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Toxics
Special Issues
Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) in the Water Cycle
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Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) in the Water Cycle

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Emerging Contaminants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 March 2025 | Viewed by 2676

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Mingce Long

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Guest Editor
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Interests: water pollution control; environmental functional material; advanced oxidation processes
Dr. Yu Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Environment, Beijing Normal University No 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, China 100875
Interests: water pollution control; membrane filtration; membrane fouling control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Chao Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, 500 N. Dongchuan Rd., Shanghai 200241, China
Interests: environmental functional material; advanced oxidation processes; waste resource utilization
Dr. Jie Miao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China
Interests: environmental catalysis; advanced oxidation processes; wastewater resource recovery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) constitute a group of chemical and biological contaminants (including antibiotics, microplastics, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, etc.) that can cause predictable hazards to ecosystems and public health. Recently, CECs have attracted increasing attention, especially in the field of water cycles. The aim of this Special Issue is to identify the sources and enviromental behaviors of CECs and the technologies to deal with the CECs in the water cycle. The scope of this Special Issue includes the following: (1) new technologies to remove CECs in water; (2) understanding the transport and transformation of CECs in the water cycle and evaluating their ecological impacts on freshwater and marine organisms; (3) developing new methods to detect CECs; (4) new risk assessment models; and other relevant topics. We encourage new interdisciplinary approaches to tackle the complex aquatic environmental problems caused by CECs. This Special Issue serves as an important addition to the existing literature, combining the results of research based on experimental data with international standards and policies to lead scientific inquiries up to a higher level.

Prof. Dr. Mingce Long
Dr. Yu Yang
Prof. Dr. Chao Chen
Dr. Jie Miao
Guest Editors

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. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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

  • contaminants of emerging concern
  • water remediation
  • microplastics
  • per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances
  • advanced oxidation processes
  • antibiotics.

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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24 pages, 2275 KiB  
Article
Toxicological and Biomarker Assessment of Freshwater Zebra Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) Exposed to Nano-Polystyrene
by Andrew Reynolds, Enya Cody, Michelle Giltrap and Gordon Chambers
Toxics 2024, 12(11), 774; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12110774 - 24 Oct 2024
Viewed by 607
Abstract
The presence of sub-micron-sized plastics in the environment has been increasing, with the possible risks of these particles remaining relatively unknown. In order to assess the toxicity of these particles, 100 nm diameter green fluorescent nano-polystyrene spheres (NPS) (20–60 mg/L) were exposed to [...] Read more.
The presence of sub-micron-sized plastics in the environment has been increasing, with the possible risks of these particles remaining relatively unknown. In order to assess the toxicity of these particles, 100 nm diameter green fluorescent nano-polystyrene spheres (NPS) (20–60 mg/L) were exposed to zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) to investigate the mortality, clearance rate and stress-related biomarker responses. D. polymorpha were collected and analysed with standard OECD toxicological tests and biomarker analysis to detect both physical and biochemical responses after exposure to NPS. The toxicity of the NPS to D. polymorpha was low, with 60 mg/L NPS causing a mortality rate of 11.1% at 96 h which was statistically significant compared to the 4.2% control. No statistical change could be found for the condition factor (kc) of D. polymorpha after NPS exposure. Clearance rates in D. polymorpha using R. subcapitata algae showed NPS-exposed mussels had a reduction of filtering efficiency of up to 30.5%. Bioassay testing shows a mixed but undeniably negative response from the D. polymorpha to the NPS, notably a significant rise in DNA Strand Breaks (DSB) and Metallothionein (MT) responses for high NPS concentrations. Additionally, Lipid Peroxidation (LPO) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay tests showed a significant increase in response from the higher (>40 mg/L) concentrations of NPS exposure. Although Glutathione S-Transferase (GST) assay showed no statistical change from the control for all NPS-exposed samples, an increase of 20% had occurred for 60 mg/L NPS. Overall, a minimal toxic response from D. polymorpha to the NPS exposure below 40 mg/L was seen. After 40 mg/L NPS, mussels presented more acute toxicity in terms of mortality, along with reduced algal clearance rates and anincrease in biomarker response. This study revealed a clear induction of oxidative stress and DSB in the digestive gland of zebra mussels following exposure to nano-polystyrene. While these findings provide valuable insights into the potential harmful effects of nanoplastics in freshwater bivalves, further studies are necessary to help understand the level of threat plastic pollution may pose to the health of freshwater ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) in the Water Cycle)
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20 pages, 6367 KiB  
Article
Efficient Degradation of Ofloxacin by Magnetic CuFe2O4 Coupled PMS System: Optimization, Degradation Pathways and Toxicity Evaluation
by Chuanhong Xing, Kang Chen, Limin Hu and Lanhua Liu
Toxics 2024, 12(10), 731; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12100731 - 10 Oct 2024
Viewed by 616
Abstract
Magnetic CuFe2O4 was prepared with the modified sol–gel method and used for enhanced peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation and ofloxacin (OFL) degradation. The OFL could almost degrade within 30 min at a catalyst dosage of 0.66 g/L, PMS concentration of 0.38 mM, [...] Read more.
Magnetic CuFe2O4 was prepared with the modified sol–gel method and used for enhanced peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation and ofloxacin (OFL) degradation. The OFL could almost degrade within 30 min at a catalyst dosage of 0.66 g/L, PMS concentration of 0.38 mM, and initial pH of 6.53 without adjustment, using response surface methodology (RSM) with Box-Behnken design (BBD). In the CuFe2O4/PMS system, the coexisting substances, including CO32−, NO3−, SO42−, Cl− and humic acid, have little effect on the OFL degradation. The system also performs well in actual water, such as tap water and surface water (Mei Lake), indicating the excellent anti-interference ability of the system. The cyclic transformation between Cu(II)/Cu(I) and Fe(III)/Fe(II) triggers the generation of active radicals including SO4•−, •OH, •O2− and 1O2. The OFL degradation pathway, mainly involving the dehydrogenation, deamination, hydroxylation, decarboxylation and carboxylation processes, was proposed using mass spectroscopy. Moreover, the toxicity assessment indicated that the end intermediates are environmentally friendly. This study is about how the CuFe2O4/PMS system performs well in PMS activation for refractory organic matter removal in wastewater. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) in the Water Cycle)
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12 pages, 1984 KiB  
Article
Plastic Pollution in Paradise: Analyzing Plastic Litter on Malta’s Beaches and Assessing the Release of Potentially Toxic Elements
by Piotr Jachimowicz, Barbara Klik and Adriana Dorota Osińska
Toxics 2024, 12(8), 568; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12080568 - 3 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1076
Abstract
This study investigates plastic litter on two beaches in Malta, Golden Bay and Rivera Beach, with a focus on plastic abundance, characteristics, sources, and the influence of human activity on pollution levels. Conducted in March 2023 during the low-tourist season, 13 sediment samples [...] Read more.
This study investigates plastic litter on two beaches in Malta, Golden Bay and Rivera Beach, with a focus on plastic abundance, characteristics, sources, and the influence of human activity on pollution levels. Conducted in March 2023 during the low-tourist season, 13 sediment samples were collected from a depth of 5 cm using a systematic square sampling method. Plastic litter was quantified and sorted by size, shape, color, and polymer type, and concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) were measured (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Fe via ICP-OES). Golden Bay exhibited significantly higher plastic quantities (53.9 ± 4.3 n/m2) compared to Rivera Beach (29.7 ± 4.0 n/m2). Microplastics were dominant on both beaches, with Golden Bay showing a higher proportion (57.0%) than Rivera Beach (50.6%). The plastic litter predominantly consisted of PE (59.6–68.0%) and PP (29.6–38.8%). Golden Bay plastics had PTE concentrations up to 4.9 times higher than those in Rivera Beach, notably for Mn (309.0 μg/g vs. 63.1 μg/g). This research contributes valuable insights into the dynamics of plastic pollution in coastal environments, particularly in areas influenced by tourism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) in the Water Cycle)
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