Review
Microbiology
Farzad Rahmati, Behnam Asgari Lajayer, Najmeh Shadfar, Peter M. van Bodegom, Eric D. van Hullebusch
Summary: The demand for innovative and reliable methods to clean up crude oil spills is increasing due to the growing demand for petroleum products. Biological and physico-chemical remediation technologies, particularly the involvement of microorganisms such as bacteria, are efficient in degrading petroleum hydrocarbons. Biodegradation is considered to be one of the most sustainable and efficient techniques for removing PHCs. However, the environmental factors affecting the performance of microorganisms in hydrocarbon degradation are still unclear, limiting our understanding of how to select and inoculate microorganisms for cleaning technologies. This review article explores the latest discoveries in bioremediation techniques and discusses the environmental factors and microbial strains involved in biodegradation of PHCs in marine environments.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tanmoy Das, Floris Goerlandt
Summary: This article proposes a method for ranking oil response technologies in Arctic oil spill risk assessment and preparedness planning. By considering factors such as ice covered sea areas, cold weather, and spill volume, the proposed model efficiently selects the best available technique using preference learning based Bayesian inference modeling. This model is suitable for strategic risk assessments in marine pollution preparedness and response planning.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zengkai Liu, Zhonghao Han, Qi Chen, Xuewei Shi, Qiang Ma, Baoping Cai, Yonghong Liu
Summary: Oil spills pose serious threats to the marine ecosystem, particularly when faced with extreme weather conditions. This study presents a novel method using dynamic Bayesian networks (DBNs) to quantify the risk of oil spills in extreme winds. By transforming physical models into DBNs and establishing a vulnerability model based on coastline types and socio-economic resources, the overall DBN for quantifying the dynamic risk of oil spills in extreme winds is obtained. The proposed method is demonstrated in the Laizhou Bay and validated using a three-axiom-based approach to calculate the temporal and spatial dynamics of risk caused by oil spills in potential locations. The study also examines the risk of the Laizhou Bay coast caused by oil spills in annual extreme wind speeds corresponding to different mean recurrence intervals and investigates the effects of the occurrence time of annual extreme winds.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Honglei Zheng, Chunyu Gou, Ali Khenchaf, Yunhua Wang, Yanmin Zhang
Summary: Retrieving the oil-water mixture ratio (M) is crucial for the emergency treatment of marine oil spills. However, the traditional copolarization ratio (PR) method neglects the influence of non-Bragg scattering at higher wind speeds, resulting in inaccurate results. A novel approach is proposed to accurately estimate the M of marine oil spills by eliminating the impact of non-Bragg scattering.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Abhinav Dhaka, Pradipta Chattopadhyay
Summary: This paper provides a unique and specific review of physical remediation techniques for marine oil spills, emphasizing on types of techniques available and their working principles. It also discusses the ways oil contaminates marine ecosystems and the effects of these contaminants. The article highlights physical remediation as an effective counter-measure for oil spills, capable of recovering oil while causing minimal damage to the environment.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Patricia Giovanella, Rodrigo Gouvea Taketani, Ruben Gil-Solsona, Luiz Leonardo Saldanha, Samantha Beatriz Esparza Naranjo, Juan V. Sancho, Tania Portoles, Fernando Dini Andreote, Sara Rodriguez-Mozaz, Damia Barcelo, Lara Duraes Sette
Summary: This study focuses on the application of a marine fungal consortium for the bioremediation of diesel oil-contaminated soil. The results show that the use of the fungal consortium significantly enhances the degradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons and specific alkanes compared to natural attenuation. Additionally, the fungal consortium increases soil microbial activity.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hanmo Si, Qingwang Liu, Zhenzhong Fan, Biao Wang, Qilei Tong, Mengqi Lin
Summary: This study developed a superhydrophobic magnetic sponge material for dealing with offshore oil leakage using a simple and environmentally friendly ion co-precipitation method combined with marine mussel bionics. The modified sponge exhibits high adsorbability, efficient oil-water separation performance, and excellent stability, making it suitable for various harsh environments.
Article
Oceanography
Weipan Zhang, Chenxuan Li, Jihong Chen, Zheng Wan, Yaqing Shu, Lan Song, Lang Xu, Zhongjie Di
Summary: This paper examines the evolution and characteristics of governance policies on vessel-source oil pollution worldwide, identifying four key issues and proposing strategies for improvement. It also points out future research directions in tackling global vessel-source oil pollution.
OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Renata Polyana de Santana Campelo, Cynthia Dayanne Mello de Lima, Claudeilton Severino de Santana, Alef Jonathan da Silva, Sigrid Neumann-Leitao, Beatrice Padovanni Ferreira, Marcelo de Oliveira Soares, Mauro de Melo Junior, Pedro Augusto Mendes de Castro Melo
Summary: The Brazilian oil spill from August 2019 to January 2020 was considered the most extensive accident in tropical oceans. The study found that oil droplets were present in all sampled areas, with high numerical abundance in the estuarine plume. There were traces of oil ingestion by various copepods, suggesting their important role in the degradation and final destination of spilled oil.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Chunyu Gou, Honglei Zheng, Jie Zhang
Summary: This study focuses on evaluating the ability of fully polarimetric SAR in estimating the proportion of oil in marine oil spills. A novel method is proposed based on the correlation between different polarimetric features and the oil-water mixing ratio. The results indicate that the mean scattering angle is the most suitable feature for inverting the mixing ratio.
IEEE GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoshuang Ma, Jiangong Xu, Jun Pan, Jie Yang, Penghai Wu, Xiangchao Meng
Summary: This article proposes an innovative framework for evaluating the ecological risk of coastal ecosystems by considering oil spill risk information and environmental vulnerability information. The experimental results show that the ecological situation in Jiaozhou Bay is unstable, with high-risk areas mainly concentrated in ports, shipping channels, and areas with high biodiversity.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Oceanography
Enatielly Rosane Goes, Daniele Laura Bridi Mallmann, Craig John Brown, Mauro Maida, Beatrice Padovani Ferreira, Tereza Cristina Medeiros de Araujo
Summary: The objective of this paper is to develop an approach to assess the sensitivity of the seafloor to oil spills in continental shelf areas with limited resources. The study found that 12.7% of the assessed area had high sensitivity to oil spills, 28.7% had moderate sensitivity, and 58% had low sensitivity. The seafloor sensitivity methodology presented in this study can be easily applied to other locations for recovery operations, monitoring plans, and environmental planning.
CONTINENTAL SHELF RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alejandro Martinez-Rivera, Santiago-Alonso Cardona-Gallo
Summary: Bioremediation techniques such as bioaugmentation and biostimulation were found to be effective for the biological degradation of hydrocarbons in contaminated sites, with co-substrates and stimulants having a synergistic effect. This research suggests that these methods can be scaled up for use in larger contaminated areas.
ANAIS DA ACADEMIA BRASILEIRA DE CIENCIAS
(2021)
Review
Ecology
Martin Grosell, Christina Pasparakis
Summary: The physiological effects of oil and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on fish are extensive, impacting various biological systems such as cardiac function, nervous system, and stress response. Cholesterol depletion may play a significant role in affecting fish, particularly in cardiac and neuronal functions.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF MARINE SCIENCE, VOL 13, 2021
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
A. Dallas Wait
Summary: Spilled mineral oils in the marine environment present challenges to sampling and analysis due to their complex composition and the variable marine microbial and chemical environment. Researchers must ensure measurements adhere to data quality objectives to accurately assess the oil release, fate, transport, and toxicological effects. This paper aims to provide guidance on crafting achievable DQOs and producing reliable results to support researchers' findings.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Margarita A. Petoussi, Nicolas Kalogerakis
Summary: This study found that pomegranate and myrtle can be used for phytoremediation of olive mill wastewater, with better results in treating high organic load wastewater, although it may cause phytotoxic symptoms in plants. The efficiency of the proposed technology was demonstrated by significantly higher removal rates of key constituents and the contribution of plants to the wastewater treatment process.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Despoina Varamogianni-Mamatsi, Thekla I. Anastasiou, Emmanouela Vernadou, Nikos Papandroulakis, Nicolas Kalogerakis, Thanos Dailianis, Manolis Mandalakis
Summary: This study investigated the clearance capacity of four common Mediterranean sponges against three microalgal substrates with different size and motility characteristics. The results showed significant differences in retention efficiencies among sponge species and preferences for microalgal substrates with distinct size and motility traits.
Article
Archaeology
Aggeliki Saridaki, Eleftheria Katsivela, Thodoros Glytsos, George Tsiamis, Evaggelia Violaki, Agisilaos Kaloutsakis, Nicolas Kalogerakis, Mihalis Lazaridis
Summary: This study investigated the bacterial communities on the surfaces of museum artefacts made of different materials and found significant variation in bacterial composition and diversity. Paracoccus was the most abundant genus in most art objects, while Modesto-bacter and Streptococcus dominated the objects made of marble and painted plaster, respectively. Statistical analysis showed clustering based on surface material, indicating the direct impact of material on bacterial profile.
JOURNAL OF CULTURAL HERITAGE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Eleftheria Antoniou, Nicolas Kalogerakis
Summary: Oil spills are a significant environmental problem with economic and ecological consequences. Dispersants can help mitigate these spills by breaking up the oil into smaller droplets. This study examines the effectiveness of five commercial dispersants under different pressures, and finds that increasing pressure negatively affects their effectiveness.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Thodoros E. Kampouris, Evdokia Syranidou, Petroula Seridou, Konstantinos Gagoulis, Ioannis E. Batjakas, Nicolas Kalogerakis
Summary: European marine waters are heavily polluted with plastic, with an average density of one plastic item per four square meters. Limited research has been conducted on the ingestion of microplastics and nanoplastics by wild decapods in European waters, especially the European spiny lobster. Our study extracted a total of 4102 plastic particles from the stomach tissues of male and female lobsters, with only 4.8% of the 63 samples analyzed found to be free of plastic particles. The presence of microplastics was also detected in gill tissues, with a range of 11 to 339 microplastics detected per individual.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Andreas Kaliakatsos, Iosifina Gounaki, Spyros Dokianakis, Emmanouela Maragkaki, Athanasios S. Stasinakis, Stylianos Gyparakis, Nikos Katsarakis, Thrassyvoulos Manios, Michalis S. Fountoulakis, Danae Venieri
Summary: This study investigated the effectiveness of photocatalysis in purifying hospital wastewater, and found that it can effectively remove pharmaceutical residues and pathogenic bacteria, as well as alter the antibiotic resistance of surviving bacteria. However, considerable concentrations of antibiotic-resistant genes were still present in the effluents, which may contribute to antibiotic resistance in aquatic bacterial communities.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Spyridon Giannakopoulos, John Vakros, Zacharias Frontistis, Ioannis D. Manariotis, Danae Venieri, Stavros G. Poulopoulos, Dionissios Mantzavinos
Summary: Pyrolysis of lemon stalks at 850 degrees C under limited oxygen produces highly active and selective biochar that can activate persulfate ion and oxidize sulfamethoxazole (SMX). The biochar consists mainly of carbon and oxygen atoms, with calcium and potassium as the most abundant minerals. It has a moderate specific surface area of 154 m(2) g(-1) and contains carbonate species, possibly in the form of calcium carbonate. In ultrapure water, complete degradation of 0.5 mg L-1 SMX can be achieved within 20 minutes using 500 mg L-1 sodium persulfate (SPS) and 100 mg L-1 biochar. The biochar remains stable for at least five cycles and shows potential as a sustainable, metal-free catalyst.
Article
Plant Sciences
Petroula Seridou, Sofia Monogyiou, Evdokia Syranidou, Nicolas Kalogerakis
Summary: This study found that Nerium oleander plants can accumulate antimony (Sb) in the roots and demonstrated that the addition of organic acids (OAs) and oxygen nanobubbles (O(2)NBs) can help the plants maintain water content and antioxidant enzyme activity. However, the translocation of Sb from the roots to the shoots was low.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
D. Kalampaliki, G. D. T. M. Jayasinghe, E. Avramiotis, I. D. Manariotis, D. Venieri, S. G. Poulopoulos, J. Szpunar, J. Vakros, D. Mantzavinos
Summary: In this study, valorized biomass was pyrolyzed and activated with potassium hydroxide to produce a biochar with a high specific surface area and significant amounts of surface oxygen species and carbonates. The activated biochar was used as an activator for sodium persulfate to induce the adsorption and oxidation of sulfamethoxazole in various water matrices. The degradation of sulfamethoxazole followed a pseudofirst order kinetic law, and the oxidation mechanism involved radical pathways and/or electron transfer.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH & DESIGN
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Evdokia Syranidou, Katerina Karkanorachaki, Despoina Barouta, Elisavet Papadaki, Dimitrios Moschovas, Apostolos Avgeropoulos, Nicolas Kalogerakis
Summary: The CI-fragmentation relationship can be used to accurately predict the fragmentation potential of polyolefin particles in MP mass balance models. The durability of plastics in the marine environment and the threshold point for the generation of secondary microplastics are still unknown. This study investigated the interaction between environmental parameters and the physicochemical properties of PE and PP films, finding a strong correlation between molecular weight and the generation of microplastics. Additionally, a significant relationship between CI and Feret diameter was identified for PP films weathered on beach sand.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Aphroditi Kyriazi, Iosifina Gounaki, Dionissios Mantzavinos, Danae Venieri
Summary: This article discusses the role of water matrix in the advanced treatment of watercourses. The experimental work shows that activated persulfate is effective in deionized water for inactivating three types of bacteria, but ineffective in other matrices. On the other hand, UVC radiation is highly efficient against all bacteria in all matrices. The complexity of the matrix plays a significant role in the efficiency of water treatment processes.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Petroula Seridou, Konstantinos Fyntrilakis, Evdokia Syranidou, Nicolas Kalogerakis
Summary: This study found that Tamarix smyrnensis and Nerium oleander, two salt-tolerant plants, have a strong ability to accumulate Sb(III), thus they can effectively remove Sb from aqueous solutions. Although the higher concentration of Sb (10 ppm) significantly affected the chlorophyll content in Nerium oleander, it didn't have a significant impact on plant growth and water content during the experimental period. Additionally, the study also found that the roots of both plants are more prone to accumulating Sb.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Petroula Seridou, Eleftheria Kotzia, Konstantinos Katris, Nicolas Kalogerakis
Summary: This study aimed to gain further understanding of the inactivation of heterotrophic bacteria in saline water and investigated the use of ozone nanobubbles (OzNBs) for disinfection. The results showed that the salinity of water has a significant impact on the residual concentration of ozone, and the use of OzNBs exhibited better disinfection performance and higher residual activity.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Margarita A. Petoussi, Nicolas Kalogerakis
Summary: A mechanistic state-space model was developed to describe the dynamics of olive mill wastewater (OMW) treatment with pomegranate and myrtle plants, and to assess the contribution of the plants in the overall remediation process. The model considers phytodegradation, rhizodegradation, accumulation of organic matter on plant roots, microbial growth and decay, and enzymatic decomposition. The model predicts that phytoremediation processes contribute over 91% to the removal of OMW organics and nutrients, regardless of the wastewater organic strength.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Katerina Karkanorachaki, Evdokia Syranidou, Nicolas Kalogerakis
Summary: This study characterized the colonization of fungal and bacterial communities on plastic films in the Mediterranean. The bacterial communities were found to be highly diverse and variable, while the fungal communities were not significantly affected by storms. The plastic samples underwent weathering over time, but neither the bacterial nor fungal community structure was related to the type of polymer.