Research on emerging contaminants
Saba Miri, Mitra Naghdi, Tarek Rouissi, Satinder Kaur Brar & Richard Martel (2018). « Recent biotechnological advances in petroleum hydrocarbons degradation under cold climate conditions: A review« . Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology
In recent years, there have been advances in bioremediation of pollutants with the goal of effective clean-up of environments in an eco-friendly and cost-effective approach. For contamination removal at cold climate sites, bioremediation approaches are appealing due to their potential to be more cost-effective and efficient than alternative, more energy intensive approaches. Recent studies showed both aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation processes are important at cold climate sites. Most of these works are focused on biostimulation and bioaugmentation involved in adding nutrients and hydrocarbon degraders at cold climate sites, but studies on other methods such as the use of biosurfactant, genetically engineered bacteria, cold-adapted enzymes and immobilization method are still limited. This review selectively provides information on bioremediation under aerobic and anaerobic conditions and recent biotechnological advances in bioremediation at cold climate sites. However, the limitations and challenges for petroleum hydrocarbons bioremediation in cold climate remain at large. Further research and field demonstrations are required to determine which method is more effective for biodegradation of petroleum contaminates under such conditions.
Bioremediation, biotechnological techniques, cold climate, petroleum contamination
Mitra Naghdi, Sabrine Metahni, Yassine Ouarda, Satinder K. Brar, Ratul Kumar Das, Maximiliano Cledon (2017). « Instrumental approach toward understanding nano-pollutants« . Nanotechnology for environmental Engineering.
Nano-pollutants (NPLTs) have recently raised global concerns due to their possible harmful impact on environment and human health. However, until date, information on the occurrence, fate and toxicity of NPLTs in environment is scant. The knowledge gap can be attributed to the lack of advanced and sophisticated methodologies for the precise detection and characterization of NPLTs at lower concentration in complex matrices, such as surface water, wastewater, soil and food. This review briefly discusses the performance of classical methods for characterization and study of the properties of NPLTs. The important properties include shape, size, aggregation state, chemical composition and structure. Chromatographic, microscopic and spectroscopic techniques have been developed for detection and quantitative estimation of fabricated or naturally existed NPLTs in different matrices. Often, combination of these techniques is required for the separation, purification and accurate estimation. For better detection and understanding of the initial steps of interaction with the environmental matrices, pollution sources, such as wastewater and industrial discharges, must be selected as sampling points. Understanding the dynamics of agglomeration, and decantation will allow to estimate the plume of transport to delimit the potential effects.
Nano-pollutants, Analytical tools, Classical and advanced techniques, Detection
Bhagyashree Tiwari, Balasubramanian Sellamuthu, Yassine Ouarda, Patrick Drogui, Rajeshwar D. Tyagi, Gerardo Buelna (2017). « Review on fate and mechanism of removal of pharmaceutical pollutants from wastewater using biological approach. » Bioresource Technology, Volume 224, January, pp. 1-12.
Due to research advancement and discoveries in the field of medical science, maintains and provides better human health and safer life, which lead to high demand for production of pharmaceutical compounds with a concomitant increase in population. These pharmaceutical (biologically active) compounds were not fully metabolized by the body and excreted out in wastewater. This micro-pollutant remains unchanged during wastewater treatment plant operation and enters into the receiving environment via the discharge of treated water. Persistence of pharmaceutical compounds in both surface and ground waters becomes a major concern due to their potential eco-toxicity. Pharmaceuticals (emerging micro-pollutants) deteriorate the water quality and impart a toxic effect on living organisms. Therefore, from last two decades, plenty of studies were conducted on the occurrence, impact, and removal of pharmaceutical residues from the environment. This review provides an overview on the fate and removal of pharmaceutical compounds via biological treatment process.