Assessment of Mechanical and Ecotoxicological Properties of Mortar with Wood Waste Biochar as Partial Cement Replacement.

For several decades, cement production has caused concerns about CO emissions. As the production of concrete has increased over the years, the fact that cement is its key component additionally raises a concern. By partially replacing cement with waste material such as biomass waste biochar, the reduction in waste and the reduction of CO emissions could be addressed at the same time but raises a concern about the ecotoxicological potential of biochar-containing cementitious composites.

Biotreatability Improvement of Antibiotic-Contaminated Waters: High Efficiency of Direct Ozonation in Comparison to Hydroxyl Radical Oxidation.

Efficiencies of direct ozonation and hydroxyl radical oxidation by Fenton process were compared, aiming to improve biotreatability of antibiotics contaminated water (tiamulin, amoxicillin and levofloxacin).  Biodegradability, COD (chemical oxygen demand) and TOC (total organic carbon) were measured before and after applying oxidative process. It was confirmed that significantly smaller molar dose of ozone (1.

Combined Analytical Study on Chemical Transformations and Detoxification of Model Phenolic Pollutants during Various Advanced Oxidation Treatment Processes.

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have been introduced to deal with different types of water pollution. They cause effective chemical destruction of pollutants, yet leading to a mixture of transformation by-products, rather than complete mineralization. Therefore, the aim of our study was to understand complex degradation processes induced by different AOPs from chemical and ecotoxicological point of view.

Potential of biochar use in building materials.

A critical review of the articles dealing with biochar in terms of the reuse of biomass waste in building materials and its impact on material properties was conducted using five different electronic databases; thirteen articles were selected for this critical review. Biochar was used as a replacement for cement and aggregate in cementitious composites and as an addition in wood polypropylene composites and plasters. The biochar dosages ranged from 0.

Comparison of end-of-life vehicles management in 31 European countries: A LMDI analysis.

In 2018, a total of 6,083,000 end-of-life vehicles (EVLs) with a total weight of 6,732,000 tonnes (including waste parts) were generated in the European Union. These vehicles are a subject of particular attention because of their bulky mass, the hazardous components they contain, and the valuable materials present. This article analyses the quantities of ELVs and parts of ELVs that have been recycled, energy recovered, disposed, and reused to assess the impact of the changes in these management options on the total quantities managed.

Ozonation of Amoxicillin and Ciprofloxacin in Model Hospital Wastewater to Increase Biotreatability.

Amoxicillin (AMX) and Ciprofloxacin (CIP) are antibiotics commonly used in human medicine with high environmental toxicity and poor biodegradability. They have been found in various hospital effluents and groundwater, and their environmental impact is still not fully understood. In this work, we investigated the possibility of treating model wastewaters containing the antibiotics AMX and CIP using ozonation, with the addition of HO under various conditions, including different pH values, HO, and ozone dosages.

Improvement of biotreatability of environmentally persistent antibiotic Tiamulin by O and O/HO oxidation processes.

The aim of the work was to assess the efficiency of ozonation and ozonation in combination with HO in jet loop reactor to increase biotreatability of persistent veterinary antibiotic Tiamulin. The efficiency of oxidative processes was monitored by combined approach based on determination of efficiency of wastewater treatment and impact to waste sludge stabilization. Degradation of Tiamulin in model wastewater (100 mg L) during oxidation was followed by COD and DOC measurements while changes in biodegradability were determined by respirometric measurements.

The impact of single step ozonation of antibiotics-contaminated waste sludge to biogas production.

Antibiotics contamination of the environment is a growing public health concern, due to their persistency, possible chronic effects and spread of antibiotics resistance genes. The aim of the study was to determine efficiency of ozonation of waste biological sludge, contaminated by various antibiotics (400 mg L of Tiamulin, Amoxicillin and Levofloxacin) in terms of inreased biogas production potential. It was confirmed that contaminated waste sludge inhibits overall biogas production in further anaerobic stabilization for 10-30% resulting also in lower methane yield in the gas mixture (14-45%).

An exploratory ecotoxicity study of primary microplastics versus aged in natural waters and wastewaters.

Current understanding of how environmental aging of microplastics contributes to their ecotoxicity is low. We investigated whether incubation of microplastics in waters with different organic load and toxic potential alters the toxicity of microplastics to crustacean Daphnia magna, fish embryos Danio rerio and plant Lemna minor. Polyethylene primary microplastics; specifically microbeads from facial scrub; were subjected to 3-weeks incubation in low affected spring water, river water, effluent from the municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and municipal landfill leachate.

Delamination of plastic-coated waste paper by enzymes of the white rot fungus Dichomitus squalens.

Many paper products are coated with plastic to improve their quality and stability. However, this limits recycling and recovery options and the plastic-coated waste paper is mostly disposed in landfills. Such practices are uneconomical and contrary to sustainable waste management.

The use of multiwell culture plates in the duckweed toxicity test-A case study on Zn nanoparticles.

Extensive production of nanomaterials of various properties needs to be coupled with rapid toxicity testing in order to provide information about their potential risks to the environment and human health. Miniaturization of toxicity tests may accelerate economical testing of nanomaterials, but is not a common practice. We describe a case study to miniaturize a commonly used toxicity test with plant duckweed Lemna minor.

Impact of polyethylene microbeads on the floating freshwater plant duckweed Lemna minor.

Microplastics (MP), small plastic particles below 5 mm, have become one of the central concerns of environmental risk assessment. Microplastics are continuously being released into the aquatic environment either directly through consumer products or indirectly through fragmentation of larger plastic materials. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of polyethylene microbeads from cosmetic products on duckweed (Lemna minor), a freshwater floating plant.

Hydrodynamic cavitation in combination with the ozone, hydrogen peroxide and the UV-based advanced oxidation processes for the removal of natural organic matter from drinking water.

Natural organic matter in drinking water is causing concern especially due to the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) by chlorine, as these are proven to have adverse health effects on consumers. In this research, humic acid was used as a source of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in drinking water (up to 3mgL). The efficiency of DOC removal was studied by applying O, HO/O, HO/UV and O/UV advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) alone and combined with hybrid hydrodynamic cavitation (HC), generated by an orifice plate, as this technology recently shows promising potential for the treatment of water, containing recalcitrant organic substances.

The Enhancement of H2O2/UV AOPs for the Removal of Selected Organic Pollutants from Drinking Water with Hydrodynamic Cavitation.

Drinking water contains organic matter that occasionally needs to be treated to assure its sufficient quality and safety for the consumers. H2O2 and UV advanced oxidation processes (H2O2/UV AOPs) were combined with hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) to assess the effects on the removal of selected organic pollutants. Water samples containing humic acid, methylene blue dye and micropollutants (metaldehyde, diatrizoic acid, iohexol) were treated first by H2O2 (dosages from 1 to 12 mg L-1) and UV (dosages from 300 to 2800 mJ cm-2) AOPs alone and later in combination with HC, generated by nozzles and orifice plates (4, 8, 18 orifices).

Decomposition analysis of the waste generation and management in 30 European countries.

An often suggested method for waste prevention is substitution of currently-used materials with materials which are less bulky, contain less hazardous components or are easier to recycle. For policy makers it is important to have tools available that provide information on the impact of this substitution on the changes in total amounts of waste generated and managed. The purpose of this paper is to see how much changes in the mix of 15 waste streams generated in eight economic sectors from 30 European countries have influenced the amounts of waste generated and managed in the period 2004-2012.

A case study to optimise and validate the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana immobilisation assay with silver nanoparticles: The role of harmonisation.

Brine shrimp Artemia sp. has been recognised as an important ecotoxicity and nanotoxicity test model organism for salt-rich aquatic environments, but currently there is still no harmonised testing protocol which would ensure the comparable results for hazard identification. In this paper we aimed to design the harmonised protocol for nanomaterial toxicity testing using Artemia franciscana and present a case study to validate the protocol with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs).

Application of multiple toxicity tests in monitoring of landfill leachate treatment efficiency.

Leachate from a closed landfill used for co-disposal of municipal and tannery waste was submitted to coagulation treatment, air stripping, adsorption on granular activated carbon, and Fenton oxidation with the aim to reduce toxicity of the leachate. Optimal operational conditions for each process were identified. The performance of the treatment was monitored by determination of organic matter (COD, DOC, BOD5), inorganic components (N-NH4(+), Cl(-), alkalinity, metals), organic compounds (BTEX, PAHs, PCBs, OCPs) while changes in toxicity were followed by multiple toxicity tests.

Evaluation of biotreatability of ionic liquids in aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

The aim of our study was to set up an approach for reliable biotreatability assessment of ionic liquids (ILs). As a case study, two different ILs were selected: pyridinium-based 1-butyl-3-methylpyridinium dicyanamide ([bmpyr][dca]) and imidazolium-based 1-butyl-3-methylimidazole tetrafluoroborate ([bmim][BF4]). Toxicity in aerobic conditions was determined by measurement of inhibition of oxygen consumption by activated sludge, while their biodegradability was calculated from measurements of oxygen consumption and dissolved organic carbon elimination.

Fungal and enzymatic treatment of mature municipal landfill leachate.

The aim of our study was to evaluate biotreatability of mature municipal landfill leachate by using white rot fungus and its extracellular enzymes. Leachates were collected in one active and one closed regional municipal landfill. Both chosen landfills were operating for many years and the leachates generated there were polluted by organic and inorganic compounds.

Artemia salina acute immobilization test: a possible tool for aquatic ecotoxicity assessment.

Despite the fact that the marine crustacean Artemia salina is extensively used in ecotoxicology, there is still a lack of information about its sensitivity to commonly used chemicals. In the presented study, acute toxicity of 18 commonly used chemicals - including organic solvents, industrial chemicals, metals and inorganic compounds - to A. salina was evaluated.

Comparison of Fenton's oxidation and ozonation for removal of estrogens.

This study compares efficiency of Fenton's oxidation and ozonation of 17beta-estradiol (E2) and 17alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2) as two possible processes for removal of estrogens from aqueous solutions. The effectiveness of Fenton's oxidative removal was studied at different ratios of reagents Fe2+:H2O2 (1:0.5; 1:10; 1:20; 1:33), where with some molar ratios up to 100% removal of E2 and EE2 was achieved in the first few minutes of reaction.

Feasibility of Fenton's Oxidation for Removal of Estrogens from Aqueous Solutions.

Presented research has been focused on the effectiveness of degradation of natural (17-estradiol - E2) and synthetic (17α-ethinylestradiol - EE2) hormones with Fenton's oxidation. Numerous studies have demonstrated, that the impact of hormones on organisms was shown already at environmental concentrations close to 1 pg L-1, so their effective removal from wastewaters is important. Fenton's oxidation is very efficient in terms of oxidation of organics, while its main withdrawal is the formation of waste sludge, leading to adsorption of organics, which sometimes makes it impossible to reliably value the extent of actual degradation.