The discharge of effluents containing organic dyes extensively used in the industry is a matter of concern because these pollutants can cause harmful effects in the environment and human health. In this work, magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles coated with κ-carrageenan/silica organic/inorganic hybrid shells were synthesized and used as novel adsorbents for the magnetically assisted removal of methylene blue (MB) from water. The kinetics of adsorption was well predicted using the pseudo-second-order equation. These hybrid materials exhibited high adsorption capacity (530 mg/g maximum) that could be ascribed to surfaces enriched with ester sulfate groups due to extensive grafting of κ-carrageenan over the siliceous domains by using a new surface modification method. The sorbents were long-term colloidal stable and could be easily regenerated after rinsing with KCl aqueous solution. The MB removal efficiency over six consecutive adsorption/desorption cycles was above 97%, which demonstrates the reusability potential and robustness of these hybrid sorbents. This is a new type of adsorbent that promises extensive application in the removal of organic dyes from wastewaters using magnetic separation technologies.

A quantitative microbial risk assessment method can be used to evaluate infections probabilities for microorganisms in a specific place. The methodology provides suitable information to generate strategies focusing on health problems. Giardia cysts (GC) and Cryptosporidium oocysts (CO) are considered emerging pathogens that can infect human and animals by ingesting contaminated food or water, where food and water are transport vehicles for these parasites. Studies for GC and CO have reported occurrences for these parasites in water up to 100%, and some of these studies documented a number of cases, about 403,000 people, infected worldwide. This review is focused on compiling the most relevant works assessing the risk for GC and CO and their presence in different water samples that are susceptible for direct and indirect human consumption. The annual risk infection probability for these parasites has been reported from different water sources, with a range between 1 × 10⁻⁶ and 1, while the world standard regulation is 1 × 10⁻⁴. The infection probability depends not only on water quality but also on water treatment implementations.

Leaching of polyurethane systems for waterproofing purposes of buildings was investigated in this study. As the curing step is the crucial point for potential impacts on the environment, leaching during this period was assessed by applying three different catalysts, in different amounts as well as two eluents. A modified and intensified version of the European horizontal dynamic surface leaching test was used. Complex assessment of all observed parameters was performed by using chemical as well as ecotoxicological tests. Inorganic and organic parameters were detected in a multi-method approach. The study was supplemented by an aquatic ecotoxicological assay on freshwater algae Desmodesmus subspicatus and a terrestrial assay with Enchytraeus albidus. While sum parameters like pH stayed constant over the test period, up to a maximum of 0.004 mmol/l Zn could be leached from one of the systems used in the intensified tank leaching test. Leaching of organic compounds reached a maximum (612 mmol/l) during the first leaching steps and decreased rapidly to a minimum. Ecotoxicological tests confirm the first leaching steps to be crucial as well as the dosage of the catalyst. Soil tests with E. albidus showed a realistic impact of the eluates on the environment.

The current study aims to tackle one of the main obstacles in the application of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) technology, i.e., the extreme slow growth of the Anammox bacteria. Three conventional sludge has been tested in sequencing batch reactor for Anammox enrichment, including conventional aerobic sludge, denitrification sludge, and anaerobic sludge. With a high selection stress and insufficient oxygen control, the reactor seeded with aerobic sludge reached 50–60% total nitrogen removal after 240 days whereas that seeded with anaerobic sludge failed to establish Anammox activity. Anammox process was successfully established in the reactor seeded with denitrification sludge with a total nitrogen removal of approximately 80% after 150 days under strict oxygen control (DO <0.2 mg/L) and low selection stress. Under the same operational condition, the reactor seeded with anaerobic sludge reached only 20–30% total nitrogen removal. All the reactors experienced fluctuating performances during the enrichment process, which was believed to be the consequence of inhibitory factors such as dissolved oxygen, nitrite and free ammonia as well as undesirable coexisting bacteria which compete for the same substrate. The denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) band from the amplified DNA samples extracted from different enrichment stage showed a clear evolution of the microbial composition as reflected by the change in the band locations and their intensity.

Inter-basin water transfer and source water switching will be increasingly launched due to significant population increase and the shortage of the local water resources in cities around the world. Source water switch may cause physiochemical and microbiological de-stabilization of pipe material, biofilms, and loose deposits in drinking water distribution system (DWDS). Great sulfate alteration during source water switch had been deemed as the main cause of a red water case that occurred in a northern China city. To ascertain the relationship between water quality changing and bacterial communities of biofilms in DWDS and possible bacteria risk in a red water case, water quality changing experiments in simulated DWDSs were conducted for approximately 2 years. Twenty-five corrosion scale samples and eight water samples collected from pipe harvest sites or during experimental periods were analyzed for their bacterial community composition by 454-pyrosequencing technology. Taxonomy results together with redundancy analysis (RDA) or canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis all indicated that bacterial community of samples with groundwater (GW) or surface water (SW) supply history and their variations under high sulfate water were rather different owing to different water source histories and the original pipe scale characteristics. Potential opportunistic pathogens: Burkholderia, Escherichia-Shigella, Mycobacterium, Serratia, Ralstonia, Novosphingobium, Flavobacterium, Sphingomonas, and Sphingopyxis were observed in scale or water samples.

The electrochemical oxidation (ECO) of carbamazepine (CBZ), an antiepileptic drug, has been carried out in this study. A response surface methodology approach (RSM) was used in order to optimize the treatment process for CBZ removal on synthetic effluent. Four different operating parameters (current intensity, treatment time, recycling flow rate, and anode type) were chosen as key factors while a single response (CBZ removal) was considered. In the first part of the study, a factorial design (FD) methodology was carried out in order to evaluate the effects and interactions between the selected factors. Results showed that anode type is the most important parameters affecting CBZ degradation (with 67% of the overall effect) followed by the treatment time, the current intensity, and then the recirculation flow rate. Subsequently, a central composite design (CCD) was conducted in order to optimize the overall process taking into account efficiency (CBZ removal) and energy consumption. The contribution of direct and indirect effects of CBZ electro-oxidation was also investigated. As expected, direct oxidation was the most dominant mechanism during ECO with approximately 66% whereas indirect oxidation contributed with only 12%. Finally, the determined optimal conditions were applied on real pharmaceutical wastewater. Despite the effect matrix, 84% of CBZ was obtained after only 100 min of treatment with 23% of mineralization. Finally, CBZ by-products such as salicylic acid, catechol, and anthranilic have been detected during the oxidation process.

The efficacy of two oxidant systems, iron-activated hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and iron-activated hydrogen peroxide coupled with persulfate (S₂O₈²⁻), was investigated for treatment of two chlorinated organic compounds, trichloroethene (TCE) and 1,2-dichloroethane (DCA). Batch tests were conducted at multiple temperatures (10–50 °C) to investigate degradation kinetics and reaction thermodynamics. The influence of an inorganic salt, dihydrogen phosphate ion (H₂PO₄⁻), on oxidative degradation was also examined. The degradation of TCE was promoted in both systems, with greater degradation observed for higher temperatures. The inhibition effect of H₂PO₄⁻ on the degradation of TCE increased with increasing temperature for the iron-activated H₂O₂ system but decreased for the iron-activated hydrogen peroxide-persulfate system. DCA degradation was limited in the iron-activated hydrogen peroxide system. Conversely, significant DCA degradation (87% in 48 h at 20 °C) occurred in the iron-activated hydrogen peroxide-persulfate system, indicating the crucial role of sulfate radical (SO₄⁻∙) from persulfate on the oxidative degradation of DCA. The activation energy values varied from 37.7 to 72.9 kJ/mol, depending on the different reactants. Overall, the binary hydrogen peroxide-persulfate oxidant system exhibited better performance than hydrogen peroxide alone for TCE and DCA degradation.

Influence of edaphic factors and metal content on diversity of Trichoderma species at 14 different soil sampling locations, on two depths, was examined. Forty-one Trichoderma isolates from 14 sampling sites were determined as nine species based on their internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. Our results indicate that weakly alkaline soils are rich sources of Trichoderma strains. Also, higher contents of available K and P are connected with higher Trichoderma diversity. Increased metal content in soil was not inhibiting factor for Trichoderma species occurrence. Relationship between these factors was confirmed by locally weighted sequential smoothing (LOESS) nonparametric smoothing analysis. Trichoderma strain (Szeged Microbiology Collection (SZMC) 22669) from soil with concentrations of Cr and Ni above remediation values should be tested for its potential for bioremediation of these metals in polluted soils.

Multiphase flow and transport simulations were conducted to investigate the impact of soil heterogeneity and non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) presence on the distribution of stable carbon isotope signatures during contaminant transport with biodegradation. At a later time during the simulation of a homogeneous case with dense NAPL presence, significant carbon isotope signature (δ¹³C) values could only be observed in a narrow area at the bottom of the aquifer where NAPL accumulated. After this, the δ¹³C distribution remained relatively stable for a long time until all NAPL was dissolved into the groundwater and removed via biodegradation and groundwater flushing. These characteristics of δ¹³C distribution may only be captured when considering NAPL migration and dissolution. The simulation results demonstrated that δ¹³C values and their distribution significantly differed between the heterogeneous case and the homogeneous case, with respect to the maximum δ¹³C value and the shape of δ¹³C contours. When reaction rate constant varied for each soil type (each grid block) by relating it to soil permeability, the δ¹³C distribution demonstrated different patterns. In addition to geological heterogeneity, this indicates that the distribution of δ¹³C highly depends on the biological heterogeneity in the field. Therefore, this study suggests that, to avoid misinterpretation of isotope signature changes, geological and biological soil heterogeneities should be investigated. If a NAPL is present in the system, the NAPL phase transport and dissolution should be considered in addition to dissolved phase transport.

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) have aroused great attention since it can supplement nitrogen cycle and show extensive existence relative to its bacterial counterpart, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). This study compared the abundance and community compositions of AOA and AOB between natural and constructed wetlands under low temperature. More complex community structures were obtained in the constructed wetland, which may be ascribed to the differences in available nutrient contents. Nitrosospira-like organisms predominated AOB communities in both wetlands. Nitrososphaera cluster dominated the AOA community in the constructed wetland, while both Nitrososphaera and Nitrosopumilus clusters were dominant in the natural wetland. AOA dominated over AOB in both the natural and constructed wetlands, and AOA to AOB ratio ranged from 1.47 to 8.13. The natural wetland showed higher nitrification potential at low temperature, mainly due to its higher AOA to AOB ratio. This also explained why a better ammonia treatment performance was observed in the natural wetland even when it had high influent concentrations. The present results provided some new insights to ammonia removal in the wetlands under low temperature.