A microcosm experiment was setup to examine (1) the effect of phenanthrene contamination on meiofauna and bacteria communities and (2) the effects of different bioremediation strategies on phenanthrene degradation and on the community structure of free-living marine nematodes. Sediments from Bizerte lagoon were contaminated with (100 mg kg⁻¹) phenanthrene and effects were examined after 20 days. Biostimulation (addition of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer or mineral salt medium) and bioaugmentation (inoculation of a hydrocarbonoclastic bacterium) were used as bioremediation treatments. Bacterial biomass was estimated using flow cytometry. Meiofauna was counted and identified at the higher taxon level using a stereomicroscope. Nematodes, comprising approximately two thirds of total meiofauna abundance, were identified to genus or species. Phenanthrene contamination had a severe impact on bacteria and meiofauna abundances with a strong decrease of nematodes with a complete disappearance of polychaetes and copepods. Bioremediation counter balanced the toxic effects of phenanthrene since meiofauna and bacteria abundances were significantly higher (p < 0.01) than those observed in phenanthrene contamination. Up to 98 % of phenanthrene removal was observed. In response to phenanthrene contamination, the nematode species had different behavior: Daptonema fallax was eliminated in contaminated microcosms, suggesting that it is an intolerant species to phenanthrene; Neochromadora peocilosoma, Spirinia parasitifera, and Odontophora n. sp., which significantly (p < 0.05) increased in contaminated microcosms, could be considered as "opportunistic" species to phenanthrene whereas Anticoma acuminata and Calomicrolaimus honestus increased in the treatment combining biostimulation and bioaugmentation. Phenanthrene had a significant effect on meiofaunal and bacterial abundances (p < 0.05), with a strong reduction of density and change in the nematode communities. Biostimulation using mineral salt medium strongly enhanced phenanthrene removal, leading to a decrease of its toxicity. This finding opens exciting axes for the future use of biostimulation to reduce toxic effects of PAHs for meiofauna and bacteria in lagoon sediment.

Compared to traditional chemical or physical treatments, phytoremediation has proved to be a cost-effective and environmentally sound alternative for remediation of contaminated dredged sediment. A field study was conducted in a sediment disposal site predominantly colonized by Typha angustifolia under different sediment moisture conditions to estimate the phytoremediation effects of dredged sediment. The moisture content was 37.30 % and 48.27 % in aerated and waterlogged sediment, respectively. Total nitrogen (TN) content was higher in the waterlogged sediment than in the aerated sediment. The total Cd contents were lower in aerated sediment, which was mainly resulted from the lower exchangeable fraction of Cd. The bioaccumulation of P, Cu and Pb in T. angustifolia was promoted by waterlogging, and the belowground tissue concentrations and accumulation factors (AFs) of Cu were higher than that of other metals, which can be explained by that Cu is an essential micronutrient for plants. Consistent with many previous studies, T. angustifolia showed higher metal levels in roots than in above-ground tissues at both the sediment conditions. Due to the improved biomass produced in the aerated sediment, the removals of nutrients and the metals by plant harvest were higher from aerated sediment than from waterlogged sediment. It was indicated that maintaining the dredged sediment aerated can avoid release risk and plant uptake of metals, while the opposite management option can promote phytoextraction of these contaminants.

Photochemical advanced oxidation processes have been considered for the treatment of water and wastewater containing the herbicide atrazine (ATZ), a possible human carcinogen and endocrine disruptor. In this study, we investigated the effects of the photon emission rate and initial concentration on ATZ photolysis at 254 nm, an issue not usually detailed in literature. Moreover, the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is discussed. Photon emission rates in the range 0.87 × 10¹⁸–3.6 × 10¹⁸ photons L⁻¹ s⁻¹ and [ATZ]₀ = 5 and 20 mg L⁻¹ were used. The results showed more than 65 % of ATZ removal after 30 min. ATZ photolysis followed apparent first-order kinetics with k values and percent removals decreasing with increasing herbicide initial concentration. A fivefold linear increase in specific degradation rate constants with photon emission rate was observed. Also, regardless the presence of persistent degradation products, toxicity was efficiently removed after 60-min exposure to UV radiation. Experiments confirmed a noticeable contribution of singlet oxygen and radical species to atrazine degradation during photolysis. These results may help understand the behavior of atrazine in different UV-driven photochemical degradation treatment processes.

The present work compares the efficiency of homogenous Fenton and photo-Fenton processes in the presence of Fe(III)–EDDS complex under different experimental conditions. 4-tert-Butylphenol (4-t-BP), which is one of the endocrine disrupting chemicals, was used as a model pollutant to investigate the Fenton and photo-Fenton application. The efficiency of homogenous photo-Fenton process was significantly much higher than homogenous Fenton process, which is due to the rapid formation of Fe²⁺ under UV irradiation of the iron complex and the photochemical formation of HO• from the photolysis of the complex Fe(III)–EDDS. Through the degradation of 4-t-BP, the effect of Fe(III)–EDDS concentration, H₂O₂ concentration, pH, and oxygen was investigated in both processes. Such trend was also correlated with pH calculating the polychromatic Fe²⁺ quantum yield formation at pH 4.0, 6.0, and 8.6. The results showed that at high Fe(III)–EDDS and H₂O₂ concentrations, a negative effect was found. By the way, the Fenton process was found to be enhanced at basic pH. These results can be very useful for the use and optimization of such iron complex in water treatment process as function of different physico-chemical conditions.

Azo dyes are recalcitrant and refractory pollutants that constitute a significant menace to the environment. The present study is focused on exploring the capability of Bacillus sp. strain UN2 for application in methyl red (MR) degradation. Effects of physicochemical parameters (pH of medium, temperature, initial concentration of dye, and composition of the medium) were studied in detail. The suitable pH and temperature range for MR degradation by strain UN2 were respectively 7.0–9.0 and 30–40 °C, and the optimal pH value and temperature were respectively 8.0 and 35 °C. Mg²⁺and Mn²⁺(1 mM) were found to significantly accelerate the MR removal rate, while the enhancement by either Fe³⁺or Fe²⁺was slight. Under the optimal degradation conditions, strain UN2 exhibited greater than 98 % degradation of the toxic azo dye MR (100 ppm) within 30 min. Analysis of samples from decolorized culture flasks confirmed biodegradation of MR into two prime metabolites: N,N′dimethyl-p-phenyle-nediamine and 2-aminobenzoic acid. A study of the enzymes responsible for the biodegradation of MR, in the control and cells obtained during (10 min) and after (30 min) degradation, showed a significant increase in the activities of azoreductase, laccase, and NADH-DCIP reductase. Furthermore, a phytotoxicity analysis demonstrated that the germination inhibition was almost eliminated for both the plants Triticum aestivum and Sorghum bicolor by MR metabolites at 100 mg/L concentration, yet the germination inhibition of parent dye was significant. Consequently, the high efficiency of MR degradation enables this strain to be a potential candidate for bioremediation of wastewater containing MR.

In the present study, feasibility of recovering the coagulant from water treatment plant sludge with sulphuric acid and reusing it in post-treatment of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor effluent treating municipal wastewater were studied. The optimum conditions for coagulant recovery from water treatment plant sludge were investigated using response surface methodology (RSM). Sludge obtained from plants that use polyaluminium chloride (PACl) and alum coagulant was utilised for the study. Effect of three variables, pH, solid content and mixing time was studied using a Box–Behnken statistical experimental design. RSM model was developed based on the experimental aluminium recovery, and the response plots were developed. Results of the study showed significant effects of all the three variables and their interactions in the recovery process. The optimum aluminium recovery of 73.26 and 62.73 % from PACl sludge and alum sludge, respectively, was obtained at pH of 2.0, solid content of 0.5 % and mixing time of 30 min. The recovered coagulant solution had elevated concentrations of certain metals and chemical oxygen demand (COD) which raised concern about its reuse potential in water treatment. Hence, the coagulant recovered from PACl sludge was reused as coagulant for post-treatment of UASB reactor effluent treating municipal wastewater. The recovered coagulant gave 71 % COD, 80 % turbidity, 89 % phosphate, 77 % suspended solids and 99.5 % total coliform removal at 25 mg Al/L. Fresh PACl also gave similar performance but at higher dose of 40 mg Al/L. The results suggest that coagulant can be recovered from water treatment plant sludge and can be used to treat UASB reactor effluent treating municipal wastewater which can reduce the consumption of fresh coagulant in wastewater treatment.

Three-dimensional graphene-based materials promise oil spill cleanup in water at throughputs much higher than state-of-the-art oil–water separation materials.

The cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa can potentially proliferate in a wide range of freshwater bionetworks and create extensive secondary metabolites which are harmful to human and animal health. The M. aeruginosa release toxic microcystins that can create a wide range of health-related issues to aquatic animals and humans. It is essential to eliminate them from the ecosystem with convenient method. It has been reported that engineered metal nanoparticles are potentially toxic to pathogenic organisms. In the present study, we examined the growth inhibition effect of green synthesized copper oxide nanoparticles against M. aeruginosa. The green synthesized copper oxide nanoparticles exhibit an excitation of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) at 270 nm confirmed using UV–visible spectrophotometer. The dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis revealed that synthesized nanoparticles are colloidal in nature and having a particle size of 551 nm with high stability at −26.6 mV. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis shows that copper oxide nanoparticles are spherical, rod and irregular in shape, and consistently distributed throughout the solution. The elemental copper and oxide peak were confirmed using energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDAX). Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy indicates the presence of functional groups which is mandatory for the reduction of copper ions. Besides, green synthesized copper oxide nanoparticles shows growth inhibition against M. aeruginosa. The inhibition efficiency was 31.8 % at lower concentration and 89.7 % at higher concentration of copper oxide nanoparticles, respectively. The chlorophyll (a and b) and carotenoid content of M. aeruginosa declined in dose-dependent manner with respect to induction of copper oxide nanoparticles. Furthermore, we analyzed the mechanism behind the cytotoxicity of M. aeruginosa induced by copper oxide nanoparticles through evaluating membrane integrity, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) level. The results expose that there is a loss in membrane integrity with ROS formation that leads to alteration in the Δψm, which ends up with severe mitochondrial injury in copper oxide nanoparticles treated cells. Hence, green way synthesized copper oxide nanoparticles may be a useful selective biological agent for the control of M. aeruginosa.

The accumulation and fraction distribution of Ni(II) in sludge was determined, and their effect on the performance of sequencing batch reactor (SBR) systems was evaluated at laboratory scale. The results showed that the removal efficiencies of substrates decreased significantly with increasing feeding concentration of Ni(II) into SBRs. The concentration of Ni(II) fed into the SBRs was significantly positively correlated with the Ni(II) contents accumulated in the sludge, while it was negatively correlated with the biomass in the SBRs. The accumulated Ni(II) in the sludge was distributed mainly in the available fraction, accounting for 75.8–90.0 % of the total Ni(II) content. The accumulated content of Ni(II) in each sludge fraction could be predicted satisfactorily by the feeding Ni(II) concentrations in the solutions. As compared with the total contents and other chemical fractions, Ni(II) in the oxidizable fraction in sludge exhibited more important inhibition effects on sludge microorganisms in the SBRs.

Four novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs), i.e., decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE), 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane (BTBPE), pentabromoethylbenzene (PBEB), and hexabromobenzene (HBB) were studied in 377 liquid samples and 288 solid samples collected from 20 wastewater treatment plants. Lagoon, primary, secondary, and advanced treatment processes were included, in order to investigate NBFR occurrence and the effects of WWTP operational conditions on NBFR removal. Median influent and effluent levels were 14 to 3,700 and 1.0 to 180 pg/L respectively, with DBDPE being the highest in both. Overall median removal efficiencies for DBDPE, BTBPE, HBB, and PBEB across all process types were 81 to 93, 76 to 98, 61 to 97, and 54 to 97 %, respectively with advanced treatment processes obtaining the best removals. NBFRs removal was related to retention time, surface loading rate, and biomass concentration. Median NBFR levels in treated biosolids were 80 to 32,000 pg/g, influenced by solids treatment processes.