Article
Environmental Sciences
Heidi Ahkola, Petra Lindholm-Lehto, Noora Perkola, Pia Valitalo, Paivi Merilainen, Kimmo Maenpaa, Julio Alberto Alegre Stelzer, Ilse Heiskanen, Johanna Jarvisto, Jari Nuutinen, Matti T. Leppanen
Summary: Sewage sludge is an inevitable byproduct of wastewater treatment, and reusing it can reduce waste and promote circular economy. However, sludge contains potentially harmful chemicals. This study determined concentrations of various compounds in different sludge treatments, and found that bioassays and sampler extracts detecting contaminants in sludge are complementary tools for chemical analyses in assessing environmental risks.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Kilian E. C. Smith, Yoonah Jeong
Summary: Toxicity results from exposure to mixtures of organic contaminants can be properly assessed by first sampling the bioavailable levels and reproducing this mixture in toxicity bioassays through a combination of equilibrium passive sampling and dosing.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Neil Fuller, Sara E. Anzalone, Kara E. Huff Hartz, Gregory W. Whitledge, Shawn Acuna, Jason T. Magnuson, Daniel Schlenk, Michael J. Lydy
Summary: This study investigated the distribution of pesticides in two important salmon habitats in the Sacramento River watershed. The results showed that the floodplain had significantly higher concentrations of organochlorines compared to the mainstem Sacramento River, and juvenile fish in the floodplain may be more exposed to organochlorines than fish in the river. Additionally, high flow conditions may exacerbate pesticide exposure for fish and other biota.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Amanda A. Brennan, David R. Mount, Nathan W. Johnson
Summary: Passive sampling is used to quantify the net partitioning of hydrophobic organic contaminants between porewater and solid phases in contaminated sediments, improving risk management strategies. Direct measurements of porewater (C-free) are the most accurate way to predict adverse effects on biota. A stochastic framework is proposed to map solid-phase concentration (C-total) to estimated C-free by considering variability in passive sampling-derived K-TOC relationships.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Engineering, Chemical
Ana M. Sousa, Henrique A. Matos, Maria J. Pereira
Summary: The study reviewed the main principles affecting emulsions, the influence of water fraction on flow patterns, the equations for estimating physical properties, and the methods for identifying or characterizing emulsions.
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Natalia Neal-Walthall, Udonna Ndu, Nelson A. Rivera, Dwayne A. Elias, Heileen Hsu-Kim
Summary: This study explored the use of DGT passive samplers to quantify the methylmercury (MeHg) bioaccumulation potential and inorganic mercury (IHg) methylation potential in freshwater wetlands. The results showed that the vertical distribution of bioavailable MeHg is important for macrofauna food sources, and DGT samplers can predict IHg methylation and MeHg bioaccumulation potentials without explicitly determining IHg and MeHg speciation.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Anne Kreutzer, Mathias Reininghaus, Julia Meyer, Ingrid Kroencke, Thomas-Benjamin Seiler, Henner Hollert, Gesine Witt
Summary: The pollution state in the German Bight was investigated by determining pollutant concentrations in sediment samples. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were measured in the pore water of North Sea sediment. The results showed relatively low contamination levels, but higher contamination near the sediment-dumping site.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qingxiang Lu, Zhen Shen, Kaiyuan Zheng, Qing Chang, Jiaying Xue, Xiangwei Wu
Summary: This study assessed the bioavailability and phytotoxicity of acetochlor to wheat plants. The results showed significant correlations between acetochlor concentrations in soil and in wheat foliage and roots, as well as the IC50 values. Soil organic matter content was found to be the main factor affecting the toxicity of acetochlor in the soil-wheat system.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Ce Wang, Yuling Lu, Chao Song, Dechong Zhang, Feng Rong, Limin He
Summary: This paper summarizes and compares flotation techniques widely used in produced water treatment, and discusses the mechanism of the oil droplet-bubble interaction as well as the effects of flocculant, pH, and salinity on the flotation process. The research status of produced water treatment by air flotation is summarized, and future research directions are proposed.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Francis Letendre, Paloma Arena Serrano Ramos, Christopher B. Cameron
Summary: This study examines the effects of a surfactant on the size distribution of oil droplets in water and in the gut of Daphnia magna. It also investigates the impact of surfactants on the detachment conditions of chemically and mechanically dispersed oil droplets. The results show that the addition of solubilized dioctyl sulfosuccinate sodium salt produces smaller and more evenly distributed droplets in the water. Furthermore, surfactant-coated droplets detach at a slower velocity than mechanically dispersed droplets due to lower oil/water interfacial tension.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
M. R. Mardani, D. D. Ganji, Kh Hosseinzadeh
Summary: This study investigates the movement and coalescence of dual droplets in a channel exposed to an external electric field. Computational fluid dynamics is used to develop an electro hydrodynamic and electrostatic model. The results show that increasing velocity decreases the coalescence time of the droplets, while increasing the electrostatic field intensity reduces the coalescence time and improves the coalescence efficiency.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Sangar Salih Ahmed, Sebastian Hippmann, Quirina Isabella Roode-Gutzmer, Peter Froehlich, Martin Bertau
Summary: The study demonstrates that Alginite can be used as an environmentally friendly and low-cost material for demulsifying water-in-crude oil emulsions, especially showing excellent performance in emulsions containing heavy crude oil. It effectively removes water from the emulsions and improves the rheological properties even in the absence of flow.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2021)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Yiqi Cao, Baiyu Zhang, Zhiwen Zhu, Masoumeh Rostami, Guihua Dong, Jingjing Ling, Kenneth Lee, Charles W. Greer, Bing Chen
Summary: A novel approach using magnetic nanoparticles decorated bacteria (MNPB) to enhance heavy crude oil (HCO) pollution mitigation was developed in this study. The strategy involves magnetic navigation, oil dispersion, and magnetic recovery, leading to up to 62% removal of HCO. This method showed promising results in enhancing the degradation of low-molecular-weight aromatics and removing oil-bacteria aggregates.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sagheer A. Onaizi
Summary: Nanoemulsions with small droplet size, high Zeta potential, and low interfacial tension were successfully formulated in this study. The nanoemulsions exhibited good stability and on-demand breakdowns via a pH-responsive mechanism.
Article
Thermodynamics
Juan Restrepo-Cano, Javier Ordonez-Loza, Paolo Guida, William L. Roberts, Farid Chejne, S. Mani Sarathy, Hong G. Im
Summary: This study investigated the effect of ambient temperature on dynamic events of suspended droplets of Arabian Light crude oil. The number of break-up events was found to increase exponentially with temperature. Different density distributions and final probability distributions of break-up modes were observed at different temperatures.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
G. F. Whale, M. Hjort, C. Di Paolo, A. D. Redman, J. F. Postma, J. Legradi, P. E. G. Leonards
Summary: This study focused on the potential effects of effluent composition, particularly hydrocarbons, on aquatic toxicity in oil refineries. The research found that measured bioavailable hydrocarbons using BESPME correlated with responses in standard bioassays, confirming the relevance of bioassays and the importance of BE-SPME measurement in toxicity identification. Overall, the study suggests that oil refinery effluents treated in accordance with EU regulations have low to negligible toxicity to aquatic organisms.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Aaron D. Redman, Jens Bietz, John W. Davis, Delina Lyon, Erin Maloney, Amelie Ott, Jens C. Otte, Frederic Palais, John R. Parsons, Neil Wang
Summary: Assessing the persistence of chemicals in the environment is crucial for protecting human health and ecosystems, but existing evaluation schemes may lead to inaccurate assessments. Developing flexible and comprehensive evaluation frameworks, along with a weight-of-evidence approach, is necessary. The current research aims to develop an integrated assessment framework for a more thorough evaluation of persistence using multimedia approaches and a clear WoE approach.
INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Russell Davenport, Pippa Curtis-Jackson, Philipp Dalkmann, Jordan Davies, Kathrin Fenner, Laurence Hand, Kathleen McDonough, Amelie Ott, Jose Julio Ortega-Calvo, John R. Parsons, Andreas Schaffer, Cyril Sweetlove, Stefan Trapp, Neil Wang, Aaron Redman
Summary: This paper discusses the challenges and limitations facing current methods for evaluating the persistence of chemical substances and the scientific advances that are helping to address these issues. The advancements mentioned include a deeper understanding of microbial composition, benchmarking tools and reference substances, analytical methods for quantification at environmentally relevant concentrations, modeling tools for predicting microbial biotransformation, and modeling approaches for deriving more generally applicable biotransformation rate constants. However, the translation of these advancements into regulatory practice and the development of new OECD test guidelines need improvement and acceleration.
INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Daniel J. Letinski, Asfaw Bekele, Martin J. Connelly
Summary: Biomimetic extraction using solid-phase microextraction is a passive sampling method that can predict aquatic toxicity of complex petroleum substances. It provides a non-animal alternative to traditional bioassays and has potential to reduce vertebrate and invertebrate aquatic toxicity testing. The method utilizes polydimethylsiloxane-coated fibers and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. It is critical to harmonize the application of the method in terms of extraction, analysis, and standardization parameters. The study presents results from a round robin program comparing the analysis of different water samples by 10 laboratories, demonstrating the reproducibility and importance of precise control in the extraction procedure.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Craig Warren Davis, Louise Camenzuli, Aaron D. Redman
Summary: A machine-learning System-Integrated Model (HC-BioSIM) is developed to predict the primary disappearance time of petroleum hydrocarbons in fresh and marine water. This model integrates chemical structure and test system variability, leading to improved predictive performance and accuracy of persistence categorization.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiaqi Wang, Mathijs G. D. Smit, Yves Verhaegen, Tom M. Nolte, Aaron D. Redman, A. Jan Hendriks, Markus Hjort
Summary: Petroleum refinery effluents (PRE) are wastewaters from oil refining industries. This study aimed to assess the contribution of PREs to mixture toxic pressure in the environment using msPAF as an indicator. The msPAF levels of most effluents were substantially reduced downstream, indicating low to negligible toxicity of PREs beyond the initial mixing zone. Hydrocarbons and inorganics explained at least 85% of the mixture toxic pressure.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Aaron D. Redman, Thomas F. Parkerton, Daniel J. Letinski, Cary A. Sutherland, Josh D. Butler, Dominic M. Di Toro
Summary: Oil spill exposures are highly dynamic and require unique toxicity tests beyond standard laboratory exposures. The study analyzed data from 148 tests to estimate toxicity rates for different species across various hydrocarbons, finding limited influence of temperature, organism size, and substance characteristics on key parameters. A species sensitivity distribution approach was proposed to quantify parameter variability across taxa for future studies.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sascha Pawlowski, Lothar Aicher, Albert Berends, Pippa Curtis-Jackson, Andreas Haener, Juliane Hollender, Bernhard Jene, Karen Jenner, Aaron Redman, Gordon Sanders, Nathalie Vallotton, Neil Wang, James R. Wheeler
Summary: To protect EU drinking water resources from chemical contamination, criteria for identifying PMT and vPvM chemicals were proposed, along with new hazard classes for these substances. The study reviewed the scientific basis of the PMT/vPvM criteria, focusing on chemical mobility, and analyzed sorption metrics. Based on the evaluation, a tiered approach using available evidence and higher tier models is proposed for the introduction of hazard classes into European legislation. Overall, the study highlights the need for a reliable approach to identify potential drinking water contaminants. Evaluation: 8 out of 10.
INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Thomas F. Parkerton, Deborah French-McCay, Benjamin de Jourdan, Kenneth Lee, Gina Coelho
Summary: The lack of a conceptual understanding and unifying quantitative framework in laboratory oil toxicity tests has led to divergent conclusions and hindered decision-making. Adopting a toxic unit (TU) model framework can improve evaluation of oil toxicity test data and validate/refine predictive toxicity models.
AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Kathryn L. Platt, Dominic M. Di Toro, Richard F. Carbonaro, Nicolette A. Bugher, Thomas F. Parkerton, Linda J. Eastcott, Paul T. Imhoff
Summary: This study investigates the use of ferrocyanide to enhance the evaporation of soil porewater and transport dissolved salts to the soil surface for remediation of accidental releases of highly saline produced water. The addition of ferrocyanide modifies crystal growth, allowing salt efflorescence and physical removal. The experiments and modeling demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique and the significance of competition among different ions in salt recovery.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Matthew M. Alloy, Bryson E. Finch, Collin P. Ward, Aaron D. Redman, Adriana C. Bejarano, Mace G. Barron
Summary: Photo-induced toxicity of petroleum products and PACs is enhanced by interaction with ultraviolet radiation through photosensitization and photomodification mechanisms. This article reviews and recommends laboratory approaches for conducting photo-induced toxicity studies, providing guidance on test species, endpoints, experimental design, dosing, light sources, irradiance measurement, chemical characterization, and data reporting. The importance of standardized testing protocols, practical applications, and predictive modeling in oil spill science is discussed.
AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Thomas Parkerton, Michel Boufadel, Trond Nordtug, Carys Mitchelmore, Kat Colvin, Dana Wetzel, Mace G. Barron, Gail E. Bragin, Benjamin de Jourdan, Jennifer Loughery
Summary: Laboratory preparation of aqueous test media is crucial for oil spill response decision-making. Different methods have advantages and limitations in preparing dispersed oils. Standardization and improvement of these methods can enhance hazard assessment and modeling. It is recommended to optimize mixing and settling times for equilibrium between oil and test media and consider environmentally relevant preparation methods. Adoption of proposed guidance will improve comparability and utility of toxicity testing in oil spill response.
AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Frank A. P. C. Gobas, Yung-Shan Lee, Katharine M. Fremlin, Stephanie C. Stelmachuk, Aaron D. Redman
Summary: This study investigates and reviews methods for assessing the bioaccumulation potential of hydrocarbons and related organic substances in terrestrial food chains. The study concludes that biomagnification factor (BMF) and trophic magnification factor (TMF) are suitable metrics for identifying bioaccumulative substances. Various methods can be used to determine the potential for biomagnification, including physical-chemical properties, biotransformation assays, and pharmacokinetic and dietary bioaccumulation tests.
INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Diane L. Brinkman, Florita Flores, Heidi M. Luter, F. Mikaela Nordborg, Maxime Brooks, Thomas F. Parkerton, Andrew P. Negri
Summary: The risks posed by petroleum spills to coral reefs are not well understood. This study aims to quantify the toxicity thresholds of aromatic hydrocarbons to reef-building corals. The results show that Acropora millepora is more sensitive to aromatic hydrocarbons compared to other corals and aquatic taxa.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
