1
|
Preisner M, Neverova-Dziopak E, Kowalewski Z. An Analytical Review of Different Approaches to Wastewater Discharge Standards with Particular Emphasis on Nutrients. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2020; 66:694-708. [PMID: 32785746 PMCID: PMC7522105 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-020-01344-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Despite the implementation of strict legal standards concerning nutrient loads within wastewater discharges in all European Union (EU) Member States it was not possible to achieve good ecological and chemical water status by 2015 in all EU countries. The main reasons for this situation are the imperfections of the legislation tools regarding the standardization of wastewater quality and the methodology of determining the conditions for wastewater introduction into receivers. The study aims to review and analyze the currently existing in various countries legal regulations setting the standards for wastewater discharged into receivers, which were intended for surface water protection and eutrophication mitigation. Besides the EU effluent standards, the regional and national regulations in chosen EU Member States (e.g., Germany, Sweden, and Denmark) have been reviewed. Moreover, the Helsinki Commission recommendations for signatory countries within the Baltic Sea catchment and the approaches for wastewater quality standardization in non-EU countries (e.g., Russia, Belarus, Switzerland, China, USA, Canada, and Dubai) were assessed. The analysis of the reviewed legal regulations allowed to diversify the methodological approaches for setting effluent quality standards in different regions and countries and to assess the effectiveness of existing legal tools in the field of eutrophication mitigation with the consideration of the environmental and economic reasonability. The results suggest that the receiver-oriented policies used among others in Switzerland and China are the most reasonable in terms of eutrophication mitigation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michał Preisner
- Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Wybickiego 7A, Cracow, 31-261, Poland.
| | | | - Zbigniew Kowalewski
- AGH University of Science and Technology, al. Mickiewicza 30, Cracow, 30-059, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Mohamed A, Salama A, Nasser WS, Uheida A. Photodegradation of Ibuprofen, Cetirizine, and Naproxen by PAN-MWCNT/TiO 2-NH 2 nanofiber membrane under UV light irradiation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES EUROPE 2018; 30:47. [PMID: 30595997 PMCID: PMC6280780 DOI: 10.1186/s12302-018-0177-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/24/2018] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In this study, the photodegradation of three pharmaceuticals, namely Ibuprofen (IBP), Naproxen (NPX), and Cetirizine (CIZ) in aqueous media was investigated under UV irradiation. The photocatalyst used in this work consists of surface functionalized titanium dioxide (TiO2-NH2) nanoparticles grafted into Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/multi-walled carbon nanotube composite nanofibers. Surface modification of the fabricated composite nanofibers was illustrated using XRD, FTIR, and SEM analyses. RESULTS Sets of experiments were performed to study the effect of pharmaceuticals initial concentration (5-50 mg/L), solution pH (2-9), and irradiation time on the degradation efficiency. The results demonstrated that more than 99% degradation efficiency was obtained for IBP, CIZ, and NPX within 120, 40, and 25 min, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Comparatively, the photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceuticals using PAN-CNT/TiO2-NH2 composite nanofibers was much more efficient than with PAN/TiO2-NH2 composite nanofibers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alaa Mohamed
- Egypt Nanotechnology Center, EGNC, Cairo University, Giza, 12613 Egypt
- Production Engineering and Printing Technology Department, Akhbar El Yom Academy, Giza, 12655 Egypt
| | - Ahmed Salama
- Department of Production Engineering and Manufacturing Technology, Modern Academy for Engineering and Technology In Maadi, Cairo, Egypt
| | | | - Abdusalam Uheida
- Department of Applied Physics, School of Engineering Sciences, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), 16440 Kista, Stockholm Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Schmitz M, Beghin M, Mandiki SNM, Nott K, Gillet M, Ronkart S, Robert C, Baekelandt S, Kestemont P. Environmentally-relevant mixture of pharmaceutical drugs stimulates sex-steroid hormone production and modulates the expression of candidate genes in the ovary of juvenile female rainbow trout. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2018; 205:89-99. [PMID: 30347285 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2018.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Revised: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Because of their intrinsic biological activity and ubiquitous environmental occurrence, human pharmaceutical compounds have received increasing attention from health and environmental agencies. In the present study, all-female juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were exposed to environmentally-realistic concentrations of a mixture of nonsteroidal pharmaceuticals for 42 days, and the effects on plasma levels of sex-steroids and the expression of genes encoding key proteins involved in ovarian development were assessed. Paracetamol, carbamazepine, diclofenac, irbesartan and naproxen were selected, as these have been detected in the Meuse River in Belgium. Fish were exposed to three concentrations of the mixture including the environmental concentration, 10- and 100-times the environmental concentration. Plasma levels of sex-steroid hormones, particularly 11-ketotestosterone, increased in a concentration-dependent way in exposed females. In addition, some key genes involved in ovarian steroidogenesis were significantly overexpressed after 7 days of exposure, such as key genes involved in the maintenance of the ovary. The steady-state mRNA level of genes implicated in germ cell fate were especially affected, such as that of foxl3 which increased by 5 fold at the highest concentration of the mixture. In conclusion, this study highlights that combined occurrence of common pharmaceutical drugs at concentrations present in surface water environments may act as endocrine-disrupting compounds in rainbow trout.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mélodie Schmitz
- University of Namur, Institute of Life, Earth & Environment, Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, 61 rue de Bruxelles, B-5000 Namur, Belgium.
| | - Mahaut Beghin
- University of Namur, Institute of Life, Earth & Environment, Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, 61 rue de Bruxelles, B-5000 Namur, Belgium
| | - Syaghalirwa N M Mandiki
- University of Namur, Institute of Life, Earth & Environment, Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, 61 rue de Bruxelles, B-5000 Namur, Belgium
| | - Katherine Nott
- Société wallonne des eaux, 41 rue de la Concorde, B-4800 Verviers, Belgium
| | - Michaël Gillet
- Société wallonne des eaux, 41 rue de la Concorde, B-4800 Verviers, Belgium
| | - Sébastien Ronkart
- Société wallonne des eaux, 41 rue de la Concorde, B-4800 Verviers, Belgium
| | - Christelle Robert
- Centre d'Economie Rurale, Health Departement, 8 rue Point du Jour, B-6900 Marloie, Belgium
| | - Sébastien Baekelandt
- University of Namur, Institute of Life, Earth & Environment, Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, 61 rue de Bruxelles, B-5000 Namur, Belgium
| | - Patrick Kestemont
- University of Namur, Institute of Life, Earth & Environment, Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, 61 rue de Bruxelles, B-5000 Namur, Belgium.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Brack W, Escher BI, Müller E, Schmitt-Jansen M, Schulze T, Slobodnik J, Hollert H. Towards a holistic and solution-oriented monitoring of chemical status of European water bodies: how to support the EU strategy for a non-toxic environment? ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES EUROPE 2018; 30:33. [PMID: 30221105 PMCID: PMC6132835 DOI: 10.1186/s12302-018-0161-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 08/25/2018] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
The definition of priority substances (PS) according to the Water Framework Directive (WFD) helped to remove many of these chemicals from the market and to reduce their concentrations in the European water bodies. However, it could not prevent that many of these chemicals have been replaced by others with similar risks. Today, monitoring of the PS-based chemical status according to WFD covers only a tiny fraction of toxic risks, extensively ignores mixture effects and lacks incentives and guidance for abatement. Thus, we suggest complement this purely status-related approach with more holistic and solution-oriented monitoring, which at the same time helps to provide links to the ecological status. Major elements include (1) advanced chemical screening techniques supporting mixture risk assessment and unraveling of source-related patterns in complex mixtures, (2) effect-based monitoring for the detection of groups of chemicals with similar effects and the establishment of toxicity fingerprints, (3) effect-directed analysis of drivers of toxicity and (4) to translate chemical and toxicological fingerprints into chemical footprints for prioritization of management measures. The requirement of more holistic and solution-oriented monitoring of chemical contamination is supported by the significant advancement of appropriate monitoring tools within the last years. Non-target screening technology, effect-based monitoring and basic understanding of mixture assessment are available conceptually and in research but also increasingly find their way into practical monitoring. Substantial progress in the development, evaluation and demonstration of these tools, for example, in the SOLUTIONS project enhanced their acceptability. Further advancement, integration and demonstration, extensive data exchange and closure of remaining knowledge gaps are suggested as high priority research needs for the next future to bridge the gap between insufficient ecological status and cost-efficient abatement measures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Werner Brack
- Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Ecosystem Analysis, Institute for Environmental Research, ABBt-Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Beate I. Escher
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
- Environmental Toxicology, Center for Applied Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Erik Müller
- Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mechthild Schmitt-Jansen
- Department of Bioanalytical Ecotoxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tobias Schulze
- Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Henner Hollert
- Department of Ecosystem Analysis, Institute for Environmental Research, ABBt-Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|