Eco-Friendly Engineered Nanomaterials Coupled with Filtering Fine-Mesh Net as a Promising Tool to Remediate Contaminated Freshwater Sludges: An Ecotoxicity Investigation
Patrizia Guidi,
Margherita Bernardeschi,
Mara Palumbo,
Isabella Buttino,
Valentina Vitiello,
Vittoria Scarcelli,
Gianluca Chiaretti,
Andrea Fiorati,
David Pellegrini,
Lorenzo Pontorno,
Lisa Bonciani,
Carlo Punta,
Ilaria Corsi,
Giada Frenzilli
Affiliations
Patrizia Guidi
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Applied Biology and Genetics, and INSTM Local Unit, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Margherita Bernardeschi
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Applied Biology and Genetics, and INSTM Local Unit, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Mara Palumbo
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Applied Biology and Genetics, and INSTM Local Unit, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Isabella Buttino
Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Via del Cedro, 38, 57123 Livorno, Italy
Valentina Vitiello
Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Via del Cedro, 38, 57123 Livorno, Italy
Vittoria Scarcelli
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Applied Biology and Genetics, and INSTM Local Unit, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Gianluca Chiaretti
Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Via del Cedro, 38, 57123 Livorno, Italy
Andrea Fiorati
Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering “G. Natta”, and INSTM Local Unit, Politecnico di Milano, 20131 Milano, Italy
David Pellegrini
Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Via del Cedro, 38, 57123 Livorno, Italy
Lorenzo Pontorno
Biochemie Lab. S.r.l, Via di Limite 27G, 50013 Campi Bisenzio, Italy
Lisa Bonciani
Biochemie Lab. S.r.l, Via di Limite 27G, 50013 Campi Bisenzio, Italy
Carlo Punta
Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering “G. Natta”, and INSTM Local Unit, Politecnico di Milano, 20131 Milano, Italy
Ilaria Corsi
Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and INSTM Local Unit, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Giada Frenzilli
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Applied Biology and Genetics, and INSTM Local Unit, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
The use of eco-friendly engineered nanomaterials represents a recent solution for an effective and safe treatment of contaminated dredging sludge. In this study, an eco-designed engineered material based on cross-linked nanocellulose (CNS) was applied for the first time to decontaminate a real matrix from heavy metals (namely Zn, Ni, Cu, and Fe) and other undesired elements (mainly Ba and As) in a lab-scale study, with the aim to design a safe solution for the remediation of contaminated matrices. Contaminated freshwater sludge was treated with CNS coupled with a filtering fine-mesh net, and the obtained waters were tested for acute and sublethal toxicity. In order to check the safety of the proposed treatment system, toxicity tests were conducted by exposing the bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri and the crustacean Heterocypris incongruens, while subtoxicity biomarkers such as lysosomal membrane stability, genetic, and chromosomal damage assessment were performed on the freshwater bivalve Dreissena polymorpha. Dredging sludge was found to be genotoxic, and such genotoxicity was mitigated by the combined use of CNS and a filtering fine-mesh net. Chemical analyses confirmed the results by highlighting the abetment of target contaminants, indicating the present model as a promising tool in freshwater sludge nanoremediation.
