Pollution and Contamination

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent, bioaccumulative chemicals widely used in industry and consumer products, and now detected across environmental media and human populations. This study assesses the societal costs of PFAS pollution in the European Economic Area (EEA) under four hypothetical exposure scenarios: 1) business as usual (BAU) for emissions; 2) full compliance with the Drinking Water Directive (DWD); 3) full compliance with Environmental Quality Standards (EQS); and 4) a total ban on PFAS production and use.

In this study, mechanochemical lindane removal from river sediment in Serbia’s Pannonian Plain’s Tamiš River and forest soil from Golija National Park was investigated. For comparison, artificial soils were used, where SSB simulated clay soil and SSS simulated sandy soil. Real and synthetic samples were subjected to physical processing in a high-energy planetary ball mill under atmospheric pressure. The effect of mechanochemical treatment on lindane removal was explored by varying the milling speed (150–350 rpm) at a constant milling time and lindane concentration (0.15–0.35 mg/L).

             Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse group of synthetic compounds widely used for their dual hydrophobic and lipophobic properties. They comprise more than 4700 CAS-registered compounds according to the OECD and have been used intentionally in nonstick, grease-and waterproof, and stain-resistant consumer products, particularly food packaging materials. PFAS are inherently persistent, and many are mobile, bio-accumulative, and toxicity to a wide array of organisms, making them emerging contaminants of concern.

Electrochemical methods like electrocoagulation (EC) can remove a vast array of compounds from wastewater but are not ideal for emerging pollutants found at low concentrations (ng/L to μg/L). In contrast, enzymes are known to effectively target these pollutants, but their performance can be hindered in complex water matrices. This work explores a biocatalytic treatment assisted by electrochemical processes to remove two emerging pollutants, Bisphenol A (BPA) and Triclosan (TCS) from municipal wastewater.

The mechanical recycling of multilayer laminated packaging films (MLPF) poses a considerable challenge due to the heterogeneity in plastic types and adhesives utilized. To address this challenge, this study uses two-step integrated chemolysis to upcycle MLPF. First, acids (acetic acids, formic acids, and succinic acids) were used to delaminate MLPF into separate layers that are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and metalized polyethylene (PE/Al).