevant elements present in automotive brake linings (Sb, Bi, Pb, Cd, Cr (total), Co, Cu, Mo, Ni, Sr, V, Zn, Sn) were developed and validated, applying a high pressure asher (HPA-S) and microwave extraction, respectively. Both of these methods allowed for the quantitative analysis of the extracted elements by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The results were compared to measurements using a handheld energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (ED-XRF), being in discussion by regulating agencies as in-situ screening tool for brake pads. The comparison indicates that the handheld ED-XRF analysis is basically an efficient screening tool for a reliable assessment of trace metal contents in automotive brake pads with respect to legal standards. While a quantitative determination of elements like Cd, Co, Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb and Sb was achievable, other elements (V, Cu, Bi, Zn, Sn and Sr) could only be determined qualitatively due to the special matrix characteristics of brake pads.

Real-world emission factors for antimony and other brake wear related trace elements: size-segregated values for light and heavy duty vehicles

Hourly trace element measurements were performed in an urban street canyon and next to an interurban freeway in Switzerland during more than one month each, deploying a rotating drum impactor (RDI) and subsequent sample analysis by synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (SR-XRF). Antimony and other brake wear associated elements were detected in three particle size ranges (2.5-10, 1-2.5, and 0.1-1 microm). The hourly measurements revealed that the effect of resuspended road dust has to be taken into account for the calculation of vehicle emission factors. Individual values for light and heavy duty vehicles were obtained for stop-and-go traffic in the urban street canyon. Mass based brake wear emissions were predominantly found in the coarse particle fraction. For antimony, determined emission factors were 11 +/- 7 and 86 +/- 42 microg km(-1) vehicle(-1) for light and heavy duty vehicles, respectively. Antimony emissions along the interurban freeway with free-flowing traffic were significantly lower. Relative patterns for brake wear related elements were very similar for both considered locations. Beside vehicle type specific brake wear emissions, road dust resuspension was found to be a dominant contributor of antimony in the street canyon.