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Chitosan is a polymeric compound with functional groups which enable surface binding to nanoparticles and antibacterial activity. The antimicrobial activity was studied using silver nanoparticles with varied concentrations of chitosan. The nanoparticles were synthesized through a simple and environmentally friendly method at room temperature. Spherical particles with average sizes between 2 and 6 nm were obtained and their crystallinity showed a face-centered cubic phase. The evidence of chitosan presence on the nanoparticle surface was confirmed by the characteristic diffraction peak of chitosan and by FTIR spectra where the bonding of amine group could be depicted. The chitosan-capped silver nanoparticles showed good antibacterial and antifungal activities with MIC values between 0.20 and 1.5 mg.mL-1 compared to those obtained from most of references (up to 6.25 mg.mL-1) on the selected gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis), gram-negative (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ) bacteria and fungi (Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans).

A microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method was verified and applied for the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediment samples. Soxhlet extraction was used as the reference method. The optimum MAE was carried out with 20 mL of hexane/acetone (1:1, v/v) mixture in a 1-g sample at 250 W for 20 min. Soxhlet extraction was carried out with 250 mL of dichloromethane:hexane (1:1, v/v) mixture in a 15-g sample for 24 h in a water bath maintained at 60 °C. The collected extracts were both cleaned up, reduced to 1 mL under nitrogen and then injected into an HPLC fluorescence. To increase the sample throughput, simultaneous MAE was performed. The obtained percentage recoveries ranged from 61 to 93 and 88-98 for MAE and SE, respectively. The optimised MAE method was validated using certified reference material. It was then applied to real sediment samples from in and around the greater Johannesburg area. The sediments from Jukskei River were found to be the most polluted while Hartbeespoort Dam sediments were found to be least polluted. The overall order of concentrations for the studied PAHs per site was as follows: Jukskei River > Kempton Park > Centurion Dams > Natalspruit River (PIT) > Hartbeespoort Dam.

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This article covers the status of PAH concentrations and composition patterns in surface water, air, sediment, and soil samples from South Africa. Despite South Africa being one of the largest economies in Africa, it is only recently that researchers have reported the presence and possible sources of these compounds in various environmental compartments. This article discusses the potential hotspots and possible sources of these compounds. It also compares the total PAH concentrations and percentage composition patterns of the individual PAHs. So far, total concentrations of five PAHs determined in sediment samples from the Johannesburg area, Gauteng Province, gave the highest concentrations ranging from 1233-136, 276 μg kg −1 . The total concentration of six PAHs found in runoff water from the Venda region of the Limpopo Province, gave the highest concentration with a range of 28.7-3192.6 μg L −1 . The decreasing order of percentage composition of PAHs in water samples tended to follow 3-ring > 4-ring > 2-ring PAHs. In soil samples the decreasing order of percentage composition followed 4-ring > 3-ring > 5-ring > 2-ring > 6-ring PAHs. The total freely dissolved PAHs followed solubility of the compounds with 2-ring > 3-ring > 4-ring > 5-ring > 6-ring PAHs. Some of the identified sources of PAHs using molecular ratios include petrogenic emissions such as from petroleum combustion from vehicles and pyrolytic sources such as coal combustion by coal powered power stations, as well as iron and steel production industries. Oil spills were also identified as major PAH contributor in runoff water from the Venda region of the Limpopo Province.