Progress in the Sustainable Development of Biobased (Nano)materials for Application in Water Treatment Technologies.

Water pollution remains a widespread problem, affecting the health and wellbeing of people around the globe. While current advancements in wastewater treatment and desalination show promise, there are still challenges that need to be overcome to make these technologies commercially viable. Nanotechnology plays a pivotal role in water purification and desalination processes today.

Precise measurement of Fe isotopes in marine and biological samples by pseudo-high-resolution multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS).

This paper introduces an enhanced technique for analyzing iron isotopes in complex marine and biological samples. A dedicated iron purification method for biological marine matrices, utilizing three ion exchange columns, is validated. The MC-ICPMS in pseudo-high-resolution mode determines precise iron isotopic ratios, with sensitivity improved through the DSN-100 desolvating nebulizer system and Apex-IR.

Removal of heavy metals from wastewater by aerogel derived from date palm waste.

Cellulose that has been sourced from date palm leaves as a primary component was utilised. This cellulose served as the foundational material for the development of an aerogel composite. During this process, MXene (TiCT) played a pivotal role in enhancing the overall composition of the aerogel.

Biodegradation of saturate fraction of crude oil and production of signature carboxylic acids.

Bacteria degrading large portion of saturated hydrocarbons are important for crude oil bioremediation. This study investigates Novosphingobium sp. S1, Gordonia amicalis S2 and Gordonia terrae S5 capability of degrading wide range of saturated hydrocarbons from Congo Bilondo crude oil and discusses the degradation pathway.

Cracked and shucked: GC-APCI-IMS-HRMS facilitates identification of unknown halogenated organic chemicals in French marine bivalves.

High resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS)-based non-target analysis coupled with ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is gaining momentum due to its ability to provide complementary information which can be useful in the identification of unknown organic chemicals in support of efforts in unraveling the complexity of the chemical exposome. The chemical exposome in the marine environment, though not as well studied as its freshwater counterparts, is not foreign to chemical diversity specially when it comes to potentially bioaccumulative and bioactive polyhalogenated organic contaminants and natural products. In this work we present in detail how we utilized IMS-HRMS coupled with gas chromatographic separation and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) to annotate polyhalogenated organic chemicals in French bivalves collected from 25 sites along the French coasts.

Collision Cross Section Prediction with Molecular Fingerprint Using Machine Learning.

High-resolution mass spectrometry is a promising technique in non-target screening (NTS) to monitor contaminants of emerging concern in complex samples. Current chemical identification strategies in NTS experiments typically depend on spectral libraries, chemical databases, and in silico fragmentation tools. However, small molecule identification remains challenging due to the lack of orthogonal sources of information (e.

Deciphering the Metal Speciation in Low-Molecular-Weight Complexes by IMS-MS: Application to the Detection of Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Mimics in Cell Lysates.

The detection and quantification of exogenous metal complexes are crucial to understanding their activity in intricate biological media. Mn complexes are difficult to detect and quantify because of low association constants, and high lability. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimic (or mimetic) labelled Mn1 is based on a 1,2-di-aminoethane functionalized with imidazole and phenolate and has good intrinsic anti-superoxide, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated intestinal epithelial HT29-MD2 cells, similar to that of its propylated analogue labelled Mn1P.

Inertness of Superoxide Dismutase Mimics Mn(II) Complexes Based on an Open-Chain Ligand, Bioactivity, and Detection in Intestinal Epithelial Cells.

Oxidative stress is known to play a major role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), and, in particular, superoxide dismutase (SODs) defenses were shown to be weakened in patients suffering from IBDs. SOD mimics, also called SOD mimetics, as low-molecular-weight complexes reproducing the activity of SOD, constitute promising antioxidant catalytic metallodrugs in the context of IBDs. A Mn(II) complex SOD mimic (Mn1) based on an open-chain diaminoethane ligand exerting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on an intestinal epithelial cellular model was shown to experience metal exchanges between the manganese center and metal ions present in the biological environment (such as Zn(II)) to some degrees.

A chemical speciation insight into the palladium(ii) uptake and metabolism by Sinapis alba. Exposure to Pd induces the synthesis of a Pd-histidine complex.

Palladium is recognized as a technologically critical element (TCE) because of its massive use in automobile exhaust gas catalytic converters. The release of Pd into the environment in the form of nanoparticles of various size and chemical composition requires an understanding of their metabolism by leaving organisms. We provide here for the first time a chemical speciation insight into the identity of the ligands produced or used by a plant Sinapis alba L.

Direct screening of food packaging materials for post-polymerization residues, degradation products and additives by liquid extraction surface analysis nanoelectrospray mass spectrometry (LESA-nESI-MS).

Materials in direct contact with food should be monitored for the presence of species able to migrate into food. A direct method based on liquid extraction surface analysis nanoelectrospray mass spectrometry (LESA-nanoESI-MS) was developed for the analysis of the migrating species from a polymer film. Different types of molecules: post-polymerization residues, degradation products (oligomers resulting from polymer recycling, products of polymer oxidative degradation) and anti-oxidant additives (vitamin E) were demonstrated to be detected and identified, and determined quantitatively if relevant calibration standards are available.

Assessment of background concentrations of organometallic compounds (methylmercury, ethyllead and butyl- and phenyltin) in French aquatic environments.

The aim of this work is to estimate background concentrations of organometallic compounds, such as tributyltin (TBT), dibutyltin (DBT), monobutyltin (MBT), triphenyltin (TPhT), diphenyltin (DPhT), monophenyltin (MPhT), methylmercury (MeHg), inorganic mercury (iHg) and diethyllead (Et2Pb) in the aquatic environment at the French national scale. Both water and sediment samples were collected all over the country, resulting in 152 water samples and 123 sediment samples collected at 181 sampling points. Three types of surface water bodies were investigated: rivers (140 sites), lakes (19 sites) and coastal water (42 sites), spread along the 11 French river basins.

Is container type the biggest predictor of trace element and BPA leaching from drinking water bottles?

The knowledge-base of bottled water leachate is highly contradictory due to varying methodologies and limited multi-elemental and/or molecular analyses; understanding the range of contaminants and their pathways is required. This study determined the leaching potential and leaching kinetics of trace elements, using consistent comprehensive quantitative and semi-quantitative (79 elements total) analyses, and BPA, using isotopic dilution and MEPS pre-concentration with UHPLC-ESI-QTOF. Statistical methods were used to determine confounders and predictors of leaching and human health risk throughout 12days of UV exposure and after exposure to elevated temperature.

Changes of benthic bacteria and meiofauna assemblages during bio-treatments of anthracene-contaminated sediments from Bizerta lagoon (Tunisia).

Sediments from Bizerta lagoon were used in an experimental microcosm setup involving three scenarios for the bioremediation of anthracene-polluted sediments, namely bioaugmentation, biostimulation, and a combination of both bioaugmentation and biostimulation. In order to investigate the effect of the biotreatments on the benthic biosphere, 16S rRNA gene-based T-RFLP bacterial community structure and the abundance and diversity of the meiofauna were determined throughout the experiment period. Addition of fresh anthracene drastically reduced the benthic bacterial and meiofaunal abundances.

Impacts of bioremediation schemes for the mitigation of a low-dose anthracene contamination on free-living marine benthic nematodes.

A microcosm experiment was used to examine (1) the effects of different bioremediation schemes on degradation of anthracene and the structure of free-living marine nematodes in a lightly contaminated (4.5 μg g(-1)) sediment from Bizerte lagoon and (2) the responses of the nematode community upon an artificial spiking of a low dose anthracene (1 μg g(-1)). For that purpose sediment microcosms were incubated in laboratory for 40 days.

Comprehensive speciation of low-molecular weight selenium metabolites in mustard seeds using HPLC-electrospray linear trap/Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry.

An analytical methodology based on high-resolution high mass accuracy electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem MS assisted by Se-specific detection using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS) was developed for speciation of selenium (Se) in seeds of black mustard (Brassica nigra) grown on Se-rich soil. Size-exclusion LC-ICP MS allowed the determination of the Se distribution according to the molecular mass and the control of the species stability during extraction. The optimization of hydrophilic interaction of LC and cation-exchange HPLC resulted in analytical conditions making it possible to detect and characterize over 30 Se species using ESI MS, including a number of minor (<0.

Large-scale identification of selenium metabolites by online size-exclusion-reversed phase liquid chromatography with combined inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS) and electrospray ionization linear trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (ESI-MS(n)).

A method was developed for the comprehensive cartography of the selenium metabolites synthesized in the process of conversion of selenite [Se(iv)] into organic compounds and enrichment of yeast with selenium. The number of compounds detected was considerably increased (49) owing to the optimization of the fractionation procedure and the use of UPLC. The increased purity of the minor selenoorganic amino acids and oligopeptides allowed successful on-line de-novo identification based on the exact mass (<1 ppm) and fragmentation (MS(2)/MS(3)) mass spectra obtained with high resolution and high mass accuracy.

Physiological characterization of cadmium-exposed Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a common model organism for investigation of metal stress. This green alga produces phytochelatins in the presence of metal ions. The influence of cadmium is of main interest, because it is a strong activator of phytochelatin synthase.

Rapid and simple UPLC-MS/MS method for precise phytochelatin quantification in alga extracts.

Quantitative phytochelatin (PC) analysis is, due to oxidation sensitivity of the PCs, matrix effects, and time consuming sample preparation, still a challenging analytical task. In this study, a rapid, simple, and sensitive method for precise determination of native PCs in crude extracts of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was developed. Algae were exposed 48 h to 70 μM Cd.

Detection and identification of hydrophilic selenium compounds in selenium-rich yeast by size exclusion-microbore normal-phase HPLC with the on-line ICP-MS and electrospray Q-TOF-MS detection.

Normal-phase HPLC and hydrophilic interaction HPLC (HILIC) were investigated for the separation of selenometabolites in a water extract of Se-rich yeast prior to their detection by ICP-MS and identification by electrospray MS/MS. The targeted fraction was a low-abundant fraction co-eluting with salt and sulfur analogues in size-exclusion chromatography which has so far been inaccessible to Se speciation studies. The optimization of the separation conditions resulted in the highest separation efficiency when HILIC was used and elution was carried out isocratically with a low concentration ammonium acetate buffer (1 mM ammonium acetate/10 mM acetic acid) in 80% acetonitrile.

Standardless identification of selenocystathionine and its gamma-glutamyl derivatives in monkeypot nuts by 3D liquid chromatography with ICP-MS detection followed by nanoHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS.

A three-step chromatographic procedure using orthogonal separation mechanisms (size-exclusion, cation-exchange and ion-pairing reversed phase) was developed to purify three low molecular weight selenospecies, including the major compound, from the aqueous extract of monkeypot (Lecythis minor) nuts. The following reversed-phase nanoHPLC-electrospray Q-TOF-MS/MS allowed the formal standardless identification of selenocystathionine and two isoforms of gamma-glutamyl-selenocystathionine. This is the first MS and MS/MS-based formal evidence of the presence of these compounds in a biological sample.

Precolumn isotope dilution analysis in nanoHPLC-ICPMS for absolute quantification of sulfur-containing peptides.

A novel generic approach based on precolumn isotope dilution nanoHPLC-ICPMS analysis was developed for the accurate absolute quantification of sulfur-containing peptides. A 34S-labeled, species-unspecific sulfur spike (sulfate), noninteracting with analyte peptides under the optimized HPLC condition, was added directly to the chromatographic eluents. Thus a generic sulfur standard permanently present during analysis was used for peptide quantification.

Simultaneous determination of monomethylmercury, monobutyltin, dibutyltin and tributyltin in environmental samples by multi-elemental-species-specific isotope dilution analysis using electron ionisation GC-MS.

In this work, the simultaneous determination of four organometallic species (monomethylmercury, monobutyltin, dibutyltin and tributyltin) in environmental samples by using a GC-MS system with electron ionisation has been established. The measurement of isotope ratios in each species was accomplished by selecting the most adequate molecular cluster, and simple mathematical equations were applied to correct the contributions of 13C from the organic groups attached to the tin and mercury atoms. The influence of different parameters such as dwell time on the precision and accuracy of the measured isotope ratios in each target species has also been studied.

Optimization of accelerated solvent extraction for polyhalogenated dibenzo-p-dioxins and benzo-p-furans in mineral and environmental matrixes using experimental designs.

This paper deals with the optimization of accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) for the analysis of the polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, benzo-p-furans (PCDD/Fs), mixed bromine/chlorine-dibenzo-p-dioxins, and benzo-p-furans (so-called MXDD/Fs) in solid samples. Previous theoretical studies have shown that these compounds exhibit similar electronic properties. It is reasonable to assume that there is little difference in the behavior, formation, and toxicity of PCDD/Fs and MXDD/Fs.