CENAKVA - Research Program 2

Significance of the Topic

Emerging organic micropollutants and novel chemical stressors are increasingly detected in freshwater systems due to urbanization, pharmaceuticals use and agricultural run-off. Their complex mixtures can affect aquatic organisms, compromise water quality for human consumption and disrupt ecosystem functions. Understanding their occurrence, fate, bioaccumulation and ecotoxicological impacts is essential for improving water management strategies and protecting both environmental and public health.

Objectives and Program Overview

Research Program 2 at the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters (CENAKVA) is dedicated to assessing “new” pollutants in the environment and their effects on freshwater ecosystems. The program integrates basic and applied research across three laboratories: Environmental Chemistry and Biochemistry, Aquatic Toxicology and Ichtyopathology, and Experimental Complex Systems. It collaborates on national and international projects funded by the Czech Science Foundation, Horizon 2020, LIFE, JPI AMR, national agricultural and technology agencies, and industry partners. Core goals include:

• Evaluating exposure and effects of complex chemical mixtures on aquatic life.
• Investigating bioaccumulation dynamics and reproductive toxicity of psychoactive and antimicrobial agents in fish and invertebrates.
• Developing removal and treatment technologies to reduce micropollutant loads in drinking and wastewater.
• Modeling fate and mobility of ionizable compounds in soil-plant systems and their transfer to surface waters.

Methodology and Instrumentation

The program employs a multidisciplinary toolkit combining chemical analysis, bioassays, mesocosm experiments and predictive modeling. Key approaches include non-targeted high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) for trace screening, bioanalytical assays using passive samplers and cellular receptor bioactivation tests, controlled aquaculture and pond treatment trials, and multiscale biophysical models to simulate soil-plant-water transport.

Key Results and Discussion

Basic research projects have elucidated mixture toxicity mechanisms, demonstrating neuroendocrine effects of psychoactive pollutants on fish sperm function and mucosal immunity. Novel insights into warming-pollutant interactions revealed altered nutrient flows from microbes to Daphnia. Applied studies have optimized granular activated carbon filters and hydrogel-based passive samplers, achieving enhanced removal of polar organics in drinking and wastewater treatment. Soil studies uncovered how soil properties and microbial communities drive micropollutant dissipation and sorption, informing agricultural soil management.

Benefits and Practical Applications

This integrated research has led to:

• Improved protocols for drinking water producers to monitor and optimize micropollutant elimination in treatment plants.
• Enhanced removal strategies for pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in wastewater facilities.
• Baseline data from long-term passive sampling campaigns (e.g., Joint Danube Survey) for water quality monitoring and risk assessment.
• Predictive tools for assessing pollutant mobility in soils, aiding regulators and farmers in managing contaminant spread.

Future Trends and Potential Applications

Future directions include the development of integrated non-target screening platforms coupled with bioanalytical effect-based tools for real-time monitoring, advanced filtration systems combining lamellar sedimentation and bioactive scaffolds, and expansion of supercritical CO₂ decellularization for biotechnological applications. Coupling high-throughput omics with environmental modeling will refine risk prediction and support proactive water quality management across diverse climates and land-use scenarios.

Conclusion

Research Program 2 offers a comprehensive framework for addressing emerging pollutant challenges in freshwater ecosystems. Through synergistic basic and applied studies, it advances analytical methodologies, enhances treatment technologies and generates actionable data for safeguarding aquatic environments and human health.

Reference

Nováková P., Švecová H., Bořík A., Grabic R. 2023. Novel nontarget LC-HRMS-based approaches for evaluation of drinking water treatment. Environmental Monitoring Assessment. 195:739.
Grabic R., Ivanová L., Kodešová R., Grabicová K., Vojs Staňová A., Imreová Z., Drtil M., Bodík I. 2022. Desorption of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs from different stabilized sludge types across pH. Water Research. 220:118651.
Fedorova G., Grabic R., Grabicová K., Turek J., Van Nguyen T., Randak T., Brooks B.W., Zlabek V. 2022. Water reuse for aquaculture: Comparative removal efficacy and aquatic hazard reduction of pharmaceuticals by a pond treatment system during a one year study. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 421:126712.
Fialová P., Grabic R., Grabicová K., Nováková P., Švecová H., Kaserzon S., Thompson K., Vrana B. 2023. Performance evaluation of a diffusive hydrogel-based passive sampler for monitoring of polar organic compounds in wastewater. Science of the Total Environment. 864:161071.
Šauer P., Vrana B., Escher B.I., Grabic R., Toušová Z., Krauss M., von der Ohe P.C., König M., Grabicová K., Mikušová P., Prokeš R., Sobotka J., Fialová P., Novák J., Brack W., Hilscherová K. 2023. Bioanalytical and chemical characterization of organic micropollutant mixtures in long-term exposed passive samplers from the Joint Danube Survey 4: Setting a baseline for water quality monitoring. Environment International. 178:107957.
Kocour Kroupová H., Grimaldi M., Šauer P., Bořík A., Zálohová K., Balaguer P. 2023. Environmental water extracts differentially activate zebrafish and human nuclear progesterone receptors. Science of The Total Environment. 859:160232.
Sancho Santos M.E., Horký P., Grabicová K., Steinbach C., Hubená P., Šálková E., Slavík O., Grabic R., Randák T. 2023. From metabolism to behaviour – Multilevel effects of environmental methamphetamine concentrations on fish. Science of the Total Environment. 878:163167.
Tresnakova N., Famulari S., Zicarelli G., Impellitteri F., Pagano M., Presti G., Felcia M.C., Caferro A., Gulotta E., Guiliano S., Sandova M., Vazzana I., Imbrogno S., Capillo G., Savoca S., Velisek J., Faggio C. 2023. Multi-characteristic toxicity of enantioselective chiral fungicide tebuconazole to a model organism Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck, 1819 (Bivalve: Mytilidae). Science of The Total Environment. 862:160874.
Brunetti G., Kodešová R., Švecová H., Fér M., Nikodem A., Klement A., Grabic R., Šimůnek J. 2022. A novel multiscale biophysical model to predict the fate of ionizable compounds in the soil-plant continuum. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 423:127008.
Menacherry S.P.M., Kodešová R., Fedorova G., Sadchenko A., Kočárek M., Klement A., Fér M., Nikodem A., Chroňáková A., Grabic R. 2023. Dissipation of twelve organic micropollutants in three different soils: Effect of soil characteristics and microbial composition. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 459:132143.
Kodešová R., Fedorova G., Kodeš V., Kočárek M., Rieznyk O., Fér M., Švecová H., Nováková P., Klement A., Bořík A., Nikodém A., Grabic R. 2023. Assessment of potential mobility of selected micropollutants in agricultural soils of the Czech Republic using their sorption predicted from soil properties. Science of The Total Environment. 865:161174.