Comparison of by-products as adsorbents for the removal of the antibiotics ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim and clarithromycin.

Antibiotics in the environment are considered emerging pollutants, with special relevance and concern due to the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes. Therefore, finding ways to remediate antibiotics-contaminated soil and water through the use of bio-adsorbents is imperative. In this research, we investigate three by-products (hemp waste, oak ash, and mussel shell) as potential low-cost bio-adsorbents for the antibiotics Ciprofloxacin (CIP), Clarithromycin (CLA), and Trimethoprim (TRI), using batch-type and stirred flow chamber experiments to study their retention and release.

Effectiveness of cork and pine bark powders as biosorbents for potentially toxic elements present in aqueous solution.

Cork oak and pine bark, two of the most prolific byproducts of the European forestry sector, were assessed as biosorbents for eliminating potentially toxic elements (PTEs) from water-based solutions. Our research suggests that bioadsorption stands out as a viable and environmental eco-friendly technology, presenting a sustainable method for the extraction of PTEs from polluted water sources. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the efficiency of cork powder and pine bark powder as biosorbents.

Use of metal nanoparticles in agriculture. A review on the effects on plant germination.

Agricultural nanotechnology has become a powerful tool to help crops and improve agricultural production in the context of a growing world population. However, its application can have some problems with the development of harvests, especially during germination. This review evaluates nanoparticles with essential (Cu, Fe, Ni and Zn) and non-essential (Ag and Ti) elements on plant germination.

Direct toxicity of six antibiotics on soil bacterial communities affected by the addition of bio-adsorbents.

Reducing the toxicity caused by antibiotics on bacterial communities in the soil is one of the great challenges of this century. For this, the effectiveness of amending the soil with different bioadsorbents such as crushed mussel shell (CMS), pine bark (PB) and biomass ash (BA), as well as combinations of them (CMS + PB and PB + BA) was studied at different doses (0 g kg to 48 g kg). Soil samples were spiked, separately, with increasing doses (0-2000 mg kg) of cefuroxime (CMX), amoxicillin (AMX), clarithromycin (CLA), azithromycin (AZI), ciprofloxacin (CIP) and trimethoprim (TMP).

Ciprofloxacin and Trimethoprim Adsorption/Desorption in Agricultural Soils.

The current research focuses on the adsorption/desorption characteristics of the antibiotics ciprofloxacin (CIP) and trimethoprim (TRI) taking place in 17 agricultural soils, which are studied by means of batch-type experiments. The results show that adsorption was higher for CIP, with Freundlich K values ranging between 1150 and 5086 L µmol kg, while they were between 29 and 110 L µmol kg in the case of TRI. Other parameters, such as the Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity (q), as well as the K parameter in the linear model and also the adsorption percentages, follow the same trend as K.

Effects of ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim, and amoxicillin on microbial structure and growth as emerging pollutants reaching crop soils.

The presence of emerging pollutants, and specifically antibiotics, in agricultural soils has increased notably in recent decades, causing growing concern as regards potential environmental and health issues. With this in mind, the current study focuses on evaluating the toxicity exerted by three antibiotics (amoxicillin, trimethoprim, and ciprofloxacin) on the growth of soil bacterial communities, when these pollutants are present at different doses, and considered in the short, medium, and long terms (1, 8 and 42 days of incubation). Specifically, the research was carried out in 12 agricultural soils having different physicochemical characteristics and was performed by means of the leucine (H) incorporation method.

Competitive adsorption and desorption of tetracycline and sulfadiazine in crop soils.

In view of the environmental issues caused by antibiotics, this research studies competitive adsorption/desorption for tetracycline (TC) and sulfadiazine (SDZ) in agricultural soils. Competitive adsorption was studied in binary systems (adding equal concentrations of both antibiotics). In addition, it was compared with results from simple systems.

Potential of low-cost bio-adsorbents to retain amoxicillin in contaminated water.

Sewage sludge as agricultural amendment is the main route of human-medicine antibiotics to enter soils. When reaching environmental compartments, these compounds can cause significant risks to human and ecological health. Specifically, the antibiotic amoxicillin (AMX) is highly used in medicine, and the fact that more than 80% of the total ingested is excreted increases the chances of causing serious environmental and public health problems.

Amoxicillin Retention/Release in Agricultural Soils Amended with Different Bio-Adsorbent Materials.

The antibiotic amoxicillin (AMX) may reach soils and other environmental compartments as a pollutant, with potential to affect human and environmental health. To solve/minimize these hazards, it would be clearly interesting to develop effective and low-cost methods allowing the retention/removal of this compound. With these aspects in mind, this work focuses on studying the adsorption/desorption of AMX in different agricultural soils, with and without the amendment of three bio-adsorbents, specifically, pine bark, wood ash and mussel shell.

Relevance of sorption in bio-reduction of amoxicillin taking place in forest and crop soils.

The fate of antibiotics reaching soils is a matter of concern, given its potential repercussions on public health and the environment. In this work, the potential bio-reduction of the antibiotic amoxicillin (AMX), affected by sorption and desorption, is studied for 17 soils with clearly different characteristics. To carry out these studies, batch-type tests were performed, adding increasing concentrations of AMX (0, 2.

Time-course evolution of bacterial community tolerance to tetracycline antibiotics in agricultural soils: A laboratory experiment.

The presence of antibiotics in soils may increase the selection pressure on soil bacterial communities and cause tolerance to these pollutants. The temporal evolution of bacterial community tolerance to different concentrations of tetracycline (TC), oxytetracycline (OTC) and chlortetracycline (CTC) was evaluated in two soils. The results showed an increase of soil bacterial community tolerance to TC, CTC and OTC only in samples polluted with the highest antibiotic concentrations tested (2000 mg kg).

SARS-CoV-2 and other main pathogenic microorganisms in the environment: Situation in Galicia and Spain.

In the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, and mostly taking a broad perspective, it is clearly relevant to study environmental factors that could affect eventual future outbreaks due to coronaviruses and/or other pathogenic microorganisms. In view of that, the authors of this manuscript review the situation of SARS-CoV-2 and other main pathogenic microorganisms in the environment, focusing on Galicia and Spain. Overall, in addition to showing local data, it is put in evidence that, summed to all efforts being carried out to treat/control this and any other eventual future epidemic diseases, both at local and global levels, a deep attention should be paid to ecological/environmental aspects that have effects on the planet, its ecosystems and their relations/associations with the probability of spreading of eventual future pandemics.

The Toxicity Exerted by the Antibiotic Sulfadiazine on the Growth of Soil Bacterial Communities May Increase over Time.

The toxicity exerted by the antibiotic sulfadiazine on the growth of soil bacterial communities was studied in two agricultural soils for a period of 100 days. In the short-term (2 days of incubation), the effect of sulfadiazine on bacterial growth was low (no inhibition or inhibition <32% for a dose of 2000 mg·kg). However, sulfadiazine toxicity increased with time, achieving values of 40% inhibition, affecting bacterial growth in both soils after 100 days of incubation.

Use of waste materials to prevent tetracycline antibiotics toxicity on the growth of soil bacterial communities.

The increase of concentrations of tetracycline antibiotics in agricultural soils worldwide is of special concern, due to its potential toxic effects on soil bacterial communities. In the present work, the reuse of two waste/by-product materials as soil amendments was tested as a preventive practice for reducing tetracycline antibiotics toxicity in soils. Pine bark (PB), with high percentage of organic carbon, and crushed mussel shell (CMS), a frequent natural liming material, were added to 4 soils in doses 0, 6, 12 and 48 g of by-product per kg of soil (dry weight) of each one (separately).

Retention of propiconazole and terbutryn on acid sandy-loam soils with different organic matter and Cu concentrations.

Equilibrium propiconazole and terbutryn adsorption characteristics were evaluated in ten acid vineyard soils with a wide range of organic matter and copper concentrations using batch experiments. Adsorption data from equilibrium adsorption experiments were generally well described by linear and Freundlich models. Parameters from these models showed that soil organic matter played a key role of propiconazole adsorption processes, but also the amorphous Fe oxides content in soils.

Chromium and fluoride sorption/desorption on un-amended and waste-amended forest and vineyard soils and pyritic material.

Using batch-type experiments, chromium (Cr(VI)) and fluoride (F) sorption/desorption were studied in forest and vineyard soil samples, pyritic material, pine bark, oak ash, hemp waste and mussel shell, as well as on samples of forest and vineyard soil, and of pyritic material, individually treated with 48 t ha of pine bark, oak ash, and mussel shell. Pine bark showed the highest Cr(VI) sorption (always > 97% of the concentration added) and low desorption (<1.5%).

Effects of Changing pH, Incubation Time, and As(V) Competition, on F Retention on Soils, Natural Adsorbents, By-Products, and Waste Materials.

The purpose of this work was to elucidate the repercussion of changing pH, incubation time and As(V) competition on fluoride (F) sorption on forest and vineyard soil samples, pyritic, and granitic materials, as well as on the by-products pine sawdust, oak wood ash, mussel shell ash, fine and coarse mussel shell, and slate processing waste fines. To reach this end, the methodological approach was based on batch-type experiments. The results indicate that, for most materials, F sorption was very high at the start, but was clearly diminished when the pH value increased.