Biological degradation rates of estrogen compounds and common pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) were examined in soils with a long history of exposure to these compounds through wastewater effluent and in soil not previously exposed. Biological degradation rates over 14 days were compared under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Estrogen compounds including estrone, 17β-estradiol, estriol, and 17α-ethinylestradiol exhibited rapid degradation by soil microorganisms in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Rapid degradation rates for estrone, estriol, and 17α-ethinylestradiol occurred in pre-exposed soil under aerobic conditions; half-lives calculated under these conditions were 0.6, 0.7, and 0.8 day, respectively. Unexposed soil showed similar or slightly longer half-lives than pre-exposed soil under aerobic conditions. The exception was 17β-estradiol; in all treatments, degradation in unexposed soil resulted in a shorter half-life (2.1 versus 2.3 days). Anaerobic soils exhibited high biological degradation of estrogens as well. Half-lives of all estrogens ranged from 0.7 to 6.3 days in anaerobic soils. Triclosan degraded faster under aerobic conditions with half-lives of 5.9 and 8.9 days in exposed and unexposed soil. Under anaerobic conditions, triclosan half-lives were 15.3 days in unexposed and 28.8 days in exposed soil. Ibuprofen showed the least propensity toward biological degradation than other chemicals tested. Biological degradation of ibuprofen was only observed in unexposed soil; a half-life of 41.2 days was determined under anaerobic conditions and 121.9 days under aerobic conditions. Interestingly, unexposed soil exhibited a greater ability under anaerobic conditions to biologically degrade tested compounds than previously exposed soil.

In the last 10 years, the number of field applications of zero-valent iron differing from permeable reactive barrier has grown rapidly and at present are 112. This study analyzes and compares such field applications. By using statistical analysis, especially ANOVA and principal component analysis, this study shows that chlorinated solvent contamination can be treated efficiently by using zero-valent iron material singly or associated with other technologies. In the analyzed sample of case studies, the association with microbial dechlorination increased significantly the performances of nanoscale iron. This is likely due to the synergistic effect between the two processes. Millimetric iron was always used in association with source zone containment; therefore, it is not possible to distinguish the contributions of the two techniques. The comparison also shows that catalyst addition seems to not dramatically improve treatment efficiency and that such improvement is not statistically significant. Finally, the injection technology is correlated to the type of iron and to the soil permeability.

Surface coastal sediments (0–10 cm) collected from three natural environments on the Spanish Northern Atlantic Coast were analyzed so as to determine concentrations of 6 marker polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 12 dioxin-like PCBs (dl-PCBs) and 17 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). An analytical procedure based on Soxhlet extraction followed by an automated cleanup and final high-resolution gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry was applied for the determination of the persistent organic pollutants. Marker PCB levels ranged from 385.5 to 4,060.9 pg/g dry weight (d.w.) showing a similar congener pattern in all sediments dominated by the less volatile congeners PCB 153 and PCB 138. Linear correlations were found between marker and dl-PCBs. Toxicity equivalent values were calculated for PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs reaching its maximum at 0.52 pg WHO1998-TEQ/g d.w., with an average dl-PCBs contribution on the toxicity of the samples of 75%, and showing to be in good agreement with background levels in the North-East Atlantic Ocean Coasts of nearly 1 pg/g WHO1998-TEQ d.w. Dimensionless environmental quality criteria were much lower than 1 indicating the low probability to induce ecotoxicological impacts.

This work examined the removal of heavy metals in a system consisting of ultrafiltration (UF) or microfiltration (MF) membranes combined with sludge and minerals. The metals under examination were Ni(II), Cu(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II), while the system performance was investigated with respect to several operating parameters. Metal removal was achieved through various processes including chemical precipitation, biosorption, adsorption, ion exchange, and finally retention of the metals by the membranes. The pH had a profound effect on metal removal, as the alkaline environment favored the metal removal process. The use of sludge resulted in increased levels of metal uptake which was further enhanced with the addition of minerals. The metal removal mechanisms depended on the pH, the metal, and mineral type. The combined sludge–mineral–UF system could effectively remove metal ions at an alkaline environment (pH = 8), meeting the US EPA recommended long-term reuse limits of lead and copper and the short-term reuse limits of nickel and zinc for irrigation purposes, provided that specific mineral dosages were added.

Soil, olive leaves, and fruits, were sampled from an olive grove 200 ha, irrigated with treated municipal wastewater (TMWW), located at Al-Tafilah wastewater processing plant (WWPP), Jordan. Similar samples were also taken from plants not irrigated with TMWW (Control). The heavy metal and essential nutrients were determined in all samples, and the data were statistically processed. The following were found: Much smaller quantities of heavy metals than essential elements were accumulated in the leaves and fruits, the accumulation being independent of the TMWW heavy metal concentration, suggesting a selective uptake of the metals by the olive plants. Also the elemental interactions, which occurred in the olive fruits, contributed mainly essential nutrients and secondarily heavy metals. The trend of heavy metal transfer from soil to olive fruits, and leaves, was almost the same, showing a consistency of transfer.

We have examined populations of brown trout in low-conductivity mountain lakes (5.0–13.7 μS/cm and 0.14–0.41 mg/l Ca) in southwestern Norway during the period 2000–2010. Inlets to the lakes were occasionally even more dilute (2007; conductivity = 2.9–4.8 μS/cm and Ca = 0.06–0.17 mg/l). The combination of pH and conductivity was the best predictor to fish status (CPUE), indicating that availability of essential ions was the primary restricting factor to fish populations in these extremely diluted water qualities. We suggest that conductivity <5 μS/cm is detrimental to early life stages of brown trout, and subsequently that there are lakes in these mountains having too low conductivity to support self-reproducing trout populations. Limited significance of alkalinity, Ca, Al, and color suggests that effects of ion deficit apparently overruled the effects of other parameters.

Two commercially available aerobic bioremediation methods (Daramend® and BioSan) were utilized to study the aerobic biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and the effect of the simultaneously present arsenic. The soil was collected at an old wood preservation site, and the initial PAH₁₆-concentration was 46 mg/kg, with mainly high molecular weight congeners. The As concentration was 105 mg/kg with low availability as assessed with sequential extraction. To enhance the availability of PAH, the effect of a nonionic surfactant was evaluated. Degradation of both low and high molecular weight PAH was observed; however, after 30 weeks, the degradation was generally low and no treatment was significantly better than the others. The treatments had, on the other hand, an effect on As remobilization, with increased As concentration in the available fraction after treatment. This may be due to both the microbial activity and the presence of anoxic microsites in the soil. The overall efficiency of the biological treatment was further evaluated using the standardized ecotoxicity test utilizing Vibrio fischeri (Microtox®). The toxicity test demonstrated that the bioremediation led to an increase in toxicity, especially in treatments receiving surfactant. The surfactant implied an increase in contaminant availability but also a decrease in surface tension, which might have contributed to the overall toxicity increase.

This study assessed the effect of biosolids applied at rates, 0, 30, 45, and 60 Mg ha−1 on the chemical associations and bioavailability of Cu and Zn in soils from an important agricultural zone of the Metropolitan Region in Central Chile. Three methods were used to determine the bioavailability of Cu and Zn in soils: ryegrass (Lolium perenne) plants, diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique, and Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction. The DGT effective concentration (C E) and sequential extract acid soluble fraction of the BCR extraction (most labile fraction of the soils, normally associated with bioavailability) were compared with total metal concentration in ryegrass plants as a means to compare the chemical and biological measures of bioavailability. Total Zn was higher in comparison to Cu for all treatments. Concentrations were within the limits set by the Chilean regulations for land-applied biosolids. Metals in the control soil were primarily found in the residual fraction of soils. Biosolids application generally decreased this fraction, with a subsequent increase observed mainly in the acid soluble fraction. The contents of Cu and Zn in ryegrass plants increased with increasing rates of biosolids. Comparison of the Cu and Zn content in ryegrass plants with C E, showed a good correlation for Zn. However, the C E for soil Cu was only related to plant Cu for some of the soils studied. Correlation between Zn in ryegrass plants and the labile fraction of Zn as measured by the sequential extraction was excellent, with correlation coefficients >0.9, while for Cu, correlation coefficients were lower.

The present study is an attempt to assess the heavy metal contamination in the marine environment of the Arabian Gulf of Saudi Arabia. The concentrations of heavy metals in water and the soft tissues of the bivalve species Meretrix meretrix Linnaeus, 1758, from different stations along the Arabian Gulf coastline, were determined during the summer season of 2008. Bioaccumulation of some heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn) in fresh parts of the clam (M. meretrix) was measured by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The average concentrations of heavy metals in the clam tissues were 0.224-0.908, 0.294-2.496, 3.528-8.196, and 12.864-24.56 mg/kg wet weight for Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn, respectively. In water, the mean concentration values of these metals were arranged in the following descending order: Pb > Cu > Zn > Cd. The heavy metal concentrations in tissues of M. meretrix were within the acceptable standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Commission Européenne, and the Food and Drug Administration of the USA. From the human public health point of view, these results seem to show no possibility of acute toxicities of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn if the edible clam is consumed. It is recommended that relevant authorities should carry out a continual assessment on the levels of these pollutants in the studied area.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a novel adsorbent (Fe(III)-AM-PGMACell), Iron(III)-coordinated amino-functionalized poly(glycidyl methacrylate)-grafted cellulose for the adsorption of arsenic(V) from aqueous solutions. The Fe(III)-AM-PGMACell was prepared through graft copolymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto cellulose (Cell) in the presence of N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a cross linker using benzoyl peroxide initiator, followed by treatment with ethylenediamine and ferric chloride in the presence of HCl. Batch experiments were performed to evaluate the adsorption efficiency of Fe(III)-AM-PGMACell towards As(V) ions. The contact time to attain equilibrium and the optimum pH were 90 min and 6.0, respectively. More than 99.0% adsorption was achieved from an initial concentration of 25.0 mg/L. A two-step pseudo-first-order kinetic model agreed well with the dynamic behavior for the adsorption process. Equilibrium data fitted well with Sips isotherm model with maximum adsorption capacity of 78.8 mg/g at 30°C. The desorption of As(V) was achieved over 98.0% with 0.1 M NaCl solution.