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Environmental Occurrence and Degradation of Hexabromocyclododecanes

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Handbook of Green and Sustainable Nanotechnology
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Abstract

Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) are used as a fire extinguisher additive mainly for constructing buildings composed of extruded or expanded polystyrene foam. The synthetic profile of HBCD diastereoisomers, on average, was 28%, 13%, and 59% for α-, β-, and γ-HBCD, respectively. Due to persistence, long-distance transportation, biodiversity, and environmental toxicity, cycloaliphatic brominated flame retardant, HBCD (1,2,5,6,9,10-hexabromocyclododecane, C12H18Br6), is a global concern and was selected as a type of persistent organic pollutant (POP) under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in 2013. HBCD is a high-volume production brominated flame retardant (BFR) that has been raising environmental concerns and public health issues due to its potential environmental persistence, environmental accumulation, and toxicity. The concentration of HBCD is discharged from various ways, including during production, manufacturing, customer use, waste disposal, landfilling, incineration, and recycling. HBCD is persistent in the air and further migrates up to long-range distances such as the Arctic, where concentrations in the atmosphere and top predators are elevated. HBCD has been found in human plasma, blood, and adipose tissue and at higher trophic levels in biota. HBCD is toxic to aquatic organisms and alters their reproductivity and development and causes deterioration of the central nervous system. Various conventional techniques are used for adsorption and removal of HBCD concentration. However, bioremediation of HBCD by using microorganisms and nanomaterials is a more prominent and advanced method that degrades HBCD into safer and less toxic end products by utilizing natural energy sources.

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Acknowledgments

One of the authors, Dr. Manviri Rani, is grateful for the financial assistance from the DST-SERB, New Delhi (Sanction order no. SRG/2019/000114), and TEQIP-III MNIT Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. The authors are also thankful to NIT Jalandhar, Punjab.

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Correspondence to Manviri Rani .

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Rani, M., Meenu, Shanker, U. (2022). Environmental Occurrence and Degradation of Hexabromocyclododecanes. In: Shanker, U., Hussain, C.M., Rani, M. (eds) Handbook of Green and Sustainable Nanotechnology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69023-6_81-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69023-6_81-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-69023-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-69023-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Chemistry and Mat. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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