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Degradation of Drugs and Organic Pollutants in Wastewater
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Degradation of Drugs and Organic Pollutants in Wastewater

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2024) | Viewed by 9586

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Antonietta Siciliano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy
Interests: terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecotoxicity; water treatment; emerging contaminants; rare earth elements (REE); human and environmental health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Emerging contaminants (EC) and regulated organic pollutants have gained a great deal of attention worldwide. In recent decades, both emerging (e.g., drugs and personal care products), organic pollutants (e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls, Hexachlorocyclohexane), and their degradation products play a new global water quality challenge, with potential to pose a serious threat to human health and ecosystems. For this reason, numerous researchers are focusing their efforts to: i) identify, detect, and quantify the distribution of point and diffuse sources of emerging and organic pollutants in water systems; ii) develop analytical tools for their quantitative determination and the identification of degradation products; iii) investigate the degradation/removal under various conditions; iv) evaluate the toxicity and/or environmental risk of degradation products (more or less hazardous than their parent compounds). 

This Special Issue will comprise research papers, short communications, and reviews related to the current level of understanding for the fate of degradation products of emerging and organic pollutants. Manuscripts dedicated to new advancements and trends of analytical approaches in environmental matrices, treatment technologies, green analytical chemistry, as well as ecotoxicological impacts on both terrestrial and aquatic organisms are welcome.

I warmly invite our colleagues to submit their original contributions to this Special Issue in order to provide a broad overview of the potential approaches for understanding of the chemical fate and characteristics of pollutants and their derivatives in the environment.

Dr. Antonietta Siciliano
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • emerging contaminants
  • one health
  • monitoring
  • transformation products
  • by-products
  • analytical methods
  • ecotoxicity

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2403 KiB  
Article
Degradation Acyclovir Using Sodium Hypochlorite: Focus on Byproducts Analysis, Optimal Conditions and Wastewater Application
by Antonio Medici, Mauro De Nisco, Giovanni Luongo, Giovanni Di Fabio, Marcello Brigante and Armando Zarrelli
Molecules 2024, 29(16), 3783; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29163783 - 9 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1131
Abstract
In recent years, the environmental impact of pharmaceutical residues has emerged as a pressing global concern, catalyzed by their widespread usage and persistence in aquatic ecosystems. Among these pharmaceuticals, acyclovir (ACV) stands out due to its extensive prescription during medical treatments for herpes [...] Read more.
In recent years, the environmental impact of pharmaceutical residues has emerged as a pressing global concern, catalyzed by their widespread usage and persistence in aquatic ecosystems. Among these pharmaceuticals, acyclovir (ACV) stands out due to its extensive prescription during medical treatments for herpes simplex virus, chickenpox, and shingles, as well as its heightened usage amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. ACV is excreted largely unchanged by the human body, leading to significant environmental release through wastewater effluents. The urgency of addressing ACV’s environmental impact lies in its potential to persist in water bodies and affect aquatic life. This persistence underscores the critical need for effective degradation strategies that can mitigate its presence in aquatic systems. This study focuses on employing sodium hypochlorite as an oxidative agent for the degradation of ACV, leveraging its common use in wastewater treatment plants. Our research aims to explore the kinetics of ACV degradation, identify and characterize its degradation byproducts, and optimize the conditions under which complete degradation can be achieved. By assessing the efficiency of sodium hypochlorite in real wastewater samples, this study seeks to provide practical insights into mitigating ACV contamination in aquatic environments. The novelty of this research lies in its comprehensive approach to understanding the degradation pathways of ACV and evaluating the feasibility of using sodium hypochlorite as a sustainable solution in wastewater treatment. By addressing the environmental concerns associated with ACV and offering practical solutions, this study contributes to the broader goal of sustainable pharmaceutical waste management and environmental stewardship. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Degradation of Drugs and Organic Pollutants in Wastewater)
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15 pages, 1391 KiB  
Article
Assessment of the Effects of Chitosan, Chitooligosaccharides and Their Derivatives on Lemna minor
by Bianca-Vanesa Boros, Daniela Dascalu, Vasile Ostafe and Adriana Isvoran
Molecules 2022, 27(18), 6123; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27186123 - 19 Sep 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2402
Abstract
Chitosan, chitooligosaccharides and their derivatives’ production and use in many fields may result in their release to the environment, possibly affecting aquatic organisms. Both an experimental and a computational approach were considered for evaluating the effects of these compounds on Lemna minor. [...] Read more.
Chitosan, chitooligosaccharides and their derivatives’ production and use in many fields may result in their release to the environment, possibly affecting aquatic organisms. Both an experimental and a computational approach were considered for evaluating the effects of these compounds on Lemna minor. Based on the determined EC50 values against L. minor, only D-glucosamine hydrochloride (EC50 = 11.55 mg/L) was considered as “slightly toxic” for aquatic environments, while all the other investigated compounds, having EC50 > 100 mg/L, were considered as “practically non-toxic”. The results obtained in the experimental approach were in good agreement with the predictions obtained using the admetSAR2.0 computational tool, revealing that the investigated compounds were not considered toxic for crustacean, fish and Tetrahymena pyriformis aquatic microorganisms. The ADMETLab2.0 computational tool predicted the values of IGC50 for Tetrahymena pyriformis and the LC50 for fathead minnow and Daphnia magna, with the lowest values of these parameters being revealed by totally acetylated chitooligosaccharides in correlation with their lowest solubility. The effects of the chitooligosaccharides and chitosan on L. minor decreased with increased molecular weight, increased with the degree of deacetylation and were reliant on acetylation patterns. Furthermore, the solubility mainly influenced the effects on the aqueous environment, with a higher solubility conducted to lower toxicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Degradation of Drugs and Organic Pollutants in Wastewater)
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Review

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19 pages, 1298 KiB  
Review
Catalytic Activity of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) in Advanced Oxidation Processes of Wastewater Pollutants: A Review
by Lorenzo Saviano, Antonios Apostolos Brouziotis, Edith Guadalupe Padilla Suarez, Antonietta Siciliano, Marisa Spampinato, Marco Guida, Marco Trifuoggi, Donatella Del Bianco, Maurizio Carotenuto, Vincenzo Romano Spica, Giusy Lofrano and Giovanni Libralato
Molecules 2023, 28(17), 6185; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28176185 - 22 Aug 2023
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2838
Abstract
In recent years, sewage treatment plants did not effectively remove emerging water pollutants, leaving potential threats to human health and the environment. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have emerged as a promising technology for the treatment of contaminated wastewater, and the addition of catalysts [...] Read more.
In recent years, sewage treatment plants did not effectively remove emerging water pollutants, leaving potential threats to human health and the environment. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have emerged as a promising technology for the treatment of contaminated wastewater, and the addition of catalysts such as heavy metals has been shown to enhance their effectiveness. This review focuses on the use of rare earth elements (REEs) as catalysts in the AOP process for the degradation of organic pollutants. Cerium and La are the most studied REEs, and their mechanism of action is based on the oxygen vacancies and REE ion concentration in the catalysts. Metal oxide surfaces improve the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to form hydroxide species, which degrade the organics. The review discusses the targets of AOPs, including pharmaceuticals, dyes, and other molecules such as alkaloids, herbicides, and phenols. The current state-of-the-art advances of REEs-based AOPs, including Fenton-like oxidation and photocatalytic oxidation, are also discussed, with an emphasis on their catalytic performance and mechanism. Additionally, factors affecting water chemistry, such as pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, inorganic species, and natural organic matter, are analyzed. REEs have great potential for enhancing the removal of dangerous organics from aqueous solutions, and further research is needed to explore the photoFenton-like activity of REEs and their ideal implementation for wastewater treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Degradation of Drugs and Organic Pollutants in Wastewater)
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19 pages, 4483 KiB  
Review
Environmental Fate of Organic Sunscreens during Water Disinfection Processes: The Formation of Degradation By-Products and Their Toxicological Profiles
by Antonio Medici, Giovanni Luongo, Giovanni Di Fabio and Armando Zarrelli
Molecules 2022, 27(14), 4467; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27144467 - 13 Jul 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2193
Abstract
The development of any commercial product should also be aimed at reducing the risk associated with it, according to the safe-by-design concept; that is, risk assessment should always be at the center of the design, and the impact on human and environmental health [...] Read more.
The development of any commercial product should also be aimed at reducing the risk associated with it, according to the safe-by-design concept; that is, risk assessment should always be at the center of the design, and the impact on human and environmental health should be assessed and eliminated during the product development phase and not afterwards. Unfortunately, even today, most operators in any production sector implement the philosophy of “risk management” or rather of managing the problem when it occurs, using spot interventions instead of changing the approach. This argument is also valid in the production of solar filters, which have reached a satisfactory degree of efficiency in the face of a substantial underestimation of the risks associated with their possible environmental fate. In fact, solar filters have been found in bathing waters and their environmental fate may depend on various factors such as the pH of the water, the presence of organic material, metal ions and light, and, above all, the chemical agents used in the disinfection of the water itself. Thus, during disinfection processes, the generation of dozens of products with a lower molecular weight and generally of an aromatic nature has been tested, where some of them did not receive an exact structural definition and a precise evaluation of their precise toxicological profile. Therefore, it is interesting to draw a complete picture of organic sunscreens and of the byproducts obtained under different conditions and their related ecotoxicological profile. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Degradation of Drugs and Organic Pollutants in Wastewater)
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