Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41834399›Full record

ArticleEnvironmental science & technology2026

Degradation of Toxins and Metabolites of Cyanobacteria and Micropollutants during Biological Sand Filtration.

Valentin Rougé, Anne Dax, Oliver Köster, Urs von Gunten, Elisabeth M-L Janssen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Environmental science & technology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Valentin RougéEawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-6452-2209
Anne DaxZurich Water Supply, 8021 Zurich, Switzerland.
Oliver KösterZurich Water Supply, 8021 Zurich, Switzerland.
Urs von GuntenEawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
Elisabeth M-L JanssenEawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-5475-6730

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cyanobacteria produce complex mixtures of secondary metabolites (cyano-metabolites), some of which are toxic and pose a growing concern for water utilities. While physical treatments such as filtration can efficiently remove cells, their lysis can release dissolved cyano-metabolites. This study investigated the efficiency of laboratory-scale sand filtration to abate 19 cyano-metabolites representing various structural classes. Furthermore, abatement of cyano-metabolites in a full-scale sand filtration is presented. Most cyano-metabolites showed abatement similar to or higher than the biodegradable benchmark micropollutants atenolol, paracetamol, and valsartan. Among cyano-metabolites, anabaenopeptins and cyanopeptolins had the highest abatement, while cyclamides and microcystin-LR had the lowest abatement. Abiotic controls and formation trends of 10 identified biotransformation products demonstrated that biodegradation played a major role in their removal. Laboratory-scale sand filters showed a sharp increase in biodegradation efficiency within days due to their adaptation to cyano-metabolites. Increasing the contact time and temperature both enhanced the abatement of most compounds, which could be kinetically modeled. High cyano-metabolite concentrations suppressed their own relative abatement, possibly due to metabolic enzyme inhibition or saturation. These findings suggest that sand filtration can serve as a dual-barrier against cyano-metabolites, including particle removal and biodegradation. However, biodegradation will be affected by the temperature and cyano-metabolite intake dynamics.

Indexed as

Bacterial ToxinsCyanobacteriaFiltrationSandWater Pollutants, ChemicalBiodegradation, EnvironmentalWater PurificationBacterial ToxinsSandWater Pollutants, Chemicalbiodegradationbiotransformation productscyanotoxindrinking water treatmentenzymeskinetic

Identifiers

PMID41834399
PMCPMC13045012

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.