Photocatalytic and biodegradation treatments of paracetamol: investigation of the in vivo toxicity

Novel activated carbon from Magonia pubescens bark: characterization and evaluation of adsorption efficiency

In this work, the synthesis of activated carbon from the bark of the Magonia pubescens (known as Tingui) and its efficiency in the removal of diclofenac sodium through batch adsorption tests and physical-chemical characterizations were investigated. The phytotoxicity of this material was also evaluated through germination and root growth of Lactuca sativa seeds. According to the experimental design performed for the synthesis of Tingui carbon, the optimized temperature and residence time for the production of this adsorbent were 550 °C and 120 min, respectively. The equilibrium time was reached in 600 min and the theoretical model that best fitted the kinetic data was the Elovich model. The BET was the best fit for the adsorption isotherm dataThis indicates that the adsorption process of sodium diclofenac by activated carbon can occur by two different mechanisms, monolayer and/or multilayer adsorption, depending on the conditions employed in the process, such as temperature and adsorbate concentration. The thermodynamic study showed that the process was favourable and spontaneous in the temperature range evaluated. Furthermore, the characterizations showed by TG/DTG and FTIR analyses that the temperature throughout the process had a marked impact on the degradation of the organic constituents of the biomass and the appearance of distinct functional groups that contributed to the adsorption process of diclofenac sodium. Finally, the toxicity tests recognized that this adsorbent does not affect the germination of L. sativa species. Thus, this adsorbent may become a novel and viable option to be used in the removal of sodium diclofenac.

Stochastic Dynamic Mass Spectrometric Quantitative and Structural Analyses of Pharmaceutics and Biocides in Biota and Sewage Sludge

Mass spectrometric innovations in analytical instrumentation tend to be accompanied by the development of a data-processing methodology, expecting to gain molecular-level insights into real-life objects. Qualitative and semi-quantitative methods have been replaced routinely by precise, accurate, selective, and sensitive quantitative ones. Currently, mass spectrometric 3D molecular structural methods are attractive. As an attempt to establish a reliable link between quantitative and 3D structural analyses, there has been developed an innovative formula [DSD″,tot=∑inDSD″,i=∑in2.6388.10-17×Ii2¯-Ii¯2] capable of the exact determination of the analyte amount and its 3D structure. It processed, herein, ultra-high resolution mass spectrometric variables of paracetamol, atenolol, propranolol, and benzalkonium chlorides in biota, using mussel tissue and sewage sludge. Quantum chemistry and chemometrics were also used. Results: Data on mixtures of antibiotics and surfactants in biota and the linear dynamic range of concentrations 2-80 ng.(mL)-1 and collision energy CE = 5-60 V are provided. Quantitative analysis of surfactants in biota via calibration equation ln[D″SD] = f(conc.) yields the exact parameter |r| = 0.99991, examining the peaks of BAC-C12 at m/z 212.209 ± 0.1 and 211.75 ± 0.15 for tautomers of fragmentation ions. Exact parameter |r| = 1 has been obtained, correlating the theory and experiments in determining the 3D molecular structures of ions of paracetamol at m/z 152, 158, 174, 301, and 325 in biota.

Assessment of Bacterial Diversity of Industrial Poultry Wastewater by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) and the Cultivation Method in Order to Inform Its Reuse in Agriculture

Effluents discharged by poultry meat industries are heavily polluted with raw materials, such as fat, blood residues, and proteins. Thus, untreated effluents directly discharged into the environment may constitute a public health threat. This study aims to evaluate the bacterial diversity of three water qualities: industrial poultry wastewater (PWW), tap water (TW), and PWW diluted with TW (50 : 50) (V/V) (TWPWW) by the combination of culture-independent and culture-dependent approaches. The total bacterial DNA was extracted using phenol/chloroform method. The hypervariable 16S rRNA region V3-V5 was amplified by PCR using universal primers. The amplicons were separated by vertical electrophoresis on a polyacrylamide gel of increasing denaturing gradient according to their richness in GC bases. Selected bands were reamplified and sequenced. Pure isolated bacteria from nutrient agar medium were characterized according to their morphological and biochemical characteristics. Genomic DNA from pure strains was extracted by boiling method, and a molecular amplification of the 16S–23S ITS region of the 16S rRNA gene was performed using the universal primers. Selected isolates were identified by sequencing. Results showed a high bacterial load and diversity in PWW in comparison with TW and TWPWW. A collection of 44 strains was obtained, and 25 of them were identified by sequencing. Proteobacteria represented 76% of isolated bacteria Gamma-Proteobacteria was the predominate isolate (68%). Other isolates were Firmicutes (8%), Bacteroidetes (12%), and Actinobacteria (8%). These isolates belong to different genera, namely, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Proteus, Empedobacter, Corynebacterium, Enterobacter, Comamonas, Frondibacter, Leclercia, Staphylococcus, Atlantibacter, Klebsiella, and Microbacterium.