Abstract
Water and several chemicals, including dyestuffs, surfactants, acids, and salts, are required during textile dyeing processes. Surfactants are harmful to the aquatic environment and induce several negative biological effects in exposed biota. In this context, the present study aimed to assess acute effects of five surfactants, comprising anionic and nonionic classes, and other auxiliary products used in fiber dyeing processes to aquatic organisms Vibrio fischeri (bacteria) and Daphnia similis (cladocerans). The toxicities of binary surfactant mixtures containing the anionic surfactant dodecylbenzene sulfonate + nonionic fatty alcohol ethoxylate and dodecylbenzene sulfonate + nonionic alkylene oxide were also evaluated. Nonionic surfactants were more toxic than anionic compounds for both organisms. Acute nonionic toxicity ranged from 1.3 mg/L (fatty alcohol ethoxylate surfactant) to 2.6 mg/L (ethoxylate surfactant) for V. fischeri and from 1.9 mg/L (alkylene oxide surfactant) to 12.5 mg/L (alkyl aryl ethoxylated and aromatic sulfonate surfactant) for D. similis, while the anionic dodecylbenzene sulfonate EC50s were determined as 66.2 mg/L and 19.7 mg/L, respectively. Both mixtures were very toxic for the exposed organisms: the EC50 average in the anionic + fatty alcohol ethoxylate mixture was of 1.0 mg/L ± 0.11 for V. fischeri and 4.09 mg/L ± 0.69 for D. similis. While the anionic + alkylene oxide mixture, EC50 of 3.34 mg/L for D. similis and 3.60 mg/L for V. fischeri. These toxicity data suggested that the concentration addition was the best model to explain the action that is more likely to occur for mixture for the dodecylbenzene sulfonate and alkylene oxide mixtures in both organisms. Our findings also suggest that textile wastewater surfactants may interact and produce different responses in aquatic organisms, such as synergism and antagonism. Ecotoxicological assays provide relevant information concerning hazardous pollutants, which may then be adequately treated and suitably managed to reduce toxic loads, associated to suitable management plans.
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The authors would like to thank the Projeto Intercentros—IPEN/CNEN/FUNDEP 2020.06.IPEN.09 and RC IAEA for financial support.
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This work was supported by Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares—Projeto Intercentros—IPEN/CNEN/FUNDEP 2020.06.IPEN.09 and RC IAEA.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, investigation, and formal analysis were performed by Vanessa Silva Granadeiro Garcia, Flávio Kiyoshi Tominaga, and Jorge Marcos Rosa. Project administration, resources, and supervision were performed by Sueli Ivone Borrely. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Vanessa Silva Granadeiro Garcia and Sueli Ivone Borrely and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors (Vanessa Silva Granadeiro Garcia, Flávio Kiyoshi Tominaga, Jorge Marcos Rosa, and Sueli Ivone Borrely) read and approved the final manuscript.
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Garcia, V.S.G., Tominaga, F.K., Rosa, J.M. et al. Emerging pollutants in textile wastewater: an ecotoxicological assessment focusing on surfactants. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 27817–27828 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32963-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32963-1