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New economically viable methods for the detection and removal of organic pollutants from water samples are needed to meet modern safety requirements. Development of techniques to produce antibody fragments in Escherichia coli (E. coli) have provided the opportunity to exploit antibodies as specialised chemicals for affinity detection and removal technologies. The variable heavy and light antibody domains of the anti-paraquat monoclonal antibody PQXB1/2 have been cloned into the single-chain antibody (scAb) expression vector, pBG1. Anti-paraquat scAb (0.1-0.4 mg/L bacterial culture) was expressed in E. coli. Characterisation of scAb by antigen binding profile and competition ELISA showed it to have a sensitivity one order of magnitude below that of the parent monoclonal. ScAb was purified as a monomer or dimer and analysed by HPLC size exclusion chromatography. When immobilised on polystyrene beads the scAb could remove 85% of paraquat-bovine serum albumin conjugate from solution in a single step.

Many organic compounds are released to the environment and can be harmful to living organisms. These compounds are often persistent and toxic. Some are mutagens, carcinogens, endocrine disruptors or they can cause an increase in bacterial resistance. They tend to accumulate in nature and their transformation is a long-term process. Therefore, various remediation techniques are needed for decontamination. Remediation and bioremediation processes depend on many factors which should be critically evaluated. This dissertation thesis studies the relationship between bioavailability, biodegradation and toxicity of polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and fluoroquinolone antibiotics. These compounds of different origin, character and properties were degradated by ligninolytic fungi. Desorption behaviour of pollutants from historically contaminated sites, degradation potential of ligninolytic fungi, ongoing degradation mechanisms, transformation products and their toxicity were studied as important factors for evaluation of mycoremediation and its environmental impact. The results show that determination of bioaccessible fraction by sequential supercritical fluid extraction is very useful for precise prediction of biodegradability of pollutants. The evidence that ecotoxicity and...