TY - JOUR A1 - Riedel, Ramona A1 - Meißner, Karsten A1 - Kaschubowski, Arne A1 - Benndorf, Dirk A1 - Martienssen, Marion A1 - Braun, Burga T1 - Laundry isolate Delftia sp. UBM14 capable of biodegrading industrially relevant aminophosphonates JF - Microorganisms N2 - Phosphonates such as ethylenediaminetetra (methylenephosphonic acid) (EDTMP) and aminotris (methylenephosphonic acid) (ATMP) are used every day in water treatment processes or in household products. Their consumption is still increasing, regardless of the debates on their environmental impact. Here, the microbial characterisation and determination of the biodegradation potential of selected industrially relevant phosphonates for the isolate Delftia sp. UMB14 is reported. The opportunistic strain was isolated from a biofilm that was derived from a conventional washing machine using conventional detergents containing phosphonates. In antimicrobial susceptibility testing, the strain was only susceptible to sulfonamide, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol. Physiological and biochemical characteristics were determined using the BIOLOG EcoPlate assay. Most importantly, the strain was shown to convert D-malic acid and D-mannitol, as confirmed for strains of Delftia lacustris, and thus the new isolate could be closely related. Biodegradation tests with different phosphonates showed that the strain preferentially degrades ATMP and EDTMP but does not degrade glyphosate (GS) and amino (methylphosphonic acid) (AMPA). A specific gene amplification confirmed the presence of phnX (phosphonoacetaldehyde hydrolase) and the absence of PhnJ (the gene for the core component of C–P lyase). The presence of PhnCDE is strongly suggested for the strain, as it is common in Delftia lacustris species. KW - Phosphonates KW - Biodegradation KW - PhnX KW - PhnJ KW - PhnCDE KW - Phosphonate KW - Biologischer Abbau KW - Mikrobieller Abbau KW - Waschmittel Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12081664 SN - 2076-2607 VL - 12 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Martienssen, Marion A1 - Riedel, Ramona A1 - Kühne, Tom T1 - Contribution of professional cleaning to indoor air and sewage pollution JF - Sustainable Chemistry N2 - In this study, several professional cleaning products were analyzed for their impact on local air and sewage contamination. The products were first analyzed for their content of potentially harmful ingredients, their biodegradability, and the potential for the mobilization of hazardous substances from the floorings that were cleaned. The contribution of the cleaning products to sewage pollution with environmentally hazardous substances was studied at full scale. All commercially available cleaning products studied were declared to be environmentally friendly (labeled with the EU Ecolabel). However, despite being labeled as “green” products, between 16 and 24 volatile harmful ingredients were identified. An optimized experimental product, produced completely from natural raw materials, also contained several harmful substances originating from the herbal raw materials themselves. During the field study, we identified a range of trace substances in the sewage. Eight of these substances (e.g., p-cymene, butanone, eucalyptol) significantly originated from the cleaning products. Several others may have originated from the cleaning products, but other sources were also possible. The flooring materials that were cleaned contained several harmful substances themselves. The release of some substances (e.g., toluene) into the sewage significantly increased during the cleaning process. KW - Professional cleaning agents KW - Trace substances KW - Biodegradability KW - Sewage pollution KW - Environmental impact Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:co1-opus4-71378 SN - 2673-4079 VL - 5 IS - 4 SP - 275 EP - 286 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Malk, Konrad A1 - Riedel, Ramona A1 - Hinz, Christoph A1 - Fischer, Thomas A1 - Martienssen, Marion T1 - Adsorption of phosphonates to iron- or aluminum-based flocculants in wastewater treatment JF - Water N2 - In this study, we investigated the impact of varying iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) contents on the adsorption of phosphonates to activated sludge. Phosphonates originating from household applications account for up to 40% of the non-reactive dissolved phosphorus in domestic sewage treatment plants and thus can contribute to the eutrophication of water bodies. Although these substances are not readily degradable, substantial quantities, ranging from 40% to more than 90%, are removed by sludge adsorption. The results demonstrate a strong correlation between the adsorption of aminophosphonates and the Fe3+ content of the sludge. The maximum phosphonate loadings were 5.94 mmol g−1 Fe3+ for ATMP, 4.94 mmol g−1 Fe3+ for EDTMP, 4.74 mmol g−1 Fe3+ for DTPMP, and 2.25 mmol g−1 Fe3+ for glyphosate. In contrast to pure ferric hydride flocs, the adsorption of phosphonates was approximately threefold higher when the hydroxides were located within activated sludge flocs. It is concluded that native sludge flocs provide larger iron surfaces than ferric hydroxide alone. Based on the weight of the adsorbents, aluminum salts were four times less efficient than ferric salts. In sludge without ferric or aluminum hydroxides, phosphonate adsorption was negligible. KW - Adsorption KW - Activated sludge KW - Ferrous oxide KW - Phosphonates KW - Wastewater treatment Y1 - 2025 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/w18010116 SN - 2073-4441 VL - 18 IS - 1 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schowarte, Julia A1 - Riedel, Ramona A1 - Fischer, Tomas A1 - Helle, Sven A1 - Martienssen, Marion A1 - Arellano-Garcia, Harvey T1 - Synergistic enhancement of PFOA and 6:2-FTAB photodegradation using Au/Y-doped TiO2 nanocatalysts JF - Chemical Engineering Journal Advances N2 - Efficient degradation of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) requires photocatalysts capable of promoting strong CF bond cleavage and selective interfacial charge transfer. In this proof-of-concept-study, a dual-doped TiO2 nanophotocatalyst (Au2/Y5/P25) was synthesized by combining gold (Au) nanoparticles and yttrium (Y) dopants to enhance charge separation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Structural characterization supported Au deposition on the TiO2 surface and Y incorporation into the lattice, accompanied by a slight bandgap narrowing. Under UV irradiation in aqueous solution (unbuffered pH 5.8, room temperature) the nanophotocatalyst exhibited distinct degradation pathways for 1000 μg L-1 of two representative PFAS, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Capstone B (6:2 FTAB), reflecting environmentally prevalent groups. PFOA underwent 99 % degradation within 100 min via a stepwise CF2-cleavage mechanism, generating a sequence of perfluorocarboxylic acids down to perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), consistent with enhanced electron-hole separation. In contrast, Capstone B showed rapid, single-step S-N bond cleavage to 6:2 perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (6:2 PFOS), primarily driven by hole- and •OH-mediated oxidation under oxygen-rich conditions. This process achieved 96 % degradation within 20 min but did not proceed to further defluorination, indicating oxidative limitations. Dissolved oxygen analysis revealed efficient electron utilization and sustained oxidative turnover without excessive oxygen depletion. The findings demonstrate that Au/Y co-doping promotes selective PFAS activation, enabling rapid precursor oxidation while exposing the kinetic limits of secondary C-F bond cleavage. These discoveries offer new insights into the design of plasmonic-rare-earth-modified TiO2 photocatalysts for efficient PFAS degradation through interface-driven oxidation pathways. KW - Nanoparticles KW - PFAS KW - PFOA Photocatalysis KW - TiO2 Y1 - 2026 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceja.2026.101121 SN - 2666-8211 VL - 26 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER -