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Occurrence, Transformation and Risk of Organic Pollutants

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 11226

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Prof. Dr. Jianteng Sun

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Guest Editor

School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming 525000, China
Interests: transformation of pollutants; metabolism; emerging pollutants; the regional occurrence of organic pollutants; risk assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Xiaolong Yu

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Guest Editor

School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming 525000, China
Interests: toxic effect; organic pollutants; ecological risk; proteomics; metabolomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The excessive use of organic chemicals resulted in global pollution. Organic pollutants, especially emerging POPs, are widely found in water, soil, and air; even their transformation products are detected in various organisms and humans. Biotransformation is an important behavior of organic pollutants in the environment. When environmental materials are used for remediation, the chemical degradation pathways and products may influence the fate and toxicity of organic pollutants. Most organic pollutants exhibit toxic effects to animals and humans. The adverse effects of organic pollutants and metabolites on plants and microorganisms are research hotspots. Evidence is still needed to clarify the occurrence and transformation behavior of organic pollutants, and further investigation of the risk of their transformation products also should be conducted. This new evidence would guide the improvement of policies to better control and manage organic pollution at global scale.

This Special Issue focuses on the current state of knowledge on the occurrence, transformation and risk of organic pollutants. Some examples of topics that could be addressed in this Special Issue are as follows:

Level and distribution of organic contaminants in the environment and organisms
Migration and biotransformation of organic pollutants in animals, plants, microbes, and humans
Environmental materials and chemical degradation methods for organic pollutants
Biodegradation methods for organic pollutants
Water and soil pollution remediation
Biological and ecological toxicities of organic pollutants and their metabolites
Human health risks of organic pollutants
Metabolomics, proteomics, and genomics
Emerging pollutants
Agricultural security and food safety

Dr. Jianteng Sun
Dr. Xiaolong Yu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

organic pollutants
environmental occurrence
migration and biotransformation
chemical degradation
biological and ecological risks
water pollution
soil pollution
environmental remediation
emerging pollutants

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 3302 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Metabolic Mechanism of Bacillus sp. LM24 under Abamectin Stress

by Yueping Zhu, Qilai Xie, Jinshao Ye, Ruzhen Wang, Xudong Yin, Wenyu Xie and Dehao Li

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3068; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043068 - 9 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1692

Abstract

Abamectin (ABM) has been recently widely used in aquaculture. However, few studies have examined its metabolic mechanism and ecotoxicity in microorganisms. This study investigated the molecular metabolic mechanism and ecotoxicity of Bacillus sp. LM24 (B. sp LM24) under ABM stress using intracellular metabolomics. The differential metabolites most affected by the bacteria were lipids and lipid metabolites. The main significant metabolic pathways of B. sp LM24 in response to ABM stress were glycerolipid; glycine, serine, and threonine; and glycerophospholipid, and sphingolipid. The bacteria improved cell membrane fluidity and maintained cellular activity by enhancing the interconversion pathway of certain phospholipids and sn-3-phosphoglycerol. It obtained more extracellular oxygen and nutrients to adjust the lipid metabolism pathway, mitigate the impact of sugar metabolism, produce acetyl coenzyme A to enter the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, maintain sufficient anabolic energy, and use some amino acid precursors produced during the TCA cycle to express ABM efflux protein and degradative enzymes. It produced antioxidants, including hydroxyanigorufone, D-erythroascorbic acid 1′-a-D-xylopyranoside, and 3-methylcyclopentadecanone, to alleviate ABM-induced cellular and oxidative damage. However, prolonged stress can cause metabolic disturbances in the metabolic pathways of glycine, serine, threonine, and sphingolipid; reduce acetylcholine production; and increase quinolinic acid synthesis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Transformation and Risk of Organic Pollutants)

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22 pages, 6465 KiB

Open AccessArticle

2D/2D Phosphorus-Doped g-C₃N₄/Bi₂WO₆ Direct Z-Scheme Heterojunction Photocatalytic System for Tetracycline Hydrochloride (TC-HCl) Degradation

by Xudong Yin, Xiaojie Sun, Dehao Li, Wenyu Xie, Yufeng Mao, Zhenghui Liu and Zhisen Liu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(22), 14935; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214935 - 13 Nov 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2068

Abstract

Bi₂WO₆-based heterojunction photocatalyst for antibiotic degradation has been a research hotspot, but its photocatalytic performance needs to be further improved. Therefore, 2D/2D P-doped g-C₃N₄/Bi₂WO₆ direct Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts with different composition ratios were prepared through three strategies of phosphorus (P) element doping, morphology regulation, and heterojunction, and the efficiency of its degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) under visible light was studied. Their structural, optical, and electronic properties were evaluated, and their photocatalytic efficiency for TC-HCl degradation was explored with a detailed assessment of the active species, degradation pathways, and effects of humic acid, different anions and cations, and water sources. The 30% P-doped g-C₃N₄/Bi₂WO₆ had the best photocatalytic performance for TC-HCl degradation. Its photocatalytic rate was 4.5-, 2.2-, and 1.9-times greater than that of g-C₃N₄, P-doped g-C₃N₄, and Bi₂WO₆, respectively. The improved photocatalytic efficiency was attributed to the synergistic effect of P doping and 2D/2D direct Z-scheme heterojunction construction. The stability and reusability of the 30% P-doped C₃N₄/Bi₂WO₆ were confirmed by cyclic degradation experiments. Radical scavenging experiments and electron spin resonance spectroscopy showed that the main active species were •O₂⁻ and h⁺. This work provides a new strategy for the preparation of direct Z-scheme heterojunction catalysts with high catalytic performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Transformation and Risk of Organic Pollutants)

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20 pages, 2393 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characteristics and Health Risks of Phthalate Ester Contamination in Soil and Plants in Coastal Areas of South China

by Huanhuan Xing, Xiaolong Yu, Jiahui Huang, Xiaodong Du, Mengting Wang, Jianteng Sun, Guining Lu and Xueqin Tao

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9516; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159516 - 3 Aug 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2486

Abstract

Phthalate esters (PAEs) are widely used as plasticizers in industrial and commercial products, and are classified as endocrine-disrupting compounds. In this study, we investigated the contamination characteristics and health risks of PAEs in the soil–plant system in coastal areas of South China. PAEs were detected in soil and plant samples at all 37 sampling sites. The total concentration of the 15 PAEs in soil samples ranged from 0.445 to 4.437 mg/kg, and the mean concentration was 1.582 ± 0.937 mg/kg. The total concentration of the 15 PAEs in plant samples ranged from 2.176 to 30.276 mg/kg, and the mean concentration was 8.712 ± 5.840 mg/kg. Di(2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) were the major PAEs compounds in all samples. The selected contaminants exhibited completely different spatial distributions within the study area. Notably, higher concentrations of PAEs were found in the coastal Guangdong Province of South China. The average noncarcinogenic risks of Σ6 PAEs were at acceptable levels via dietary and nondietary routes. However, the noncarcinogenic risks posed by DEHP and DBP at some sampling sites were relatively high. Furthermore, dietary and nondietary carcinogenic risks were very low for BBP, but carcinogenic risks posed by DEHP via diet. The results suggest that PAEs in the coastal soil–plant system in South China, through human risk assessment, will induce some adverse effects on human health, especially in children. This study provides an important basis for risk management of PAEs in agriculture, and safety in coastal areas of South China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Transformation and Risk of Organic Pollutants)

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14 pages, 1473 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Occurrence, Distribution, and Risk Assessment of Antibiotics in the Aquatic Environment of the Karst Plateau Wetland of Yangtze River Basin, Southwestern China

by Feng Guo, Yanan Wang, Jie Peng, Hetian Huang, Xiangting Tu, Hu Zhao, Nan Zhan, Zhu Rao, Gaofeng Zhao and Hongbo Yang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(12), 7211; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127211 - 12 Jun 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4171

Abstract

In this study, the occurrence, distribution, and ecological risk of 40 commonly used antibiotics, including 15 sulfonamides (SAs), 9 fluoroquinolones (FQs), 7 macrolides (MCs), 3 tetracyclines (TCs), 2 chloramphenicols (CAPs), and 4 other categories, in the aquatic environment of the karst plateau wetland Caohai of the Yangtze River basin in southwestern China are reported. In total, 27 antibiotics were detected, with the detection rate ranging from 5% to 100%. The total concentration at each site ranged from 21.8 ng/L to 954 ng/L, with the average concentration being 189 ng/L. FQs and MCs were the most predominant categories, contributing 29.3% and 25.0% of the total antibiotic burden. The five most commonly detected antibiotics were ciprofloxacin (CIP), oxytetracycline (OTC), acetyl sulfamethoxazole (ASMZ), norfloxacin (NOR), and florfenicol (FF). The spatial distribution of the total concentration at each site demonstrated a decreasing trend from the southeastern area upstream adjoining the main counties to the northwestern area downstream, indicating that human activities have a great impact. Meanwhile, the natural attenuation rates of different types of antibiotics in the direction of flow ranged from 17.6% to 100%, which implied the natural purification potential of the wetland for antibiotics. The cluster analysis results indicated that domestic sewage and wastewater from agriculture and animal husbandry were the main sources of contamination in the surrounding wetland. Risk quotients (RQs) assessment showed that most of the individuals were at low to medium risk and that the adverse risks posed by mixtures of antibiotics were higher than those posed by the individual antibiotics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Transformation and Risk of Organic Pollutants)

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