Residues of atrazine and diuron in rice straw, soils, and air post herbicide-contaminated straw biomass burning.

This study investigates the environmental impact of burning herbicide-contaminated biomass, focusing on atrazine (ATZ) and diuron (DIU) sprayed on rice straw prior to burning. Samples of soil, biomass residues, total suspended particulate (TSP), particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 µm (PM10), and aerosols were collected and analyzed. Soil analysis before and after burning contaminated biomass showed significant changes, with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) initially constituting 79.2% and decreasing by 3.3 times post-burning. Atrazine-desethyl, sebuthylazine, and terbuthylazine were detected post-burning. In raw rice straw biomass, terbuthylazine dominated at 80.0%, but burning ATZ-contaminated biomass led to the detection of atrazine-desethyl and notable increases in sebuthylazine and terbuthylazine. Conversely, burning DIU-contaminated biomass resulted in a shift to 2,4-D dominance. Analysis of atmospheric components showed changes in TSP, PM10, and aerosol samples. Linuron in ambient TSP decreased by 1.6 times after burning ATZ-contaminated biomass, while atrazine increased by 2.9 times. Carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including benzo[a]anthracene (BaA), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), and benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF), increased by approximately 9.9 to 13.9 times after burning ATZ-contaminated biomass. In PM10, BaA and BaP concentrations increased by approximately 11.4 and 19.0 times, respectively, after burning ATZ-contaminated biomass. This study sheds light on the environmental risks posed by burning herbicide-contaminated biomass, emphasizing the need for sustainable agricultural practices and effective waste management. The findings underscore the importance of regulatory measures to mitigate environmental contamination and protect human health.

Blocking bacterial appendage attachment to wastewater treatment membranes using anti-adhesins.

Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) suffer from high operational and cleaning costs due to biofouling. The biofouling begins when the adhesins (an anchor-type epitope made up of polar and charged amino acids) on microbial appendages bind to the surface. Two different compounds-dodecyl-ß-D-maltoside (DDM) and methyl α-d-mannopyranoside (MeαMan)-were investigated as possible biofilm mitigation tools due to their documented anti-adhesin properties in the biomedical field. DDM prevented up to 56.3, 87.0, and 67.6% of the formation of Pseudomonas putida, Escherichia coli and wastewater culture biofilms, respectively, in microplate experiments. MeαMan increased biofilm in the microplates. In a biofilm reactor setting, DDM was then applied on typical membrane materials, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyamide, polyether-sulfone, and polyacrylonitrile and prevented 79.4, 62.5, 81.3, and 68.2% of the detectable wastewater culture biofilm formation, respectively. The mechanism of anti-adhesion was the binding of the polar head of the DDM to the polar amino acids of the microbial appendages in conjunction with the orientation of the DDM as it binds different membrane materials. If the anti-adhesins are effective at increasing the distance of the bacteria from the membrane materials, they will serve as a new method for delaying biofouling.

Combining environmental, health, and safety features with a conductor like Screening Model for selecting green solvents for antibiotic analyses.

Extraction and chromatographic techniques for analyzing pharmaceutically active compounds necessitate large quantities of organic solvents, resulting in a high volume of hazardous waste. The concept of green solvents focuses on protecting the environment by reducing or even eliminating the use of toxic solvents. The main objective of this critical review article is to build a framework for choosing green solvents for antibiotic analyses. The article briefly discusses the chemical properties of ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, and trimethoprim, and the current state of methodologies for their analyses in water and wastewater. It evaluates the greenness of solvents used for antibiotic analyses and includes insights on the comparison between conventional and green solvents for the analyses. An economic and environmental health and safety analysis combined with a Conductor-like Screening Model for Real Solvent (COSMO-RS) molecular simulation technique for predicting extraction efficiency was used in the evaluation. Methyl acetate and propylene carbonate tied for the greenest solvents from an environmental and economic perspective, whereas the COSMO-RS approach suggests dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as the most suitable candidate. Although DMSO ranked third environmentally and economically, after methyl acetate and propylene carbonate, it would be an ideal replacement of hazardous solvents if it could be manufactured at a lower cost. DMSO showed the highest extraction capacity, as it can interact with antibiotics through hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding. This article can be used as a green solvent selection guide for developing sustainable processes for antibiotic analyses.