No abstract

Anthropogenic activities cause the accumulation of pollutants in the aquatic environment. Conventional wastewater treatment plants do not completely remove emergent pollutants, including personal care products, in which the surfactants are an essential ingredient. The results of our study confirm the presence of the surfactants in the aquatic environment, which represents an ecological and environmental risk. It was confirmed by ecotoxicological tests (test with using Daphnia magna and Lemna minor) and the specified content of the surfactants in the samples. The content of the surfactants in personal care products is significant and their impact on the aquatic environment is not sufficiently monitored. Root wastewater treatment plants, as innovative cleaning methods, represent effective cleaning methods, which can be used as a separate object or as an object for further cleaning already cleaned water from conventional wastewater treatment plants. Purified water from these devices can be recycled and used again as utility water (according to the model presented in the article). A significant benefit from the point of view of global warming and the effect of anthropogenic activity is the saving of drinking water as a natural resource. Root wastewater treatment plants ensure the required quality of discharged water in the aquatic environment.

In order to keep the home and occupational environment clean and non-infectious, the consumption of cleaners and disinfectants, including cosmetics, is increasing. Excessive use of these products results in their accumulation in the aquatic environment. Conventional wastewater treatment plants are unable to effectively remove the emergent pollutants, including personal care products. This article is focused on the monitoring of the presence of personal care products in surface waters in two river basins in the Slovak Republic, in terms of the surfactant content. Ecotoxicological evaluation of the selected samples from the monitored river basins was performed by an acute toxicity test using the test organism Daphnia magna. The monitoring results indicate the presence of personal care products in the aquatic environment which poses an ecological and environmental risk. Monitoring in the Hron and Nitra river basins confirmed contamination with the surfactants, to which the measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic contributed. The content of the surfactants in personal care products is significant, and their impact on the aquatic environment is not sufficiently monitored.

This review is focused on various possibilities of application of foundry sands. The evaluation was performed by summarizing available resources. The application of waste sand as an admixture in concrete brings with it economic advantages compared to the use of exclusively natural sand in the production of concrete. On the other hand, due to the mechanical properties, only a 10–20 % substitution of natural material with waste sand appears to be optimal. Road construction works provide an opportunity to reuse large amounts of surplus material, including foundry sand waste. High demands on the properties of the embankment (low internal deformation, sufficient shear strength, homogeneity, erosion resistance) are required for this application. Waste sands are a suitable substitute for clay cladding material. It is necessary to consider various criteria for the application of waste sand – economic, technical or environmental benefits. In the future, research should focus on evaluating the use of waste foundry sands in grasslands. There is currently insufficient knowledge to evaluate this application.

In order to keep the home and occupational environment clean and noninfectious, the consumption of the cleaners and disinfectants, including cosmetics, is increasing. Excessive use of the products results in their accumulation in an aquatic environment. The conventional wastewater treatment plants are unable to effectively remove the emergent pollutants, including the personal care products. The article is focused on the monitoring the presence of the personal care products in surface waters in two river basins in the Slovak Republic, in terms of the surfactant content. Ecotoxicological evaluation of the selected samples from monitored river basins is performed by an acute toxicity test using the test organism Daphnia magna. The monitoring results indicate the presence of the personal care products in the aquatic environment, where pose an ecological and environmental risk. Monitoring in the Hron and Nitra river basins confirmed contamination with the surfactants, to which the measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic contributed. The content of the surfactants in the personal care products is significant and their impact on the aquatic environment is not sufficiently monitored.