Sources and trends of artificial sweeteners in coastal waters in the bay of Cadiz (NE Atlantic).

This is the first comprehensive study on the input, occurrence, and distribution of artificial sweeteners (ASs) in coastal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and their receiving coastal waters. Acesulfame (ACE), aspartame (ASP), cyclamate (CYC), saccharine (SAC), and sucralose (SUC) were monitored for 6 months in Cadiz Bay (SW Spain). ASP was always detected at <0.

Anaerobic degradation of alcohol ethoxylates and polyethylene glycols in marine sediments.

This research is focused on alcohol polyethoxylates (AEOs), nonionic surfactants used in a wide variety of products such as household cleaners and detergents. Our main objective in this work was to study the anaerobic degradation of these compounds and their main aerobic degradation products and precursors (polyethylene glycols, PEGs, which are also used for many other applications) in marine sediments, providing the first data available on this topic. First, we observed that average AEO sediment-water partition coefficients (Kd) increased towards those homologs having longer alkyl chains (from 257 L/kg for C12 to 5772 L/kg for C18),which were less susceptible to undergo biodegradation.

Distribution of anionic and nonionic surfactants in a sewage-impacted Mediterranean coastal lagoon: inputs and seasonal variations.

In this work we have monitored the seasonal inputs, occurrence and distribution of the world's most widely used surfactants (linear alkylbenzene sulfonates, LAS, nonylphenol polyethoxylates, NPEOs, and alcohol polyethoxylates, AEOs) in Mar Menor lagoon (SE Spain) and its main tributary (El Albujón) for the first time. Concentration of target compounds was determined in both surface waters and sediments after solid phase extraction and pressurized liquid extraction, respectively, followed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). There were significant differences in surfactant fluxes from El Albujón towards Mar Menor depending on the season and the day of the week, with maximum estimated annual inputs being detected for LAS (406 kg) and their metabolites, sulfophenyl carboxylic acids (482 kg).

Partitioning of alcohol ethoxylates and polyethylene glycols in the marine environment: field samplings vs laboratory experiments.

Nowadays, alcohol ethoxylates (AEOs) constitute the most important group of non-ionic surfactants, used in a wide range of applications such as household cleaners and detergents. Significant amounts of these compounds and their degradation products (polyethylene glycols, PEGs, which are also used for many other applications) reach aquatic environments, and are eliminated from the water column by degradation and sorption processes. This work deals with the environmental distribution of AEOs and PEGs in the Long Island Sound Estuary, a setting impacted by sewage discharges from New York City (NYC).

Analysis of alcohol polyethoxylates and polyethylene glycols in marine sediments.

Alcohol polyethoxylates (AEOs) are the most commercially important type of nonionic surfactants, used in a wide variety of products such as household cleaning detergents, industrial cleaners, textiles, adjuvants in pesticides, wetting and dispersing agents, and emulsifiers. Our main objective in this work was to develop a methodology for the extraction, isolation and analysis of these compounds and their main degradation products and precursors (polyethylene glycols, PEGs) in solid environmental matrices. First, analytes were extracted by pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) using methanol at 120°C as solvent and 3 cycles (5 min per cycle).