Water quality from surface sources is fast deteriorating due to pollution from organic compounds. Among the organic compounds are chlorophenols, which are described as priority pollutants because of their detrimental effects. One way of removing them from water is by using membranes. However direct removal of chlorophenols using membranes is limited due to the inherent problem of membrane fouling. The thesis describes fabrication of thin film composite membranes modified with Ag-TiO2 and Ag-ZnO for enhancing filtration properties of the membranes for removal of 2-CP and 2,4-DCP and improving the antifouling properties of the modified membranes. Chlorophenols, 2- CP, 2,4-DCP and 2, 4, 6-TCP were determined from Vaal and Klip River using SPE- HLPC method. The SPE - HPLC method was validated by determining breakthrough volume, repeatability, reproducibility, linearity, MDL and LOQ. Nanoparticles (NPs), Ag, ZnO and TiO2 and nanocomposites (NCs), Ag-TiO2 and Ag-ZnO were synthesized using precipitation method and chemical reduction for Ag. The NPs and NCs were characterised using UV-Vis, FTIR, XRD, SEM and EDX. The synthesised NPs and NCS were evaluated for photocatalytic degradation of 2-CP and 2,4-DCP, antimicrobial activity against E.coli. and toxicity against Daphnia magna. Nanocomposites were then embedded into the PA thin film membrane surface using interfacial polymerisation and PES as a support material to produce the antifouling Ag-TiO2/PA-TFC and Ag-ZnO/PA-TFC membranes. The control PATFC membrane was prepared with no added NCs to the membrane. The membranes were characterised using ATR-FTIR, contact angle, SEM and AFM. The performance of the membranes was tested using permeation flux (using pure water and 2-CP / 2,4-DCP solutions as feed) against the neat PA-TFC membrane. Membranes were further tested for rejection of 2- CP and 2, 4 – DCP, antifouling properties and flux recoveries. The stability of the antifouling properties of the membrane was evaluated through silver release test. The performance of the membranes was tested using real water samples from Vaal and Klip Rivers. The SPE-HPLC method was repeatable, reproducible with % RSD less than 5%. Linearity range of (0.1-50 µg/ L) and recoveries of spiked water samples of more than 97% for 2-CP and 2,4-DCP but lower at 64 and 75% for 2.4.6-TCP were achieved. The Ag, TiO2 and ZnO NPs showed characteristic peaks of NPs with UV-Vis. The absorption peaks were all blue shifted due to quantum confinements. The crystalline structures were confirmed as face centred cubic, anatase and hexagonal wurzite for Ag, TiO2 and ZnO respectively. The morphology as observed from SEM showed spherically shaped nanoparticles with average sizes of 68.25 ± 4.7 and 50.92 ± 3.39 nm for Ag and TiO2 respectively. The ZnO NPs were rod -like shaped with average length = 603 nm ± 50.4 and a width = 82.92 ± 5. 40nm. Successful incorporation of silver into the TiO2 and ZnO structures was confirmed by elemental analysis, EDX. From SEM images, silver particles were distributed around TiO2 particles and ZnO rods. The presence of silver showed a remarkable improvement in photodegradation of 2-CP and 2,4-DCP from less than 40% to 86% with 2, 4- DCP. Silver modified TiO2 and ZnO showed antibacterial activity against E.coli. with minimum concentration of inhibition as low as 1.56 mg/L for both Ag-ZnO (5) and Ag-TiO2 (5). Silver was more toxic against Daphnia magna than Ag-ZnO (5) and AgTiO2 (5). The polyamide layer was confirmed by the presence of the amide I peak at 1650 cm1 and 1670 cm-1 in the Ag-TiO2/ PA-TFC and Ag-ZnO/ PA-TFC membranes. The appearance of NCs particles spread across the surface of the thin layer of the membranes as observed from surface SEM images confirming their incorporation into the PA layer. The presence of the NCs in the membranes improved water flux, water permeation, rejection of 2- CP, and 2,4-DCP, antifouling properties of the membranes and flux recoveries of more than 93 % was achieved. Silver release test revealed that Ag-ZnO/PA-TFC membrane performed better than AgTiO2/PA-TFC membrane because of the steady release of silver, which shows long lasting antifouling properties. When applied to real water samples from Vaal and Klip River, the prepared membranes showed better antifouling properties than the neat PA-TFC membrane

Water pollution is a major concern in vast countries such as India and other developing nations. Several methods of water purification have been practiced since many decades, Semiconductor photocatalysis is a promising technique, for photodegradation of various hazardous chemicals that are encountered in waste waters. The great significance of this technique is that, it can degrade (detoxify) various complex organic chemicals, which has not been addressed by several other methods of purification. This unique advantage made this field of research to attract many investigators particularly in latter eighties and after. This thesis incorporates the studies on the various semiconductor photocatalysts that have been employed for the detoxification purposes. The fundamental principles involved in the photoelectrochemistry, reactions at the interface (solid - liquid or solid - gas) and photocatalytic reactions on fine particles are briefed. General nature and size quantization in semiconductor particles, photocatalytically active semiconductors, TiCh and ABO3 systems, chemical systems and modifications for solar energy conversions are brought out in the introduction chapter besides giving brief description about photocatalytic mineralization of water pollutants with mechanism involved, formation of reactive species and the factors influencing photomineralization reactions. Scope of the present work is given at the end of the first chapter. Second chapter deals with the materials used for the preparation of photocatalyst, preparative techniques, methods of analysis, instruments employed for the photodegradation experiments and a brief description of material characterization methods such as X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis, optical absorption spectro photometry, Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and gas chromatograph - mass spectroscopy (GC - MS). Various preparative routes such as wet chemical and hydrothermal methods for obtaining TiO2 (both rutile and anatase forms), BaTiOs and SrTiO3 fine particles and the chemical analysis of their constituents have been described in brief. Third chapter presents the results of materials characterization. T1O2 (rutile and anatase), BaTiO3 and SrTiO3 have been characterized separately using various techniques. Different routes of obtaining the photocatalyst fine particles, heat treatment at various temperature ranges, experimental procedures and the results of characterization are brought out in this chapter. Fourth and fifth chapters present the details of degradation studies carried out on the photomineralization of chlorophenol, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde. Studies include photodegradation of the pollutants with different catalysts varying experimental conditions to check the effects of change in concentration of pollutants, oxidizer, pH, surface hydroxylation, etc. The most favorable conditions for the complete mineralization of the pollutants have been studied. In case of TiO2, anatase form has shown greater photoactivity when compared to rutile and complete mineralization of chlorophenols has been achieved at low pollutant concentrations, neutral pH, with H2O2 and UV illumination. Retarding effects of surface hydroxylation and the formation of peroxotitanium species during photodegradation have been presented. TCE and HCHO degradation with BaTiO3/SrTiO3 has been studied. Photocatalyst heat-treated at 1100°G-1300°C is found to be highly active in combination with H2O2 as electron scavenger. HCHO is not getting degraded to its completeness in aqueous conditions owing to the strong competition in surface adsorption posed by H2O molecules. Vapour-solid phase reaction however gave good results in the detoxification of HCHO via disproportionation. Summary and conclusions are given at the end of the thesis.

Foram desenvolvidas metodologias de cromatografia a líquido de fase reversa baseadas em injeção sequencial (SIC) e em cromatografia a líquido de alta eficiência (HPLC) para determinação de triclosan em amostras de produtos de higiene pessoal e em estudos de adsorção em argilominerais naturais e modificados, visando determinar parâmetros de adsorção de triclosan frente a alguns de seus metabólitos. A determinação de triclosan em enxaguadores bucais foi realizada por SIC com eluição isocrática usando fase móvel constituída por acetonitrila: tampão fosfato de trietilamina 70 mM pH 3,5 na proporção 70:30 (v v-1), obtendo-se limites de detecção e de quantificação de 0,22 e 0,72 mg L-1, respectivamente. Taxas de recuperação entre 96 e 98% foram obtidas da aplicação a amostras reais, sendo que os resultados obtidos pelo método proposto não apresentaram evidências de diferenças estatisticamente significativas em comparação a uma metodologia de referência baseada em HPLC com coluna empacotada. A separação de triclosan (TCS), 2-clorofenol (2-CP), 2,4-diclorofenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-triclorofenol (2,4,6-TCP), 2,3,4-triclorofenol (2,3,4-TCP) e metiltriclosan (MTCS) foi estudada por SIC, obtendo-se a separação de TCS, 2-CP, 2,4-DCP e 2,4,6-TCP com duas etapas de eluição isocrática, a primeira delas com fase móvel 60:40 (v v-1) metanol: tampão acetato de amônio 20 mM (pH 5,5) seguida de eluição com fase móvel 70:30 (v v-1) metanol : tampão acetato de amônio 20 mM (pH 5,5). Nesse caso, os isômeros 2,4,6-TCP e 2,3,4-TCP coeluem. Metiltriclosan, o menos polar desses compostos, pode ser separado de TCS com etapas subseqüentes de eluição. Os métodos foram aplicados para estudar a adsorção de triclosan e seus metabólitos 2,4-DCP, 2,4,6-TCP e metiltriclosan em montmorilonita homoiônica (K+) e modificada com sal de hexadeciltrimetilamônio (HDTMA), observando-se forte adsorção de triclosan e metiltriclosan em comparação a 2-CP, 2,4-DCP e 2,4,6-TCP. A incorporação de HDTMA no argilomineral causou significativo aumento da capacidade de adsorção desses metabólitos, determinada a partir do ajuste dos dados experimentais à equação linearizada de Langmuir, observando-se que a ordem de adsorção é 2,4,6-TCP > 2,4-DCP > 2-CP / Reversed-phase liquid chromatography methodologies based on sequential injection (SIC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) have been developed for determination of triclosan in samples of personal hygiene products and in studies of adsorption on natural and modified clay minerals aiming to determine kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of adsorption of triclosan in comparison with some of its metabolites. The determination of triclosan in oral rinses with SIC was performed by isocratic elution using a mobile phase of acetonitrile : 70 mM triethylamine phosphate buffer pH 3.5 at the ratio 70:30 (v v-1), obtaining limits of detection and quantification of 0.22 and 0.72 mg L-1, respectively. Recovery rates between 96 and 98 % were obtained from the application to commercial samples, and the results obtained by the proposed method showed no evidence of statistically significant differences compared to the reference methodology based on HPLC with packed column. The separation of triclosan (TCS), 2-chlorophenol (2-CP), 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP), 2,3,4 trichlorophenol (2,3,4-TCP) and methyltriclosan (MTCS) was studied by SIC, resulting in the separation of TCS, 2-CP, 2,4-DCP and 2,4,6-TCP with two isocratic elution steps, the first of them with a mobile phase 60:40 (v v-1) methanol: 20 mM ammonium acetate buffer (pH 5.5) followed by elution with 70:30 (v v-1) mobile phase of methanol : 20 mM ammonium acetate buffer (pH 5.5). In this case, the isomers 2,4,6-TCP and 2,3,4-TCP coeluted. Methyltriclosan, the less polar of these compounds, can be separated from TCS with subsequent elution steps. The methods were applied to study the adsorption of triclosan and its metabolites 2-CP, 2,4-DCP, 2,4,6-TCP and methyltriclosan on homoionic montmorillonite (K+) as well as in hexadecyltrimethylammonium salt (HDTMA) modified montmorillonite, noticing a stronger adsorption of triclosan and methyltriclosan compared with 2-CP, 2,4-DCP and 2,4,6-TCP. Incorporation of HDTMA in the clay mineral caused significant increase in adsorption capacity of these metabolites. This capacity was determined by fitting the experimental data to the linearized Langmuir equation. The adsorption order was 2,4,6-TCP > 2,4-DCP > 2-CP.

D'entre els defectes organolèptics associats al vi, en destaca l'anomenat "gust de suro" habitualment vinculat a la presència de cloroanisoles, els quals són productes de l'activitat microbiana formats a partir dels corresponents clorofenols. La present tesi doctoral recull, en primer lloc, metodologies analítiques adreçades principalment a la determinació dels compostos clorofenòlics (2,4,6-triclorofenol, 2,3,4,6-tetraclorofenol i pentaclorofenol) en el control de qualitat dels taps suro, emprant dissolucions hidroalcohòliques com a medi de maceració o d'extracció i utilitzant les tècniques d'extracció en fase sòlida (SPE) i microextracció en fase sòlida (SPME) acoblades a la cromatografia de gasos (GC).En segon lloc, per tal de dur a terme l'anàlisi de cloroanisoles juntament amb els seus precursors en matrius de suro s'ha avaluat un mètode basat en l'extracció amb dissolvent orgànic, el qual ha estat aplicat per a l'estudi de diferents sistemes d'eliminació d'aquests anàlits en la matriu citada. En darrer lloc, s'han proposat metodologies per l'anàlisi de mostres de vi, en les quals d'una banda s'han determinat els compostos clorofenòlics utilitzant la SPME i de l'altra el 2,4,6-tricloroanisole i el 2,4,6-tribromoanisole mitjançant l'acoblament de la SPE i la injecció de grans volums (LVI) en el sistema cromatogràfic. / The organoleptic defect known as cork taint is associated with a musty or mouldy aroma in wine. Chloroanisoles, which are produced through a process of detoxification by fungal methylation of chlorophenolic compounds, are considered to be the main contributory substances. In the present work, analytical methods for the determination of chlorophenols (2,4,6-trichlorophenol, 2,3,4,6-tetrachloropheol and pentachlorophenol) in cork matrices using the solid-phase extraction (SPE) and the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) as preconcentration techniques were evaluated. Therefore, hydroalcoholic solutions have been proposed as extractant solvent in order to test the quality of cork stoppers.Furthermore, a methodology based on extraction with an organic solvent for the simultaneous determination of chloroanisoles and chlorophenols in cork matrices was proposed. This methodology was applied with the aim of checking the efficiency of several washing treatments to remove the target analytes in naturally contaminated cork samples.Finally, different procedures have been developed for the analysis of wine samples. On one hand, chlorophenols were quantified by employing a SPME method. On the other hand, a reliable SPE method coupled to large volume injection was proposed for the determination of both 2,4,6-trichloroanisole and 2,4,6-tribromoanisole.

Pollution by toxic compounds is one of the most relevant environmental damages to ecosystems produced by human activity and, therefore, it must be considered in environmental protection and restoration of contaminated sites. According to this purposes, the main goal of this doctoral thesis has been to analyse the impact of several chlorophenols and heavy metals on the microbial communities of two typical Mediterranean soils. The ecological risk concentrations of each pollutant, which have been determined according to respirometric activity and changes in the microbial community composition, and the factors that influence on their effective toxic concentrations (bioavailable pollutants) have been analysed in order to predict their potential impact on different soil ecosystems and provide scientific data for the regulation of the soil protection policies. Moreover, resistant microorganisms with pollutant removal capacities have been isolated from artificially contaminated soil microcosms and tested in axenic cultures, to infer their potential usefulness for bioremediation. / La contaminació amb compostos tòxics antropogènics és un dels perjudicis ambientals més rellevants per als ecosistemes i, per tant, cal tenir-ho en compte en la protecció ambiental i la restauració de llocs contaminats. Amb aquests propòsits, l’objectiu principal d’aquesta tesi doctoral ha estat analitzar l’impacte de clorofenols i metalls pesants sobre la microbiota de dos sòls típicament mediterranis. S’han analitzat les concentracions de risc ecològic de cada contaminant, determinades segons activitat respiromètrica i canvis en la composició de la comunitat microbiana, i els factors que influeixen en les seves concentracions tòxiques efectives (contaminants biodisponibles), per predir l’impacte potencial sobre diferents ecosistemes edàfics i proporcionar evidències científiques per a les polítiques de protecció del sòl. D’altra banda, a partir de microcosmos edàfics contaminats artificialment, es van aïllar també microorganismes resistents amb capacitat per eliminar els contaminants, que van ser analitzats en cultius purs per avaluar-ne la utilitat potencial en bioremediació.

Foram desenvolvidas metodologias de cromatografia a líquido de fase reversa baseadas em injeção sequencial (SIC) e em cromatografia a líquido de alta eficiência (HPLC) para determinação de triclosan em amostras de produtos de higiene pessoal e em estudos de adsorção em argilominerais naturais e modificados, visando determinar parâmetros de adsorção de triclosan frente a alguns de seus metabólitos. A determinação de triclosan em enxaguadores bucais foi realizada por SIC com eluição isocrática usando fase móvel constituída por acetonitrila: tampão fosfato de trietilamina 70 mM pH 3,5 na proporção 70:30 (v v-1), obtendo-se limites de detecção e de quantificação de 0,22 e 0,72 mg L-1, respectivamente. Taxas de recuperação entre 96 e 98% foram obtidas da aplicação a amostras reais, sendo que os resultados obtidos pelo método proposto não apresentaram evidências de diferenças estatisticamente significativas em comparação a uma metodologia de referência baseada em HPLC com coluna empacotada. A separação de triclosan (TCS), 2-clorofenol (2-CP), 2,4-diclorofenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-triclorofenol (2,4,6-TCP), 2,3,4-triclorofenol (2,3,4-TCP) e metiltriclosan (MTCS) foi estudada por SIC, obtendo-se a separação de TCS, 2-CP, 2,4-DCP e 2,4,6-TCP com duas etapas de eluição isocrática, a primeira delas com fase móvel 60:40 (v v-1) metanol: tampão acetato de amônio 20 mM (pH 5,5) seguida de eluição com fase móvel 70:30 (v v-1) metanol : tampão acetato de amônio 20 mM (pH 5,5). Nesse caso, os isômeros 2,4,6-TCP e 2,3,4-TCP coeluem. Metiltriclosan, o menos polar desses compostos, pode ser separado de TCS com etapas subseqüentes de eluição. Os métodos foram aplicados para estudar a adsorção de triclosan e seus metabólitos 2,4-DCP, 2,4,6-TCP e metiltriclosan em montmorilonita homoiônica (K+) e modificada com sal de hexadeciltrimetilamônio (HDTMA), observando-se forte adsorção de triclosan e metiltriclosan em comparação a 2-CP, 2,4-DCP e 2,4,6-TCP. A incorporação de HDTMA no argilomineral causou significativo aumento da capacidade de adsorção desses metabólitos, determinada a partir do ajuste dos dados experimentais à equação linearizada de Langmuir, observando-se que a ordem de adsorção é 2,4,6-TCP > 2,4-DCP > 2-CP / Reversed-phase liquid chromatography methodologies based on sequential injection (SIC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) have been developed for determination of triclosan in samples of personal hygiene products and in studies of adsorption on natural and modified clay minerals aiming to determine kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of adsorption of triclosan in comparison with some of its metabolites. The determination of triclosan in oral rinses with SIC was performed by isocratic elution using a mobile phase of acetonitrile : 70 mM triethylamine phosphate buffer pH 3.5 at the ratio 70:30 (v v-1), obtaining limits of detection and quantification of 0.22 and 0.72 mg L-1, respectively. Recovery rates between 96 and 98 % were obtained from the application to commercial samples, and the results obtained by the proposed method showed no evidence of statistically significant differences compared to the reference methodology based on HPLC with packed column. The separation of triclosan (TCS), 2-chlorophenol (2-CP), 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP), 2,3,4 trichlorophenol (2,3,4-TCP) and methyltriclosan (MTCS) was studied by SIC, resulting in the separation of TCS, 2-CP, 2,4-DCP and 2,4,6-TCP with two isocratic elution steps, the first of them with a mobile phase 60:40 (v v-1) methanol: 20 mM ammonium acetate buffer (pH 5.5) followed by elution with 70:30 (v v-1) mobile phase of methanol : 20 mM ammonium acetate buffer (pH 5.5). In this case, the isomers 2,4,6-TCP and 2,3,4-TCP coeluted. Methyltriclosan, the less polar of these compounds, can be separated from TCS with subsequent elution steps. The methods were applied to study the adsorption of triclosan and its metabolites 2-CP, 2,4-DCP, 2,4,6-TCP and methyltriclosan on homoionic montmorillonite (K+) as well as in hexadecyltrimethylammonium salt (HDTMA) modified montmorillonite, noticing a stronger adsorption of triclosan and methyltriclosan compared with 2-CP, 2,4-DCP and 2,4,6-TCP. Incorporation of HDTMA in the clay mineral caused significant increase in adsorption capacity of these metabolites. This capacity was determined by fitting the experimental data to the linearized Langmuir equation. The adsorption order was 2,4,6-TCP > 2,4-DCP > 2-CP.