Soil & Water Policy

PFAS have been frequently observed to contaminate groundwater, surface water and soil. Cleaning up polluted sites is technically difficult and costly. If releases continue, they will continue to accumulate in the environment, drinking water and food. 

Alcydon will use plants/optics and electromagnetics in pilot projects to remove environmental pollutants from the environment, this means air, soil and water. This includes PFOS | PFAS phytoremediation of soil, surface and groundwater. Phytoremediation by means of phytoextraction, phytostabilization, rhizofiltration, phytovolatilization, phytodegradation, and phytodesalination provides an alternative natural, efficient and cost-effective way to clean up polluted sites.

Alcydon initiates pilot project phyto/optical/electromagnetic remediation of soil and water contamination by PFOS | PFAS.

Alcydon initiates pilot project phyto/optical/electromagnetic remediation of soil and water contamination.

Overall, in the process of phytoremediation of antibiotic pollution, the direct absorption and enrichment of antibiotics by plants is typically minimal. Instead, the process primarily relies on plant roots for adsorption, degradation, filtration, and transfer. The root secretions of plants can produce and release oxygen, which provides a favorable environment for microbial reproduction, thus contributing to the biodegradation of antibiotics.

Pharmaceuticals are one of the most important new classes of environmental pollutants. Their occurrence has been reported in natural waters, wastewater, sediments, and sludge. New studies reveal their occurrence in samples investigated worldwide.

Recently, there have been studies on the metabolites and oxidation products of pharmaceuticals, because it is important to investigate their presence and, especially, their possible effects on the environment and human health, which are still largely unknown for these compounds.

When pharmaceuticals are regarded as pollutants released in the environment, their environmental fate and biological potency can be predicted or assessed on the basis of their special physicochemical and biological characteristics. It is important to emphasize here that these characteristics of pharmaceuticals differentiate them from other industrial chemical compounds. These characteristics include polymorphism, their introduction into the environment after human metabolism, their chemically complex structure, and the fact that they can be ionized and have multiple ionization sites spread throughout the molecule. Relevant processes regarding pharmaceuticals in the environment include sorption to soils and sediments, complexation with metals and organics, chemical oxidation, photolysis, volatilization, and biodegradation. Thus, physicochemical properties, for example octanol/water partition coefficient, dissociation constants, vapor pressure, or Henry’s Law constant, may facilitate determination of whether a compound is likely to become concentrated in the aquatic, terrestrial, or atmospheric environment. The chemical composition and structure of drugs determine a vast array of their properties. Drugs may be acidic, basic, or neutral and of a variety of chemical forms e.g. small organic molecules, large polymers such as proteins, carbohydrates, and other compounds with complex chemistry. The partition coefficient of drugs is a common indicator of drug hydrophobicity/lipophilicity, and is routinely used during drug development to predict membrane permeability.

Metabolites of illicit drugs have also been detected in environmental samples at trace levels; examples include cocaine’s metabolites benzoylecgonine (BE) and ethylene (CE). CE is a transesterification product formed when cocaine is consumed with ethanol, and transforms rapidly into the metabolites norcocaethylene and ecgonine ethyl ester. Heroin is subject to rapid hydrolysis to morphine and 6-acetylmorphine. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and its metabolites nor-LSD, nor-iso-LSD, and 2-oxo-3-hydroxy-LSD (O-H-LSD), have been detected at very low concentrations. Phenylethylamine ephedrine, 3,4 methylenedioxymetamphetamine hydrochloride (MDMA or “ecstasy”), methylenedioxyethy-lamphetamine (MDE, MDEA, or “Eve”), and 3,4-methyl enedioxyamphetamine (MDA or “Love pills”, and metabolites of both MDE and MDMA), have been detected frequently at ng L−1 levels. 11-nor-9-Carboxy THC (nor- THC) and 11-hydroxy-THC (OH-THC), both metabolites of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the most physiologically active constituent of cannabis, have also been detected.

Nanoplastic (NP, < 1 μm, size range: 1 to 1000 nm ) and Microplastic (MP, >1 μm to 5 mm) pollution has become a global environmental concern with more than potential risk to ecosystem and human health. 

Ubiquitous environmental contaminants, such as nano- and microplastics (NPs, MPs), can enter the bloodstream and human body through the conjunctival sac, nasolacrimal duct, and upper respiratory tract mucosa. Once absorbed, these substances can accumulate in various organs and cause harm. Toxic substances from the surface of the eye can lead to local oxidative damage by inducing apoptosis in corneal and conjunctival cells, and irregularly shaped nano/microparticles can exacerbate this effect. Even other toxicants from the ocular surface may be absorbed into the bloodstream and distributed throughout the body. Environmental toxicology presents a challenge because many pollutants can enter the body through the same ocular route as that used by certain medications. Previous research has indicated that the accumulation of NPs/MPs may play a major role in the development of chronic liver disease in humans. It is crucial to investigate whether the buildup of NMPs in the liver can be a potential instigator of fibrosis. 

More and more microplastics are ending up in the environment. Nano- and microplastics can influence soil bio-physicochemical properties and the mobility of other contaminants in soil, with potentially significant implications on soil ecosystem functionality. Thus, functions including litter decomposition, soil aggregation or those related to nutrient cycling can be altered.  The surface properties of nano-microplastics (NMPs) facilitate the adsorption of heavy metals, antibiotics, and other persistent organic pollutants, leading to their co-migration into the terrestrial environment (Guo et al., 2022). Plastic materials from various sources have been identified in agricultural soil, necessitating comprehensive investigations into the risks posed by NMPs and their consequences on agricultural plants (Azeem et al., 2021). Despite significant knowledge gaps in understanding the interactions between the natural environment and NMPs, mounting evidence suggests their detrimental effects on a diverse range of taxa (Azeem et al., 2022).

Surface waters are vital for supporting people and ecosystems; however, freshwater availability is under increasing pressure due to a growing human population requiring access to safe water.

Global freshwater resources comprise 2.5% of the total global water budget, although only 0.0072% (93,120 km3 ) of the total global waters are available for drinking, energy, food production and the industry sector (Lawford et al. 2013; Zimmerman et al. 2008). Tilman et al. (2011) predict that crop production will need to increase by 100–110% by 2050 to feed the growing population, leading to a global freshwater deficit of approximately 2400 km3 per year (Rockström et al. 2014).