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Environmental Processes of Persistent Organic Pollutants, Heavy Metals and Emerging Contaminants

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 9251

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hu Cheng

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Guest Editor

College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Interests: soil; biowaste; biochar; hydrochar; organic pollutants; dissolved organic matter; solid-phase microextraction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Hongjie Sheng

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Guest Editor

Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
Interests: soil organic pollution remediation; bioremediation; environmental behavior of emerging contaminants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Jianming Xue

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Guest Editor

New Zealand Forest Research Institute (SCION), Christchurch 8440, New Zealand
Interests: beneficial use of biowastes and management of degraded lands; fate and transport of nutrients and contaminants in forest ecosystems; emerging contaminants in biosolids and soil and remediation; biowaste management and climate change

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals are alarming contaminants worldwide due to their widespread occurrence, long-term persistence, transportation, high bioaccumulation and potentially significant impacts on human health and ecosystems, and they impede ‘green’ economic development. Worldwide, some contaminants have been banned or restricted for a decade, but they are still detectable in the environment. Additionally, many heavy metals that have been discharged over the decades are constantly transferred to and immobilized in various environments. Similarly, the concentration of emerging pollutants, such as nanoparticles, plastics and antibiotic resistance genes, in the ecosystem is increasing with the developments in social and economic growth. They have long half-lives in soils, sediments, air, water and biota. However, the toxicity, fate and transport of these pollutants remain undiscovered. To address this pressing environmental challenge, the theme of this Special Issue is ‘Environmental Processes of Persistent Organic Pollutants, Heavy Metals and Emerging Contaminants’.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

Occurrence, distribution, fate and transport of pollutants in soil, water, air and bio systems;
Impact of pollutants on environment quality and health;
Novel and innovative approaches for characterizing environmental processes;
Advanced treatment technologies.

Dr. Hu Cheng
Dr. Hongjie Sheng
Dr. Jianming Xue
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 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 2500 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

persistent organic pollutants
heavy metals
nanoparticles
plastic
antibiotic resistance genes
remediation

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 5988 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Distribution of Trace Metals in Ice and Water of Liaodong Bay, China

by Weijun Guo, Sihong Liu, Xiangpeng Kong, Lixin Sun and Jibing Zou

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(22), 15241; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192215241 - 18 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1478

Abstract

Trace metal pollution in coastal seas has been of great concern because of its persistence, toxicity, and biological accumulation through the food chain. The role of sea ice in trace metal transport and distribution in Liaodong Bay is still unknown. Sea ice and water samples were collected in Liaodong Bay in February 2021 to assess the distributions of Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn, Cr and Hg during the frozen season. Total dissolved (<0.45 μm) and particulate (>0.45 μm) heavy metal concentrations were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn and Cr) and atomic fluorescence spectrophotometer (Hg). The ice held significantly higher levels of total Cr when compared to water. There were no significant differences in total concentrations of Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn and Hg between water and ice samples. An analysis of dissolved-to-total metal ratios shows that all studied metals in the dissolved phase, except Hg, are found exclusively in Liaodong Bay nearshore ice as a result of desalination. Concentrations of particulate metals are higher in sea ice than in seawater due to suspended/bed sediment entrainment and atmospheric deposition. The partitioning coefficients of six trace metals are not increased with the increase in the concentration of particulate matter in sea ice due to sediment accumulation. The redistribution of trace metals between seawater and ice was a result of comprehensive effects of physico-chemical processes and environmental factors, such as chemical oxygen demand, salinity, and suspended particulate material. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Processes of Persistent Organic Pollutants, Heavy Metals and Emerging Contaminants)

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12 pages, 1369 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Toxic Metals and Metalloids in Hassawi Brown Rice: Fate during Cooking and Associated Health Risks

by Abdulaziz Abdulrahman AlMulla, Saad Dahlawi, Muhammad Atif Randhawa, Qamar uz Zaman, Yinglong Chen and Turki Kh. Faraj

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12125; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912125 - 25 Sep 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2444

Abstract

Rice has been a dietary staple for centuries, providing vital nutrients to the human body. Brown rice is well known for its nutrient-dense food profile. However, owing to multiple causes (anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic), it can also be a potential source of toxic heavy metals in the diet. Brown Hassawi rice samples were collected from the Al-Ahsa region and analyzed for its content of toxic metals. The results reveal that all the tested metals varied significantly in the brown rice samples, while As and Pb in all three samples exceeded their respective maximum allowable limits (MALs), followed by Cd, which nearly approached the MAL in two samples out of three. Brown rice samples were cooked in rice:water systems, viz., low rice:water ratios (1:2.5, 1:3.5) and high rice:water ratios (1:5, 1:6), along with soaking as a pre-treatment. Soaking was unproductive in removing the heavy metals from the rice, whereas cooking dissipated all metals from the rice, except for Cd, which was statistically non-significant. The high-water cooking of the rice was more effective in the dissipation of metals from the rice as compared to low-water cooking conditions. Through the consumption of rice, the estimated daily intake (EDI) of heavy metals is 162 g per person per day for As, which is above the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) regardless of cooking circumstances. The hazard risk index (HRI) also highlighted the fact that As can be a potential health hazard to rice consumers in the Al-Ahsa region of Saudi Arabia. These results indicate the potential health risks caused by the consumption of this rice by humans. Regular monitoring is recommended to manage and control elevated concentrations and related health hazards as a result of the use of Hassawi rice contaminated by the accumulation of metals and metalloids. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Processes of Persistent Organic Pollutants, Heavy Metals and Emerging Contaminants)

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12 pages, 1516 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Controlling AMR in the Pig Industry: Is It Enough to Restrict Heavy Metals?

by Na Li, Hongna Li, Changxiong Zhu, Chong Liu, Guofeng Su and Jianguo Chen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11265; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811265 - 7 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1982

Abstract

Heavy metals have the potential to influence the transmission of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). However, the effect on AMR caused by heavy metals has not been clearly revealed. In this study, we used a microcosm experiment and metagenomics to examine whether common levels of Cu and Zn in pig manure influence AMR transmission in manured soil. We found that the abundance of 204 ARGs significantly increased after manure application, even though the manure did not contain antibiotic residuals. However, the combined addition of low Cu and Zn (500 and 1000 mg/kg, respectively) only caused 14 ARGs to significantly increase, and high Cu and Zn (1000 and 3000 mg/kg, respectively) caused 27 ARGs to significantly increase. The disparity of these numbers suggested that factors within the manure were the primary driving reasons for AMR transmission, rather than metal amendments. A similar trend was found for biocide and metal resistance genes (BMRGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs). This study offers deeper insights into AMR transmission in relation to the effects of manure application and heavy metals at commonly reported levels. Our findings recommend that more comprehensive measures in controlling AMR in the pig industry are needed apart from restricting heavy metal additions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Processes of Persistent Organic Pollutants, Heavy Metals and Emerging Contaminants)

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Review

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24 pages, 3507 KiB

Open AccessReview

Literature Review: Evaluation of Drug Removal Techniques in Municipal and Hospital Wastewater

by Henry Rodríguez-Serin, Auria Gamez-Jara, Magaly De La Cruz-Noriega, Segundo Rojas-Flores, Magda Rodriguez-Yupanqui, Moises Gallozzo Cardenas and José Cruz-Monzon

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13105; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013105 - 12 Oct 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2803

Abstract

There are several techniques for the removal of pharmaceuticals (drugs) from wastewater; however, strengths and weaknesses have been observed in their elimination processes that limit their applicability. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the best techniques for the removal of pharmaceuticals from municipal and hospital wastewater. For this, a non-experimental, descriptive, qualitative–quantitative design was used, corresponding to a systematic review without meta-analysis. Based on established inclusion and exclusion criteria, 31 open-access articles were selected from the Scopus, ProQuest, EBSCOhost, and ScienceDirect databases. The results showed that high concentrations of analgesics such as naproxen (1.37 mg/L) and antibiotics such as norfloxacin (0.561 mg/L) are frequently found in wastewater and that techniques such as reverse osmosis, ozonation, and activated sludge have the best removal efficiency, achieving values of 99%. It was concluded that reverse osmosis is one of the most efficient techniques for eliminating ofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, and diclofenac from municipal wastewater, with removal rates ranging from 96 to 99.9%, while for hospital wastewater the activated sludge technique proved to be efficient, eliminating analgesics and antibiotics in the range of 41–99%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Processes of Persistent Organic Pollutants, Heavy Metals and Emerging Contaminants)

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