Trends in Environmental Analytical Chemistry最新文献

Harmful pollutants, such as pesticides, heavy metal ions, and antibiotics, pose significant threats to global food security and ecological safety; seriously damage human health; and hinder the green and sustainable development of modern society. Therefore, there is an urgent need for methods to accurate detect these harmful pollutants. In recent years, significant advancements have been made in nanomimetic research on hydrolases, which are the most common and abundant class of natural enzymes. Researchers have developed a variety of biomimetic hydrolases (also known as nanohydrolases) based on nanomaterials for detecting harmful contaminants (including pesticides, antibiotics, and heavy metal ions) in food and ecological environments. However, to date, there have been few reviews on the use of nanohydrolases for pollutant sensing. Herein, we classify the carrier materials and the types of chemical bonds hydrolyzed by nanohydrolases. Then, we summarize the application of nanohydrolases for sensing harmful pollutants. This study provides guidance for the development of nanohydrolases and contributes to the expansion of nanoenzyme-based sensing of environmental pollutants.

Globally, fluoroquinolones are the third largest antimicrobial category. These molecules can enter natural biota either in unmetabolized or partially metabolised form and undergoes further transformation depending on biotic and abiotic factors in aqueous and terrestrial ecosystems, which can lead to antimicrobial resistance. This requires timely monitoring and prediction of fluoroquinolone and metabolite changes. The physiochemical flexibility of fluoroquinolones, complicated sampling combinations, and matrix interference in sample preparation and detection could give misleading quantifying results. These complex and massive data sets require rigorous statistical and mathematical data processing approaches to detect analytical fingerprints/patterns, and point - nonpoint source discrimination. This paper has critically reviewed the use of predictive and exploratory chemometric models to identify the patterns and resolve overlapping, asymmetric peaks and multicollinearity fluoroquinolone spectrum data raised from several separative and non-separative detection techniques. Moreover, this review also highlights the crucial parameters involved in determining fluoroquinolones in real-time samples, challenges, and research gaps associated with current analytical techniques. The approach also prioritises the integration of clustering, classification and regression-based chemometrics to achieve justifiable accurate results. This review will address fluoroquinolone detection challenges and help the government and research community to develop better regulatory policies, analytical methods, and mitigation strategies to protect life-saving antibiotics.

In recent years, advancements in separation techniques have been made by the use of magnetic characteristics in molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). Magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIPs) have benefits over traditional molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) in sample pretreatment because of their larger specific surface areas and highly accessible particular binding sites, which result in excellent specificity and selectivity toward analytes. MMIPs are easily separated from a variety of complicated matrices and have a high adsorption capability. They play an essential role in the efficient extraction of various analytes from a variety of matrices, including water, soil, food and its derivatives, plant extraction, fruits and vegetables, and various biological samples. Additionally, MMIPs have the major benefit of being a green chemistry approach, whether in synthesis or applications; as a result, they effectively reduce pollution in the environment and minimize the use of resources. A variety of MMIP applications from 2019 to 2023 were reviewed in this work. The various approaches and procedures utilized to create MMIPs are covered in this review. In addition, a brief description of several MMIP-based analytical techniques is provided in this manuscript, along with information on various aspects such as their adsorption capacity, equilibrium time, limit of detection, extraction recovery, and recyclability assessment. The types of porogen and functional monomer used have the greatest effect on the efficiency and reusability of the constructed MMIPs. On the contrary, the cross-linker type has no prominent effect on the efficiency and reusability of the constructed MMIPs. Future opportunities and current obstacles to better promote MMIPs features are also covered. This publication served as a comprehensive assessment of a number of analytes in various matrices recovered by MMIP, including pollutants, dyes, natural components, pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides. As a result, it can serve as a guide for creating new MMIP-based analytical techniques for a range of uses.

Microplastics have become a rising concern in recent years. A lot of research motivation has been triggered towards the detection and sensing of microplastics in various environments. This review focuses on surveying the conventional, contemporary analytical expertize demonstrated for microplastic detection. The key objective of this review is to assess the utility of portable analytical devices for the onsite monitoring and detection of microplastics. The portable devices for microplastic analysis that are currently in use have been listed and their contributions towards the detection of microplastics in various environments have been comprehensively presented. The limitations of portable hand-held analytics have been discussed and the challenges in terms of limit of detection, contamination, resolution and reproducibility have been highlighted. The need for the conversion of more advanced technologies well established for their reputation for microplastic analysis, to their corresponding portables has been emphasized. The lack of data on the use of portable analytical devices for nanoplastic detection has been projected. This is a state-of-the-art review combining all these synergistic aspects of portable analytical devices related to microplastic detection in environmental samples.

Pesticides, employed in agriculture to boost harvests and control pests, harm the ecosystem. Surface runoff from their widespread use pollutes water and soil. Pesticides deplete beneficial insect populations, upset ecological equilibrium, and contaminate food chains, posing health concerns through bioaccumulation and biomagnification. Moreover, heavy metals from industry, mining, and inappropriate waste disposal are persistent, harmful environmental pollutants. Lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic in soils and sediments pollute water supplies and endanger aquatic life, wildlife, and humans. Heavy metal exposure can cause neurological issues, reproductive abnormalities, and cancer, making cleanup necessary. Also, industrial activities, wastewater discharge, and agricultural runoff produce phenolic compounds, another harmful environmental contaminant. Bisphenol A, phenol, and chlorophenols poison aquatic species, limit plant photosynthesis, and alter microbial populations. Additionally, phenolic chemicals can stay in the environment for lengthy durations, causing long-term ecological damage and health concerns from tainted drinking water and food. As a result, environmental monitoring is becoming increasingly important for sensitively detecting and quantifying pesticides, phenolic compounds, and heavy metals. Electrochemical sensors and modification materials are prepared for specific pollutant detection, providing selectivity and sensitivity, thus enabling the detection of the target molecule down to the nanomolar or even picomolar range. In this respect, ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) materials attract attention in electrochemical sensing applications due to their numerous advantages. OMCs are promising for catalysis and sensing applications due to their well-ordered pore structure, high specific surface area, and tunable pore sizes in the mesopore range. The unique properties of these materials could open a new approach to studying the electrochemical determination of other environmental pollutants. This review covers the properties, advantages, synthesis procedures, and characterization processes of OMCs and focuses on the role of OMCs in the electrochemical detection of environmental pollutants. Moreover, this study examines OMC-based research carried out in recent years in depth.

High resolution mass spectrometry has long been employed in environmental research to identify and quantify contaminants, biological metabolites, and abiotic sample constituents with high selectivity afforded by mass-based detection. Many mass spectrometry-based techniques require that the sample be homogenized prior to analysis, thereby eliminating the possibility of assessing the spatial distribution of analytes and preventing information regarding pollutant fate and uptake in various matrices. High-resolution mass-spectrometry imaging provides the unique opportunity to obtain two-dimensional information of unlabeled analytes of interest to identify their presence or absence, assess their fate and uptake within biotic and abiotic samples, and visualize the relative changes of endogenous compounds following pollutant exposure. Some researchers have begun demonstrating the power of HR-MSI for environmental applications, although the technique is still new and yet to be fully actualized. This review will highlight the current status of HR-MSI in environmental research through discussions of non-target analysis and suspect screening, assessment of wastewater treatment plant constituents, and PFAS toxicology, and an introduction to emerging applications.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a complex mixture of organic compounds, which is of significant relevance in the context of drinking water treatment. This importance stems from its well-established role as the primary precursor of potentially harmful disinfection byproducts (DBPs) when subjected to chemical disinfection processes. Characterizing DOM in drinking water is a challenging task due to its inherent heterogeneity and the wide range of organic compounds it contains. Additionally, the composition of DOM can vary based on the source water quality and the specific treatment processes employed. Advanced analytical techniques, such as non-targeted analyses using ultrahigh- or high-resolution mass spectrometry [(U-)HRMS], are improving our understanding of the nature of specific organic compounds present in DOM and their potential to form DBPs. In this review, the most commonly used non-targeted (U-)HRMS approaches for analyzing DOM in raw and treated waters are reported, and their application as a monitoring tool to track changes in DOM and the formation of DBPs in drinking waters is assessed. Moreover, recommendations for achieving a common and comparable DOM fingerprint approach for drinking water among different laboratories and instruments are provided. The non-targeted (U-)HRMS results reviewed here provide DOM indexes and ranges that can assist in tracking the various effects of drinking water treatment processes. Overall, DOM characterization using non-targeted (U-)HRMS is presented as an effective tool for evaluating treatment processes, predicting DBP formation, and the assessment of drinking water quality for human consumption.

An understanding of global environmental pollution requires sensitive high-resolution analytical methods to detect contaminants at trace level concentrations (≤ppb), to accurately assess potential effects associated with chronic low-level exposure. Additionally, the focus of environmental risk assessments has evolved to consider not only total concentrations but also bioavailable fractions. Diffusive gradient in thin-film passive samplers (DGTs) can be deployed in a variety of matrices to accumulate contaminants through diffusion. Due to their simple design, DGTs can be manipulated and adjusted to fit the experimental or monitoring purpose and contaminant of interest. Mercury (Hg) is a ubiquitous trace element of global concern that accumulates in biota and concentrates through the food chain as organic methylmercury. Existing reviews on environmental Hg research mention DGTs as a promising and successful tool to quantify the flux of labile species over a broad range of environmental matrices. This is the first comprehensive review of current literature describing the development and environmental deployment of mercury specific DGTs. Given the multi-facetted nature of this research, this review discusses the impact of DGT configuration and Hg speciation on the interpretation of analytical data and addresses the application of DGT passive samplers in bioavailability studies.

High resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) has become an important tool in environmental and food safety analysis. This review highlights how HRMS has been used to analyze chemical contaminants in fish. Measuring and documenting chemical contaminants in fish serves not only as an indicator of environmental conditions but can also monitor the health of these animals and help protect an important source of human food. The incidence and significance of contaminants including veterinary drugs, human drugs and personal care products, pesticides, persistent organic pollutants, per- and poly fluorinated substances, and marine toxins will be reviewed. The advantage of HRMS over traditional MS is its ability to expand the number of compounds that can be detected and identified. This is true whether HRMS is used for targeted analytes, or more broadly for suspect screening and nontargeted analyses. The classes of compounds, types of fish or seafood, options for data acquisition and analysis, and reports of unexpected findings from recent HMRS methods for chemical contaminants in fish are summarized.

Pollution is a global concern with important impacts on ecosystems and human well-being. To assess its ecological consequences and environmental health effects, understanding the interactions between pollutants and living organisms is crucial. Biomarkers, measurable indicators that change upon pollutant exposure, offer insights into ecological quality. Omics techniques provide extensive molecular information for toxicity pathways, while mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) additionally allows the spatial resolution of the biomolecular analyses. This review explores the potential of this technique for revolutionizing environmental analysis, enabling the identification, distribution, and persistence of pollutants, and assessing their biological molecular effects. MSI shows a great potential in improving environmental monitoring, assessing risks, and promoting sustainable solutions for remediation.