Removal of phosphorus by modified bentonite:polyvinylidene fluoride membrane-study of adsorption performance and mechanism.

Enhanced phosphorus management, geared towards sustainability, is imperative due to its indispensability for all life forms and its close association with water bodies' eutrophication, primarily stemming from anthropogenic activities. In response to this concern, innovative technologies rooted in the circular economy are emerging, to remove and recover this vital nutrient to global food production. This research undertakes an evaluation of the dead-end filtration performance of a mixed matrix membrane composed of modified bentonite (MB) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) for efficient phosphorus removal from water media.

Source apportionment and health impact assessment of atmospheric particulate matter in the city of São Carlos, Brazil.

In this study, positive matrix factorization method was used for source apportionment of PM in the city of São Carlos from 2015 to 2018. The annual mean concentrations of PM, 15 PAHs, 4 oxy-PAHs, 6 nitro-PAHs, 21 saccharides, and 17 ions in these samples were in the ranges 18.1 ± 6.

Toxicity of the sawdust used for phosphorus recovery in a eutrophic reservoir: experiments with Lactuca sativa and Allium cepa.

Eutrophication is one of the environmental problems arising from the increase of essential nutrient concentrations, mainly phosphorus and nitrogen. In contrast to excess phosphorus, the depletion of phosphate rock deposits used for the production of fertilizers compromises the food supply. Therefore, the development of technologies that propose the recovery of the phosphorus contained in eutrophic environments for its later use for agricultural fertilization purposes is very important to ensure global food security.

Development of a simple method to quantify fipronil and its intermediates in soil.

A simple and reproducible method was developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of the pesticide fipronil and its intermediates fipronil desulfinyl, fipronil sulfone and fipronil sulfide, in soil. The analytes were extracted by ultrasonic bath and the ratio of solvents (hexane/acetone), number and time of cycles were optimized by Box-Behnken design with a triplicate central point. The optimal extraction conditions were achieved through a response surface analysis.

Using BiVO/CuO-Based Photoelectrocatalyzer for 4-Nitrophenol Degradation.

The present work reports the degradation of 4-nitrophenol using BiVO/CuO hybrid material synthesized by the precipitation of BiVO in the presence of CuO. Morphological and structural characterizations were performed using X-ray diffraction and scanning electronic microscopy coupled to energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Through the calculation of the Kubelka-Munk function applied to diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry data, the hybrid material presented absorption edge of 1.

Equilibrium and kinetic studies of the adsorption of antibiotics from aqueous solutions onto powdered zeolites.

The performances of two FAU-type zeolites with different SiO/AlO ratios were evaluated for the removal of antibiotics of three different classes, namely azithromycin, ofloxacin, and sulfamethoxazole, from aqueous solutions. Commercial zeolites were used, without any previous treatment. Use of a small adsorbent dosage resulted in fast antibiotic adsorption that followed pseudo-second order kinetics.

Multivariate analyses of the effect of an urban wastewater treatment plant on spatial and temporal variation of water quality and nutrient distribution of a tropical mid-order river.

Freshwater resources are increasingly scarce due to human activities, and the understanding of water quality variations at different spatial and temporal scales is necessary for adequate management. Here, we analyze the hypotheses that (1) the presence of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and (2) a polluted tributary that drains downstream from the WWTP change the spatial patterns of physicochemical variables (pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and electrical conductivity) and nutrient concentrations (reactive soluble phosphorus, total phosphorus, nitrogen series, total nitrogen, and total dissolved carbon) along a mid-order river in SE Brazil and that these effects depend on rainfall regime. Six study sites were sampled along almost 4 years to evaluate the impacts of human activities, including sites upstream (1-3) and downstream (5-6) from the WWTP.

Spatio-temporal evaluation of emerging contaminants and their partitioning along a Brazilian watershed.

The occurrence, partitioning, and spatio-temporal distribution of seven pharmaceuticals for human use, three steroid hormones and one personal care product were determined in surface water, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and sediment of Piraí Creek and Jundiaí River (Jundiaí River Basin, São Paulo, Brazil). The maximum average detected concentrations of the compounds in the Piraí River samples were < 30 ng L, except for caffeine (222 ng L). In Jundiaí River samples, most of the compounds were frequently detected, wherein caffeine had the highest concentration, with maximum average concentrations of 14,050 ng L, followed by atenolol (431 ng L), ibuprofen (268 ng L) and diclofenac (214 ng L).

Ion Imprinted Polymer for Preconcentration and Determination of Ultra-Trace Cadmium, Employing Flow Injection Analysis with Thermo Spray Flame Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry.

This work proposes a preconcentration method using an ion imprinted polymer (IIP) for determination of cadmium, in several samples, employing a mini-column filled with the polymer coupled into a flow injection analysis system with detection by thermospray flame furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (FIA-TS-FF-AAS). The polymer was synthesized via bulk using methacrylic acid and vinylimidazole as a functional monomer. For the FIA system initial assessment, the variables: pH, eluent concentration and buffer concentration were studied, employing a 23 full factorial design.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction method for the simultaneous determination of emerging contaminants in freshwater sediments.

Sediments are the fate of several emerging organic contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products and hormones, and therefore an important subject in environmental monitoring studies. In the present work, a simple and sensitive method was developed, validated and applied for the simultaneous extraction of atenolol, caffeine, carbamazepine, diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen, propranolol, triclosan, estrone, 17-β-estradiol and 17-α-ethinylestradiol using ultrasound-assisted extraction from freshwater sediment samples followed by solid-phase extraction clean-up and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection. The solvent type and extraction pH were evaluated to obtain the highest recoveries of the compounds.

Electrical conductivity and emerging contaminant as markers of surface freshwater contamination by wastewater.

The use of chemical markers of undoubted anthropogenic sources for surface freshwater contamination by wastewaters was evaluated employing correlations observed between measured physico-chemical parameters as the electrical conductivity and the concentration of different emerging organic compounds. During the period from April/2011 to April/2012 spatial-temporal variations and contamination patterns of two rivers (Piraí and Jundiaí rivers), São Paulo state, Brazil were evaluated. Seven physico-chemical parameters and concentrations of different classes of emerging contaminants were determined in samples collected in seven field campaigns.

Determination of selenium using atomically imprinted polymer (AIP) and hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry.

This paper describes selenium determination based on Se(0) preconcentration in the imprinted polymer (synthesized with 2.25mmol SeO2, 4-vinylpyridine and 1-vinylimidazole) with subsequent detection on-line in HG-FAAS. During the synthesis, SeO2 is reduced to Se (0).

Degradation of formaldehyde by advanced oxidation processes.

The degradation of formaldehyde in an aqueous solution (400 mg L(-1)) was studied using photolysis, peroxidation and advanced oxidation processes (UV/H(2)O(2), Fenton and photo-Fenton). Photolysis was the only process tested that did not reduce formaldehyde concentration; however, only advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) significantly decreased dissolved organic carbon (DOC). UV/H(2)O(2) and photo-Fenton AOPs were used to degrade formaldehyde at the highest concentrations (1200-12,000 mg L(-1)); the processes were able to reduce CH(2)O by 98% and DOC by 65%.

Elemental gaseous mercury flux at the water/air interface over the Negro River basin, Amazon, Brazil.

The amount of dissolved gaseous mercury (DGM) released annually into the atmosphere by water bodies in each of the 18 major sub-basins of the Negro River tributaries has been estimated for the wet season and adopted for the entire year. Using Remote Sensors (RS) and the Geographic Information System (GIS), an estimate was made for the total flooded area during the period of the wet season (May-July), which corresponds to around 10% of the total basin area. The estimates of DGM evasive flux values were made during four scientific campaigns and ranged from 0.