The interactions of oxytetracycline with model clay adsorbents were investigated as a function of suspension pH. The clay adsorbents used were native montmorillonite (SWy-2), Na-montmorillonite (Na-SWy-2), and hexadecyl trimethylammonium-montmorillonite (HDTMA-montmorillonite). The adsorption of oxytetracycline to the clay could be described by Freundlich-type adsorption isotherms. It was observed that the adsorption of oxytetracycline in the native and sodium forms of montmorillonite decreases with increasing pH in the order pH 1.5 > 5.0 > 8.7 > 11.0. This trend is consistent with cationic exchange interactions that are dominant at lower pH values when oxytetracycline has a net positive charge. On the other hand, hydrophobic interactions when oxytetracycline is zwitterionic (at pH 5.0) are predominant over other mechanisms, as evident from the FT-IR spectrum of the HDTMA-montmorillonite and humic acid-montmorillonite adsorbed with oxytetracycline. The presence of a large amount of dissolved organic matter (DOM) was also found to decrease the sorption of oxytetracycline to clay, suggesting that DOM may increase its mobility in the natural environment. Several mechanisms of interaction of oxytetracycline in clay are proposed based on the adsorption isotherms and the results from X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) analyses.

Passive solar vapor generation represents a promising and environmentally benign method of water purification/desalination. However, conventional solar steam generation techniques usually rely on costly and cumbersome optical concentration systems and have relatively low efficiency due to bulk heating of the entire liquid volume. Here, an efficient strategy using extremely low‐cost materials, i.e., carbon black (powder), hydrophilic porous paper, and expanded polystyrene foam is reported. Due to the excellent thermal insulation between the surface liquid and the bulk volume of the water and the suppressed radiative and convective losses from the absorber surface to the adjacent heated vapor, a record thermal efficiency of ≈88% is obtained under 1 sun without concentration, corresponding to the evaporation rate of 1.28 kg (m2 h)−1. When scaled up to a 100 cm2 array in a portable solar water still system and placed in an outdoor environment, the freshwater generation rate is 2.4 times of that of a leading commercial product. By simultaneously addressing both the need for high‐efficiency operation as well as production cost limitations, this system can provide an approach for individuals to purify water for personal needs, which is particularly suitable for undeveloped regions with limited/no access to electricity.

The abundance of six tetracycline resistance genes tet(O), tet(Q), tet(W), tet(M), tet(B) and tet(L), were quantified over time in wastewater lagoons at concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) to assess how feedlot operation affects resistance genes in downstream surface waters. Eight lagoons at five cattle feedlots in the Midwestern United States were monitored for 6 months. Resistance and 16S-rRNA gene abundances were quantified using real-time PCR, and physicochemical lagoon conditions, tetracycline levels, and other factors (e.g. feedlot size and weather conditions) were monitored over time. Lagoons were sorted according to antibiotic use practice at each site, and designated as 'no-use', 'mixed-use' or 'high-use' for comparison. High-use lagoons had significantly higher detected resistance gene levels (tet(R); 2.8 x 10(6) copies ml(-1)) relative to no-use lagoons (5.1 x 10(3) copies ml(-1); P < 0.01) and mixed-use lagoons (7.3 x 10(5) copies ml(-1); P = 0.076). Bivariate correlation analysis on pooled data (n = 54) confirmed that tet(R) level strongly correlated with feedlot area (r = 0.67, P < 0.01) and 'total' bacterial 16S-rRNA gene level in each lagoon (r = 0.51, P < 0.01), which are both characteristic of large CAFOs. tet(M) was the most commonly detected gene, both in absolute number and normalized to 16S-rRNA gene level, although tet(O), tet(Q) and tet(W) levels were also high in the mixed and high-use lagoons. Finally, resistance gene levels were highly seasonal with abundances being 10-100 times greater in the autumn versus the summer. Results show that antibiotic use strategy strongly affects both the abundance and seasonal distribution of resistance genes in associated lagoons, which has implications on water quality and feedlot management practices.

The formation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) via reduction of silver ions (Ag(+)) in the presence of humic acids (HAs) under various environmentally relevant conditions is described. HAs tested originated from the Suwannee River (SUW), and included samples of three sedimentary HAs (SHAs), and five soils obtained across the state of Florida. The time required to form AgNPs varied depending upon the type and concentration of HA, as well as temperature. SUW and all three SHAs reduced Ag(+) at 22 °C. However, none of the soil HAs formed absorbance-detectable AgNPs at room temperature when allowed to react for a period of 25 days, at which time experiments were halted. The appearance of the characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of AgNPs was observed by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy in as few as 2-4 days at 22 °C for SHAs and SUW. An elevated temperature of 90 °C resulted in the accelerated appearance of the SPR within 90 min for SUW and all SHAs. The formation of AgNPs at 90 °C was usually complete within 3 h. Transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images showed that the AgNPs formed were typically spherical and had a broad size distribution. Dynamic light scattering also revealed polydisperse particle size distributions. HAs appeared to colloidally stabilize AgNPs based on lack of any significant change in the spectral characteristics over a period of two months. The results suggest the potential for direct formation of AgNPs under environmental conditions from Ag(+) sources, implying that not all AgNPs observed in natural waters today may be of anthropogenic origin.

A study was conducted to examine the influence of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and solid retention time (SRT) on the removal of tetracycline in the activated sludge processes. Two lab-scale sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were operated to simulate the activated sludge process. One SBR was spiked with 250 microg/L tetracycline, while the other SBR was evaluated at tetracycline concentrations found in the influent of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) where the activated sludge was obtained. The concentrations of tetracyclines in the influent of the WWTP ranged from 0.1 to 0.6 microg/L. Three different operating conditions were applied during the study (phase 1-HRT: 24 h and SRT: 10 days; phase 2-HRT: 7.4 h and SRT: 10 days; and phase 3-HRT: 7.4 h and SRT: 3 days). The removal efficiency of tetracycline in phase 3 (78.4 +/- 7.1%) was significantly lower than that observed in phase 1 (86.4 +/- 8.7%) and phase 2 (85.1 +/- 5.4%) at the 95% confidence level. The reduction of SRT in phase 3 while maintaining a constant HRT decreased tetracycline removal efficiency. Sorption kinetics reached equilibrium within 24 h. Batch equilibrium experiments yielded an adsorption coefficient (Kads) of 8400 +/- 500 mL/g and a desorption coefficient (Kdes) of 22 600 +/- 2200 mL/g. No evidence of biodegradation for tetracycline was observed during the biodegradability test, and sorption was found to be the principal removal mechanism of tetracycline in activated sludge.

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The occurrence of antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals in the environment has become an increasing public concern as recent environmental monitoring activities reveal the presence of a broad range of persistent pharmaceuticals in soil and water. Studies show that municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are important point sources of antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment. The fate of antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals in WWTPs is greatly influenced by the design and operation of treatment systems. Because knowledge on the fate of antibiotics and resistant bacteria in WWTPs is important in estimating their potential impacts on ecology and human health, investigations on occurrence, treatment, and observed effects are reviewed in this article. In addition, human health risk assessment protocols for antibiotic and resistant bacteria are described. Although data on other pharmaceutical compounds are also presented, discussion is focused on antibiotics in the environment because of the potential link to increased emergence of resistance among pathogenic bacteria. The applications of modern analytical methods that facilitate the identification of novel transformation products of pharmaceuticals in environmental matrices are also included to illustrate that the disappearance of the parent pharmaceuticals in WWTPs does not necessarily equate to their complete removal.

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