Insights into the Sunlight-Induced Photodegradation Mechanisms of Methamphetamine in Surface Water driven by NO₃⁻, HCO₃⁻ and Fe3

Lijuan Luo; Junhui Wu; Xueting Yuan; Xinyan Li; Bi Huang; Shanshan Chen; Jiewei Deng; Tiangang Luan

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125303

Insights into the Sunlight-Induced Photodegradation Mechanisms of Methamphetamine in Surface Water driven by NO₃^⁻, HCO₃^⁻ and Fe³

Environ Pollut. 2024 Nov 11:125303. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125303. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Lijuan Luo¹, Junhui Wu², Xueting Yuan¹, Xinyan Li³, Bi Huang⁴, Shanshan Chen¹, Jiewei Deng³, Tiangang Luan⁵

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Guangdong Provincial Laboratory of Chemistry and Fine Chemical Engineering Jieyang Center, Jieyang 515200, China.
² Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangdong Detection Center of Microbiology, Guangzhou, 510070, China; State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat⁃Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
³ Guangdong Provincial Laboratory of Chemistry and Fine Chemical Engineering Jieyang Center, Jieyang 515200, China; School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Smart Medical Innovation Technology Center, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat⁃Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
⁵ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Guangdong Provincial Laboratory of Chemistry and Fine Chemical Engineering Jieyang Center, Jieyang 515200, China; State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat⁃Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China; School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, 529020, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39537084
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125303

Abstract

Psychoactive substances abuse is a global issue, with the methamphetamine (METH) being the most used and produced illicit substance in recent years. METH has been recognized as emerging contaminants in aquatic ecosystems. Research on the removal of METH from surface water is still lacking in-depth exploration. The effects of key aqueous environmental factors on the photodegradation of METH were investigated in this study. NO₃^⁻, Fe³⁺ and dissolved organic matter (DOM) enhanced the photodegradation of METH, respectively, with degradation rates increasing as their concentrations increased. When HCO₃^⁻ coexisted with NO₃^⁻, it exhibited dual effects on METH photodegradation: low concentrations inhibited the process, whereas high concentrations promoted it. The primary photodegradation products of METH, such as OH-METH, (OH)₂-METH, AMP and NO₂-OH-METH, were identified. The latter two compounds were newly discovered in this study. The mechanism of NO₃^⁻, HCO₃^⁻ and Fe³⁺ accelerating the photodegradation of METH in water was proposed to proceed via the generation of hydroxyl radical (HO∙), leading to the oxidation of METH, along with the involvement of nitro radical (∙NO₂) and carbonate radical (CO₃^•-).

Keywords: DFT calculation; degradation pathway; dissolved organic matter; hydroxyl radical; methamphetamine; psychoactive substances.