Investigating biotransformation products and toxicological effects of samples from a combined anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic biological treatment system using MRM profiling as a core -omics tool

• Grant number: 24/21943-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: July 31, 2025
• End date: July 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Zaiat
• Grantee: Matheus Neves de Araujo
• Supervisor: Jonathan Shannahan
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Purdue University, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/01945-8 - Micropollutants in sanitary sewage: the role of acidogenesis, methanogenesis and nitrification/denitrification in the degradation of triclosan, ibuprofen, diclofenac, atenolol, propranolol and carbamazepine, BP.DR

Abstract

Traditional wastewater treatment plants often fail to efficiently remove organic micropollutants, which include pharmaceuticals and personal care products, posing risks to both environmental and human health. Wastewater treatment plants, especially the biological process, often lead to the formation of transformation products that also end up reaching several environmental compartments and posing risks to human and environmental safety. Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) profiling, a mass spectrometry approach, offers a high-throughput and cost-effective alternative to conventional liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry, enabling non-targeted and suspect screening identification of transformation products in complex matrices. Furthermore, MRM profiling has been successfully reported in various omics applications. This research exchange project intends to investigate the biotransformation products and toxicological effects of effluents from a combined anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic wastewater treatment system using MRM profiling as the primary omics tool. The combined treatment system relies on a PhD project currently ongoing in Brazil, focusing on the assessment of the acidogenesis, methanogenesis, and nitrification/denitrification processes in organic micropollutants removal from municipal wastewater. Conducted in collaboration with Purdue University, this project will analyze samples from treatment reactors carried out in Brazil within the context of Grant FAPESP nº 2022/01945-8 to identify transformation products at several treatment stages and assess potential toxicological effects through an exposome approach. MRM profiling's aimed sensitivity, excluding the need for chromatographic separation, enables functional group-level analysis and provides critical chemical insights. The results will guide the enhancement of treatment designs, aiming to reduce environmental risks associated with municipal wastewater. Additionally, this exchange supports skill development in advanced mass spectrometry and toxicology, enriching Brazilian research capacity in affordable, high-impact pollutant monitoring.