Toxics

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Karina Boltes

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Guest Editor

Department of Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Alcala, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
Interests: biodegradation; ecotoxicology; microbial electrochemical technology; emerging pollutants; analytical chemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The growth of the human population and rising living standards lead to an increasing pressure on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Pollutants are varied and many of them are generated in industrial or agricultural activities or are a consequence of our lifestyles. A current and important goal of our society is to preserve the environment for future generations. Therefore, new strategies are needed to detect and solve the problems associated with pollutants of emerging concern, about which knowledge and environmental regulation are generally lacking.

Biological processes for remediation have a special importance in this context, since they are less aggressive, do not require as much energy and are therefore more sustainable. The development and validation of new bioremediation strategies is linked to the existence of methodologies to evaluate the progress and effectiveness of decontamination processes.

This Special Issue will focus on those methods specifically developed to detect and monitor biodegradation processes (pretreatment and preparation of complex samples, analysis of mixtures of emerging contaminants and contaminants never reported in waters and soils). Of special interest is the combination of different techniques (analytical, ecotoxicological and biochemical) for monitoring bioremediation processes. This Special Issue will also focus on the application of novel bioremediation strategies to control the pollution associated with industrial and agricultural activities in waters and soils (removal of drugs, surfactants, solvents, chemical additives, metals and pesticides).

Articles will describe innovative bioremediation works, or studies on the development of analytical strategies, which contribute to discovering more efficient technology solutions.

Prof. Dr. Karina Boltes
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Toxics 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 2600 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

bioremediation
emerging pollutants
ecotoxicity
analytical chemistry
wastewater
soil

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 4094 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Removal of Chromium (III) and Reduction in Toxicity in a Primary Tannery Effluent Using Two Floating Macrophytes

by Tomás R. López Arias, Deidamia Franco, Leonida Medina, César Benítez, Verónica Villagra, Shaun McGahan, Giselle Mariza Duré and Hajime G. Kurita-Oyamada

Toxics 2024, 12(2), 152; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12020152 - 16 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1567

Abstract

Trivalent chromium (Cr(III)) is a contaminant with toxic activity. Its presence in waters and soils is usually related to industrial activities such as tanneries. The aim of this study was to compare the removal of Cr(III) in hydroponic solutions and tannery effluents using two floating macrophytes: Salvinia auriculata and Eichhornia crassipes. First, to determine the chromium removal capacity in solution and the bioaccumulation factor (BAF) in tissues of each plant, experiments were set up with contaminated solutions with Cr(III) concentrations of 2, 5, 10, 20, and 40 mg/L. Subsequently, both plant species were exposed to a primary tannery effluent contaminated with 12 mg/L of Cr(III) in order to study the removal capacity of organic and inorganic matter, as well as the acute toxicity in the water flea (Daphnia magna) and genotoxicity in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Tests carried out on nutrient solutions revealed that both plants have a high capacity for removing Cr(III) in solution. The BAF in tissues was higher in E. crassipes compared to S. auriculata. In the experiments with a tannery effluent, both species presented low nutrient and organic matter removal efficiency, but they showed good Cr(III) removal capacity, with average reduction values of 57% for S. auriculata and 54% for E. crassipes after 72 h of exposure. E. crassipes contributed most to the reduction in acute toxicity in D. magna, while S. auriculata did not show a similar effect. However, both plant species managed to reduce the genotoxicity marker in D. rerio when compared with the initial effluent and the control. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Strategies for Detection and Bioremediation of Contaminated Water and Soil)

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Review

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41 pages, 2509 KiB

Open AccessReview

Chiral Analysis of Pesticides and Emerging Contaminants by Capillary Electrophoresis—Application to Toxicity Evaluation

by Laura García-Cansino, María Luisa Marina and María Ángeles García

Toxics 2024, 12(3), 185; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12030185 - 28 Feb 2024

Viewed by 893

Abstract

Chiral analysis is a very relevant topic in environmental chemistry. This is due to the different properties of the stereoisomers of chiral compounds. In the case of agrochemicals, the desired activity, degradation rate, or toxicity, among other characteristics, may differ between stereoisomers, and the same is true for emerging contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Therefore, the development of chiral analytical methodologies enabling their determination in samples of environmental interest is paramount. Although other techniques have been widely employed to carry out chiral separations, such as HPLC, GC, and SFC, capillary electrophoresis (CE) has attracted a lot of attention in the field of chiral analysis due to its simplicity, flexibility, and low cost. In fact, chromatographic columns are not needed, and the consumption of reagents and samples is very low due to the small dimensions of the separation capillaries. This article reviews the characteristics of the chiral methodologies developed by CE for the stereoselective analysis of pesticides and emerging contaminants in environmental samples (water and soil), as well as pesticides in food samples and commercial agrochemical formulations. Applications of the developed CE methodologies in stability and toxicity studies of these chiral contaminants are also reviewed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Strategies for Detection and Bioremediation of Contaminated Water and Soil)

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