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Fates, Transports, Interactions and Monitoring of Emerging Pollutants

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2024) | Viewed by 9046

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Science, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Interests: microplastics; poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances; emerging pollutants; climate change; environmental impact assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Industrialization, rapid development and intensive human activities have resulted in unprecedented environmental pollution. A wide array of pollutants have entered the environment, impacting the health of ecosystems and human populations. Many of the pollutants are synthetic, xenobiotic and do not degrade readily. Due to their recalcitrance, these pollutants stay in the environment for a prolonged duration, permeate different environmental media, and are transported to different regions of the world. As they are relatively new, their environmental impacts and ecotoxicities are not well-characterized. It is therefore crucial to gain greater insight into the chemistry of these pollutants in the environment, particularly their fates, transports and interactions to enable a better understanding of their impacts. It is equally important to monitor their occurrence and abundance in the environment to permit timely remedial actions to keep their levels in check.

This Special Issue aims to collect original research articles and reviews detailing the fate, transport, interactions and monitoring of various emerging pollutants to capture the latest development in these areas, as well as systematically present their advances in recent years to set the directions for future studies.

The Special Issue welcomes articles with (but not limited to) the themes below:

  • Fates and transports of different types of emerging pollutants;
  • Interactions of emerging pollutants with other pollutants and environmental media;
  • Technologies and analytical techniques in the monitoring of these pollutants;
  • Ecotoxicities of emerging pollutants.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Kuok Ho Daniel Tang
Guest Editor

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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • fate
  • transport
  • interactions
  • monitoring
  • emerging pollutants
  • persistent organic pollutants
  • ecotoxicity
  • environmental impacts
  • health impacts

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 1174 KiB  
Article
Presence of Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacteria and Resistance Genes in Soil Exposed to Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent
by Alison M. Franklin, Subhashinie Kariyawasam, Danielle M. Andrews, Jean E. McLain and John E. Watson
Sustainability 2024, 16(16), 7022; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16167022 - 16 Aug 2024
Viewed by 697
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a world-wide health issue, and anthropogenic antibiotics entering the environment is cause for concern with regard to impacts on environmental bacteria. As water resources have become scarcer, reuse of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent has increased, creating a [...] Read more.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a world-wide health issue, and anthropogenic antibiotics entering the environment is cause for concern with regard to impacts on environmental bacteria. As water resources have become scarcer, reuse of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent has increased, creating a conduit for environmental antibiotic pollution. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of spray-irrigating effluent on the incidence of AMR in soil organisms in agricultural lands (Astronomy Site, Pennsylvania State University). This study performed culture work to assess resistance of Gram-negative and Gram-positive soil bacteria to four antibiotics (sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, ciprofloxacin, and ampicillin) and molecular work (qPCR) to quantify genes associated with AMR (sulI, sulII, ermB, and intI1). Compared to a control site, Gram-negative bacteria at the Astronomy Site appeared to have increased resistance to sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim. Higher numbers of resistance genes by depth (below 35 cm) and by location were consistently observed at the Astronomy Site with copy numbers of some genes up to 106-fold higher than the control site. Increased quantities of sulI and intI1 in the top 0–5 cm of the soil profile appeared to be dependent upon the amount of effluent irrigation received, whereas the presence of sulII and ermB showed the opposite patterns. Overall, long-term reuse of WWTP effluent to spray irrigate cropped lands does appear to alter and possibly increase AMR in soil environments; however, additional work is necessary to determine potential impacts on human, wildlife, plant, and soil health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fates, Transports, Interactions and Monitoring of Emerging Pollutants)
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16 pages, 4178 KiB  
Article
Ecotoxicity of Tar from Coffee Grounds and Pine Pellet Gasification Process
by Małgorzata Hawrot-Paw, Adam Koniuszy, Andrzej Borusiewicz, Zbigniew Skibko, Wacław Romaniuk, Grzegorz Zając and Joanna Szyszlak-Bargłowicz
Sustainability 2024, 16(15), 6291; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156291 - 23 Jul 2024
Viewed by 722
Abstract
This study determined the toxicity of the condensates produced during the gasification of two waste types. Coffee grounds, pine pellets, and a mixture of both substrates at a ratio of 1:1 were used in the study. Two microbiotests were applied for soil plants [...] Read more.
This study determined the toxicity of the condensates produced during the gasification of two waste types. Coffee grounds, pine pellets, and a mixture of both substrates at a ratio of 1:1 were used in the study. Two microbiotests were applied for soil plants and aquatic macrophytes, and quantitative analysis of the soil microbiome for primary taxonomic groups of microorganisms was conducted. Three contamination rates were used in the Phytotoxkit test and the microbiological tests, 100, 1000, and 10,000 mg·kg−1 d.m. of soil, while in the aquatic organism studies, successive two-fold serial dilutions of condensates were used. The presence of liquid waste from the gasification process adversely affected the germination and development of terrestrial plants and the vegetative growth of aquatic plants. The condensate components modified the composition of the soil microbiome, adversely affecting soil fertility. The negative impact increased with increasing levels of contamination and primarily depended on the type of substrate from which the gasification process produced the liquid waste. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fates, Transports, Interactions and Monitoring of Emerging Pollutants)
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19 pages, 7990 KiB  
Article
Temporal Variations in Urban Air Pollution during a 2021 Field Campaign: A Case Study of Ethylene, Benzene, Toluene, and Ozone Levels in Southern Romania
by Mioara Petrus, Cristina Popa and Ana-Maria Bratu
Sustainability 2024, 16(8), 3219; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16083219 - 11 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1031
Abstract
This study focused on quantifying the gas concentrations of ethylene, benzene, toluene, and ozone within an urban area in the southern region of Romania. The gas sampling campaign, conducted between March and August 2021, took place in three different locations from the point [...] Read more.
This study focused on quantifying the gas concentrations of ethylene, benzene, toluene, and ozone within an urban area in the southern region of Romania. The gas sampling campaign, conducted between March and August 2021, took place in three different locations from the point of view of the architectural structure, and the sampling height was 1.5 m. Sampling occurred on weekdays (Monday through Friday) during daylight hours, with subsequent concentration analysis employing descriptive statistics, diurnal cycles, and seasonal assessments. A highly sensitive and selective detector, employing laser photoacoustic spectroscopy, was utilized to monitor pollutants. The average concentrations (±Standard Deviation) were determined as follows: ethylene at 116.82 ± 82.37 parts per billion (ppb), benzene at 1.13 ± 0.32 ppb, toluene at 5.48 ± 3.27 ppb, and ozone at 154.75 ± 68.02 ppb, with peak levels observed during the summer months. Diurnal patterns were observable for ethylene, benzene, and toluene, exhibiting higher concentrations during the early hours of the day followed by a decrease towards the evening. In contrast, ozone concentrations peaked in the evening compared to the early part of the day. Thus, perceptible effects were demonstrated on gas concentrations as a result of the influence of meteorological variables. Moreover, the high toluene/benzene ratio indicated traffic and industrial emissions as primary sources of these pollutants. Of the four gases monitored, benzene and ozone exceeded regulatory limits, particularly during the summer season, highlighting concerns regarding air quality in the studied urban environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fates, Transports, Interactions and Monitoring of Emerging Pollutants)
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Review

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23 pages, 814 KiB  
Review
Terrestrial and Aquatic Plastisphere: Formation, Characteristics, and Influencing Factors
by Kuok Ho Daniel Tang
Sustainability 2024, 16(5), 2163; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16052163 - 5 Mar 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5970
Abstract
The increasing number of plastic particles in the environment gives rise to a unique ecological niche called the plastisphere, which is characterized by a dynamic assemblage of microorganisms comprising autotrophs, heterotrophs, predators, and pathogens. This paper reviews the formation, characteristics, and factors influencing [...] Read more.
The increasing number of plastic particles in the environment gives rise to a unique ecological niche called the plastisphere, which is characterized by a dynamic assemblage of microorganisms comprising autotrophs, heterotrophs, predators, and pathogens. This paper reviews the formation, characteristics, and factors influencing the terrestrial and aquatic plastisphere. The terrestrial and aquatic plastisphere forms when hitchhiking microorganisms, often bacteria, in the environment adhere to the surfaces of plastic particles and alter the surface properties of the particles for subsequent colonization of increasingly tightly clinging microorganisms. The terrestrial plastisphere is not as mobile as the aquatic plastisphere and is defined by the characteristics of the soil anchoring it. The microorganisms on the plastisphere are often defined by the dominant microorganisms in the surroundings, particularly those of the phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidota, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Chytridiomycota, Ciliophora, Ochrophyta, and Chlorophyta. However, the compositions and dominant microbial species on different plastic surfaces vary widely as they change with time, plastic properties, and biotic and abiotic environmental factors. Temporal changes in the plastisphere are due to succession. Plastic properties, particularly the type, surface properties, size, color, degree of aging, and chemical leaching, also affect the composition of the plastisphere. Biotic environmental factors comprising the dominant ambient microorganisms and interspecies interactions, together with the abiotic ones, including pH, temperature, nutrient availability, soil properties, salinity, and light, significantly shape the plastisphere. This review provides insight into the biodiversity of the plastisphere, and its roles in spreading pathogens and degrading plastics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fates, Transports, Interactions and Monitoring of Emerging Pollutants)
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