Removal of xenobiotics by adsorption on two mineral adsorbent materials as an alternative to activated carbon: a comparative batch approach
Xenobiotics, such as some pharmaceuticals and pesticides, are poorly treated in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Thus, their occurrence into the aquatic environment is more and more highlighted. Adsorption process on materials, such as in tertiary stage of treatment, could be a solution to decrease the concentrations of xenobiotics in effluents that are discharged into the aquatic environment. We carried out an original experiment involving treated domestic wastewater spiked with a cocktail of 10 xenobiotics known as being poorly eliminated in WWTPs (8 pharmaceuticals and 2 pesticides). Two mineral adsorbent materials (expanded clay and zeolite), representing a possible alternative to activated carbon, were evaluated for the adsorption of the cocktail of xenobiotics. We studied the influence of the concentration level of xenobiotics on adsorption results. We focused on the concentrations near from usual effluent ranges to be representative with conditions faced in tertiary treatment stage. If activated carbon was the most efficient adsorbent material, both alternative adsorbent materials showed good adsorption efficiencies for the 10 xenobiotics (in the range of 50-100% depending on the couple adsorbent material / xenobiotic). Kd partition coefficients were quantified for different xenobiotics concentration ranges. At low concentration (0.1 – 10 µg/L), expanded clay showed higher Kd values than at high concentration (100 – 1000 µg/L) for a majority of xenobiotics (7 among 10). Kd values for zeolite seemed to be independent of xenobiotic concentration levels. Our results point out that mineral microporous adsorbent are credible alternatives to activated carbon for adsorption of xenobiotics usually known to be poorly eliminated in WWTPs. The results suggest a possible use into a tertiary stage of treatment in wastewater treatment plants.
(pp. 6, 29/08/2026)
UR MALY, IRSTEA, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UM
Consistency in diatom response to metal-contaminated environments
Diatoms play a key role in the functioning of streams, and their sensitivty to many environmental factors has led to the development of numerous diatom-based indices used in water quality assessment. Although diatom-based monitoring of metal contamination is not currently included in water qual ty monitoring programs, the effects of metals on diatom commun ties have been studied in many polluted watersheds as well as in laboratory experiments, underlying their high potential for metal contamination assessment. Here, we review the response of diatoms to metal pollution from individual level (e.g. size, growth form, and morphological abnormalities) to community structure (replacement of sensitive species by tolerant ones). These potential effects are then tested using a large multi-country database combining diatom and metal information. Metal contamination proved to be a strong driver of the community structure, and enabled for the identification of tolerant species like Cocconeis placentula var. euglypta, Eolimna minima , Fragilaria gracilis, Nitzschia sociabilis, Pinnularia parvulissima, and Surirella angusta. Among the traits tested, diatom cell size and the occurrence of diatom deformities were found to be good indicators of high metal contamination. This work provides a basis for further use of diatoms as indicators of metal pollution.
(pp. 117-146, 29/08/2026)
UR REBX, IRSTEA, IRSTEA, IRSTEA, IRSTEA, ICRA, UdG, UdG, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Occurrence of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers, Polychlorinated Biphenyls, and Phthalates in Freshwater Fish From the Orge River (Ile-de France)
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and phthalates were investigated from July 2009 to April 2010 in three fish species from the Orge river, which flows in a densely populated area of Ile-de-France. In two Cyprinidae (roach and chub) and one Percidae (perch), muscle contents in increasing order ranged as follows: 12-18 ng g(-1) dw for PBDEs (I tri-hepta) pound, 120-170 ng g(-1) dw for PCBs (I 7) pound, and 2,250-5,125 ng g(-1) dw for phthalates (I 7) pound. No variation was observed between contaminant contents and lipid levels. No biomagnification was found according to the trophic level for PBDEs and PCBs, whereas for phthalates the highest contents were found in perch. Seasonal variations were observed with the lowest PBDE and PCB contents occurring in July after spawning in roach and perch (p < 0.001). PBDE content followed a decreasing trend-gonad > liver > muscle-whatever the period. For PCBs, gonad and liver contents remained greater than that of muscle (p < 0.05). Our results indicate a preferential accumulation of halogenated compounds in gonad and liver outside the reproduction period. Bioaccumulation factors for PCBs in muscle were significantly correlated to their chlorination degree in perch (p < 0.01) and roach (p < 0.01). In roach, that correlation slope was by decreasing importance order as follows: gonad > liver > muscle. The biota-sediment accumulation factors varied from 0.1 to 29.2, from 1.6 to 4.8, and from 1 to 123.5 for PBDEs, PCBs, and phthalates, respectively. These results contribute to document the use of freshwater fish as bioindicators of river quality.
(Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. vol. 63, n° 0090-4341, pp. 101-113, 29/08/2026)
SISYPHE, UPMC, EPHE, PSL, PSL, CNRS, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Short-term and small-scale variability in planktic foraminifera test flux in the Bay of Biscay
Test fluxes of planktic foraminifera in the Bay of Biscay were sampled in spring using drifting sediment traps deployed at 200 m depth. At a temporal and spatial resolution of 3 h and approximately 1 km the foraminifer flux varied with a factor of 5. The consecutive deployments within the same area, at distances of ∼50 km differed significantly in flux and relative species abundances. Flux sequences of the total foraminifer assemblage and individual species were significantly autocorrelated. The significance of autocorrelation analyses was affected by sample size of the flux sequences and limited to flux sequences with large fluxes. Autocorrelation in planktic foraminifer fluxes and standing stocks was restricted to distances <2 km, and were not attributed to the temporal domain.
(Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. vol. 64, n° 0967-0637, pp. 146 - 156, 29/08/2026)
HUJ, LPG-ANGERS, LPG, UA, UN UFR ST, UN, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
High resolution Holocene record in the southeastern Bay of Biscay: use of benthic and planktic foraminifera as paleoenvironmental proxies
The southeastern part of the Bay of Biscay is under the combined influence of the eastern branch of the North Atlantic Current (NAC) and coastal river plumes. The objective of this study is to use foraminiferal distribution from a 3 m high resolution record (SE Bay of Biscay; 550 m water depth) as proxies to evaluate the hydrological pattern of the Bay of Biscay during the Holocene; a period of rapid climatic change.
Faunal distributions coupled to grain size variability suggest a rapid evolution of the sedimentary structuring of the basin. Major changes are recorded in benthic and planktic foraminiferal communities suggesting important fluctuations of primary and exported productivity during the Holocene. These rapid changes could be related to variations of the oceanic hydrology of the basin and/or to the coastal rivers hydrological regimes.
(29/08/2026)
LPG-ANGERS, LPG, UA, UN UFR ST, UN, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LSCE, UVSQ, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, DRF (CEA), CEA, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Cartographie des habitats intertidaux du bassin d’Arcachon par imagerie optique et radar
Objectifs : - Exploitation en synergie de données radar et optiques ; - Discrimination, identification et cartographie exhaustive des substrats durs et meubles ainsi que des principales espèces végétales micro à macroscopiques ; - Quantification optique/radar de paramètres biologiques (composition, abondance spécifique, répartition surfacique) et sédimentaires (minéralogie, teneur en eau) ; - Validation d’une ou plusieurs stratégies de cartographie valorisables par des services GMES (Programme INFOLITTORAL-1, programme Territoire de Démonstration), implicitement adaptées aux exigences des missions de gestion des domaines naturels et exploités.
(pp. 16 p., 29/08/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UMR TETIS, Cirad, IRSTEA
Pharmaceuticals in Rivers of Two Regions with Contrasted Socio-Economic Conditions: Occurrence, Accumulation, and Comparison for Ukraine and France
The goal of our study was to identify pharmaceuticals, their potential sources and consumption level in two different socioeconomic and geographical regions--Bordeaux, France and Kharkiv, Ukraine. These substances were monitored in rivers water during contrasted seasonal conditions with application of passive samplers. The 21 pharmaceuticals (psychiatric drugs: alprazolam, amitriptyline, diazepam, fluoxetine, nordiazepam, carbamazepine, bromazepam; analgesics: aspirin, paracetamol; broncholidator: clenbuterol, salbutamol, terbutaline; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug: diclofenac, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen; lipid regulator: gemfibrozil; stimulants: caffeine, theophylline) were identified in sites upstream and downstream of urban areas and discharge of wastewaters. Caffeine, carbamazepine, and diclofenac were relatively abundant into the surface water and could be considered as potential anthropogenic markers of wastewater discharges into rivers. A mass balance modeling has been applied to calculate approximate consumption rates for carbamazepine, diclofenac, and caffeine in both regions to assess socio-economic factors linked with pharmaceuticals behavior.
(Water, Air, and Soil Pollution. vol. 223, n° 0049-6979, pp. 2111-2124, 29/08/2026)
UB, Bordeaux INP, UBM, LMV, UBP, INSU - CNRS, UJM, UJM EPE, CNRS, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LPTC, UB, CNRS, Ghymac, UB
A 2500 year record of natural and anthropogenic soil erosion in South Greenland
The environmental impact of the Norse landnám in Greenland has been studied extensively. But to date, no study has quantified the soil erosion that Norse agricultural practices are believed to have caused. To resolve this problem, a high resolution sedimentary record from Lake Igaliku in South Greenland is used to quantitatively reconstruct 2500 years of soil erosion driven by climate and historical land use. An accurate chronology allows for the estimation of detritic fluxes and their uncertainties. Land clearance and the introduction of grazing livestock by the Norse around 1010 AD caused an acceleration of soil erosion up to 8 mm/century in 1180 AD which is two-fold higher than the natural pre-landnám background. From 1335 AD to the end of the Norse Eastern Settlement (in the mid-fifteenth century), the vegetation began to recover from initial disturbance and soil erosion decreased. After an initial phase of modern sheep breeding similar to the medieval one, the mechanization of agriculture in the 1980s caused an unprecedented soil erosion rate of up to 21 mm /century, five times the pre anthropogenic levels. Independently, a suite of biological and geochemical proxies (including Ti and diatom concentrations, C:N ratio, 13C and 15N of organic matter) confirm that the medieval and modern anthropogenic erosion far exceeds any natural erosion over the last 2500 years. Our findings question the veracity of the catastrophic scenario of overgrazing and land degradation considered to have been the major factor responsible for Norse settlement demise. They also shed light on the sustainability of modern practices and their consequences for the future of agriculture in Greenland.
(Quaternary Science Reviews. vol. 32, n° 0277-3791, pp. 119-130, 29/08/2026)
LCE, CNRS, UMLP, UBFC, BGS, UB, CNRS, ArScAn, UP1, UP8, UPN, MCC, CNRS, UP1 UFR03, UP1, ArScAn, UP1, UP8, UPN, MCC, CNRS, ARTeHiS, MCC, UB, CNRS, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LISA (UMR_7583), INSU - CNRS, UPEC UP12, CNRS, UPCité
Effets du cadmium sur l’expression génétique de l’espèce Eolimna minima
Les systèmes aquatiques sont fortement impactés par les activités anthropiques et par les diverses pollutions qui en découlent. Parmi ces pollutions, les contaminations aux métaux lourds sont particulièrement préoccupantes du fait des effets toxiques avérés qu’elles entraînent. Le développement d’outils adaptés à l’évaluation de la qualité des eaux est dans ce contexte un enjeu fondamental. Les diatomées benthiques d’eau douce sont considérées comme un maillon bio-indicateur intéressant, qui les ont fait retenir comme élément biologique-clé par la DCE et ont conduit à leur utilisation dans divers indices de qualité des eaux comme l’Indice Biologique Diatomées (IBD) appliqué au niveau européen. Cependant, ces indices ont montré leurs limites dans l’évaluation de la qualité des eaux face à des pollutions de type métallique. C’est pourquoi de nouvelles approches sont amenées à voir le jour dans l’évaluation de la qualité des eaux. Dans notre étude, l’impact du Cd au niveau génétique est évalué par PCR-q sur 9 gènes d’intérêt suite à une exposition en conditions contrôlées de laboratoire de l’espèce eolimna minima, la cinétique de croissance de la population et la bio-accumulation sont suivies. La cinétique de population montre un fort impact du Cd à la concentration de 100µg Cd/L avec une inhibition totale de croissance pour ce niveau de contamination. Ces résultats sont à mettre en relation avec les facteurs élevés de bioaccumulation calculés, qui sont de 57 ±6,3 µg Cd/g ps et de 734 ±70 µg Cd/g ps au bout de 14 jours pour l’exposition respectivement à 10 et 100 µg Cd/L. Des réponses génétiques révèlent l’impact du Cd sur le métabolisme mitochondrial et sur le photosystème d’Eolimna minima exposée à 10 et 100 µg/L avec des surexpressions de cox, 12S, d1 et psaA au bout de 7 jours d’exposition pour la concentration à 100 µg/L et de nad5, d1 et psaA au bout de 14 jours pour les 2 conditions. Notre étude est une première approche dans l’utilisation de la PCR-q sur diatomées benthiques d’eau douce. Les résultats obtenus laissent envisager des perspectives extrêmement intéressantes dans le cadre de développement de nouveaux outils de diagnostic de la qualité des eaux.
(pp. 1, 29/08/2026)
UR REBX, IRSTEA, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Accumulation of Mn, Co, Zn, Rb, Cd, Sn, Ba, Sr, and Pb in the otoliths and tissues of eel (Anguilla anguilla) following long-term exposure in an estuarine environment
Aiming at increasing the resolution of otolith tracers, we investigated the possibility to use Mn, Co, Zn, Rb, Cd, Sn, Ba, Sr, and Pb otolith composition to retrieve the movements of eels (Anguilla anguilla) in the lower Gironde watershed. Caging experiments were designed to validate the site specific otolith signatures. Individually identified eels were reared in cages in three locations along the estuarine and river gradient. Three trials were set up for successive periods of 3 months and 6 months. Water Mn, Co, Zn, Rb, Cd, Sn, Ba, Sr, and Pb concentrations were monitored. The eel otolith composition corresponding to the experimental period was measured with an ICPMS coupled with a femtosecond laser. Liver Cd, Zn and Pb concentrations were measured. For each caging experiments, we tested the influence of individual weight gain, caging site and trial on elemental otolith concentrations. Mn, Co, Zn, Rb, Cd, Sn, Ba, Sr, and Pb were detected in eel otolith above the detection limits. Otolith Sr and Ba concentrations significantly discriminated the caging sites for one trial. Individual weight gain did not have a significant influence on otolith elemental concentrations. Co, Rb, Cd, Sn, Zn, Sr and Ba otolith concentrations were significantly influenced by the trials. Water elemental composition was only partly reflected by otolith elemental composition. The results showed that otolith composition had a more integrative value than water composition. Complex elemental seasonal variations and individual eel incorporation potential complicated the interpretation of otolith composition. Liver and otolith Cd and Zn concentrations did not show a statistically significant correlation.
(Science of the Total Environment. vol. 437, n° 0048-9697, pp. 323-330, 29/08/2026)
UR EPBX, IRSTEA, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, IPREM, UPPA, INC-CNRS, CNRS