Environmental context. The steroid hormone 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) has been established as a highly estrogenic substance, which potentially causes serious harm to environmental health. Rhamnolipids are a widely researched glycolipid used for the degradation of organic pollutants. Therefore, this study focused on the change of biodegradation of EE2 affected by rhamnolipids in sediment/water systems, showing increased and more rapid degradation.

Environmental context. The east coast of the Argentine Sea is frequently impacted by seasonal macroalgal blooms, resulting from anthropogenic activities such as the discharge of untreated wastewater. The use of these macroalgae for energy purposes through the anaerobic digestion process provides an opportunity to convert a biomass, currently considered as a waste, into a renewable energy source. Species specific differences and kinetics were studied and suggest this is a potentially useful novel energy source.

Environmental context. Toxicity and mobility of antimony and arsenic in aqueous systems are largely determined by their speciation and redox chemistry. In a highly contaminated freshwater system, one antimony species (dissolved Sb^V) dominated, while dissolved arsenic was more responsive to environmental conditions. Arsenic (as As^V) increased significantly during a drought period; this increase in As mobility presents a threat for first flush events and water contamination in a changing climate.