Emerging contaminants : a tutorial mini-review

Abstract

Nowadays, the scientific community has focused and prioritised research on "emerging pollutants". The term "emerging pollutants" stands for the substances that are released in the environment for which currently no regulations are established for their environmental monitoring. Their occurrence is reported worldwide in a range of aquatic environments, such as lakes, rivers, freshwater catchments, estuaries, reservoirs and marine waters. Nevertheless, due to their large number (ranging in an order of thousands), only few of these compounds are toxicologically evaluated. Published data concerning occurrence and potential toxicological effects is limited. The contamination source of the aquatic environment is mainly the effluents from the sewage treatment plants (STPs). Reliable methods are available for residue analysis of these pollutants down to low ng L -1 levels. However, an urgent need is highlighted for the investigation (primarily in environmental media and following in biological ones) of the toxicity and transformation pathways of all emerging pollutants. The aims of this mini-review are to briefly present: (a) the major classes of emerging pollutants; (b) the reasons why these substances constitute an environmental issue; and (c) developments and applications of environmental analysis in this field.

Prediction of degradability of micropollutants by sonolysis in water with QSPR - a case study on phenol derivates

“…In recent years, an increasing quantity and variety of organic micropollutants in wastewater but also in surface and ground water have been observed [1] , [2] , [3] . Such pollutants, including pharmaceutical active compounds, personal care products, industrial chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), cause a big challenge to the wastewater treatment facilities [4] . Although micropollutants are present in low concentrations and only account for a minor part of dissolved organic matter (DOM), their potential toxicity paired with persistence and bioaccumulation can have disturbing effects on local water environments and biosystems [1] , [3] .…”

Application of the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to aerobic biodegradation process

“…human and animal excreta etc. These EPs mainly comprises oforganic and inorganic contaminants [88][89][90].…”

“…Consequently, they have been detected globally either in surface water and ground water or wastewater effluents more frequently. Based on the potential ill effects, numerous remediation techniques have been undertaken to remove EPs from the aquatic system [86][87][88][94][95][96][97]. Some of the commonly technique involves the electrochemical treatments , biological treatments , membrane filtration, advanced oxidation methods , adsorption nanofiltration, Ultrafiltration etc [98][99][100][101][102][103][104].…”

Pharmaceutical Compounds in Aquatic Environments—Occurrence, Fate and Bioremediation Prospective

“…CECs comprise different contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals, engineered nanomaterials, illicit drugs, synthetic musks, food additives, phthalates, hormones, steroids, industrial compounds/by-products and personal care and veterinary products [4][5][6][7]. At present, water quality framework regulations for these compounds do not exist, despite their potential threat to the environment and public health [7,8].…”