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The extensive use of fungicides causes their continuous release into the environment through spraying, soil seepage, leaching, and runoff. It has been observed that their residues can be found in foods and a variety of environmental compartments, such as wastewater, lakes, rivers, sediments, drinking water sources (groundwater and surface water), treated water, and drinking water. A sensitive GC-MS/MS, using dynamic multiple reaction monitoring, an analytical method was developed to determine 10 fungicides (azoxystrobin, boscalid, captan, cyproconazole, cyprodinil, hexaconazole, metalaxyl, myclobutanil, paclobutrazol, and prochloraz) in drinking water. A solid-phase extraction method for sample preparations and validations was performed according to SANTE 2019 guidelines. All fungicides demonstrated mild or medium matrix effects (ME) ranging from 40.1% to 11.2%. Their recoveries ranged between 60% and 110%. The limits of detection were equal to or higher than 0.01 μg/L. The method was employed on 18 drinking water samples collected from public taps in Northern Evros, Greece, distributed in six sampling sites. Azoxystrobin, boscalid, cyproconazole, cypronidil, metalaxyl, and paclobutrazol mean concentrations did not surpass the allowable limit of 0.1 μg/L set by EU in any sampling site. Hexaconazole mean concentrations were higher than 0.1 μg/L in one sampling site, while prochloraz mean concentration showed limit exceedances in all sampling sites. Captan was not detected in any sampling site, and myclobutanil mean concentrations demonstrated exceedances of the permissible limit in four sampling sites. The presence of fungicide residues in the studied area is mainly due to the occasional point-sources pollution and preferential flow. Additionally, through the use of water, the risk of pesticides to human health was assessed for two different age groups. The sum of the hazard quotient values in each of the studied drinking water was less than unity. Consequently, the acute risk assessment procedure regards the examined drinking water as safe. Nevertheless, as prochloraz carcinogenic risk values were higher than the safe limit suggested by USEPA for both age groups, the existence of prochloraz residues raises concerns about chronic toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myclobutanil is a systemic fungicide belonging to the triazole group, which is frequently detected in environmental samples. Triticonazole, also a triazole fungicide, controls soil and seed-borne diseases and it is mainly used as a seed-coating pesticide. Both myclobutanil and triticonazole are considered as persistent pollutants in the environment, raising concerns about their environmental fate and ecotoxicity potential. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficiency of four pilot-scale horizontal subsurface flow (HSF) constructed wetlands (CWs) to remediate myclobutanil and triticonazole from artificially polluted water. Daily loading of the four CWs took place from March 2022 to July 2022 with contaminated water fortified with myclobutanil and triticonazole. Three of the CWs, encoded WMG-R, WMG-C, and WMG-U, with medium gravel (MG) as porous media and the fourth, with code name WFG-R, fine gravel (FG). Common reed (R, Phragmites australis) was planted in the WMG-R and WFG-R units, and cattail (C, Typha latifolia) in the WMG-C unit. The WMG-U unit with no plant was used as a control unit. The results showed that the removal rate follows the pattern: WFG-R (88.4%) > WMG-R > (83.4%) > WMG-C (59.3%) > WMG-U (36.6%) and WFG-R (88.5%) > WMG-C (71.0%) > WMG-R > (70.9%) > WMG-U (49.2%) for myclobutanil and triticonazole, respectively. The most significant factors influencing the fungicides' dissipation were the porous media content and the plant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the latest decades, oil marine pollution has posed a vital threat for global ocean health, since spillages of any scale are related to environmental, social and financial impacts. The worldwide increase in oil and gas demand, and the parallel rise in oil and gas production, exploiting particularly coastal and offshore marine deposits, have significantly increased the risk of accidental oil release to the sea. In the present study, an operational oil spill model was applied to test the oil dispersive properties and to reveal the relative magnitude of weathering processes, after an accidental oil spill release along the main tanker transportation route in the North Aegean Sea. Numerical simulations were implemented using the OpenOil transport and fate numerical model, a subclass of the OpenDrift open-source trajectory framework. This model integrates algorithms with several physical processes, such as oil entrainment, vertical mixing, oil resurfacing and oil emulsification. The oil dispersion model was coupled to real-time met-ocean forecasts received from NOAA-GFS and CMEMS. Present simulation results have focused on the impact of turbulent kinetic energy, induced by the background flow field, on the horizontal spreading of particles, as well as on the evolution of oil mass balance and oil mass properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: BACKGROUND: This study examines the efficiency of various natural systems in treating untreated OMW before it is discharged to the environment. The experimental set‐up consisted of two hybrid pilot‐scale natural systems. The first hybrid system (HS‐A) comprised two open tanks (OTs), one vertical flow (VF) constructed wetland (CW) and one free water surface flow (FWS) CW and the second one (HS‐B) comprised two OTs and one FWS CW. RESULTS: Regarding the HS‐A system, TSS, COD, TKN and phenols (PHE) removals in the two OTs were 83.0%, 21.6%, 62.3% and 12.9%, and cumulative removals in the VF and FWS CW systems were 52.0%, 54.1%, 44.4% and 60.1%, respectively. Regarding the HS‐B system, TSS, COD, TKN and PHE mean removals in the two OTs were 80.7%, 32.2%, 64.1% and 24.7%, and in the FWS CW were 72.0%, 49.4%, 26.9% and 51.1%, respectively. The final pollutant effluent concentrations remained high for disposal in water bodies or reuse for irrigation; further reduction could be achieved by adding additional FWS CWs in series. CONCLUSION: Hybrid natural systems can be used in efficiently and economically treating OMW. Such hybrid systems could be applied to small family‐owned olive oil producing enterprises to treat OMW economically. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to determine environmentally friendlier construction materials for constructed wetland facilities treating wastewater. This is done by computing the environmental footprint of the facility based on the methodology of life cycle assessment (LCA). This methodology reveals the dominant aggravating processes during the construction of a constructed wetland (CW) and can help to create alternative environmentally friendlier solutions. This methodology was applied for the determination of the overall environmental profile of a hybrid CW facility. The LCA was applied first to the facility as originally designed, where reinforced concrete was used in some components. Then, alternative construction materials to reinforced concrete were used, such as earth covered with high density polyethylene (HDPE) or clay, and LCA was applied again. Earth structures were found to have reduced environmental impact compared to concrete ones, and clay was found environmentally friendlier compared to HDPE. Furthermore, estimation of the construction costs of the three scenarios indicate that the last scenario is also the least expensive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]