GOMA, B. Hodnocení účinnosti moderních čistírenských technologií pomocí testů ekotoxicity [online]. Brno: Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta chemická. 2023.

Posudek vedoucího

Zlámalová Gargošová, Helena

The diploma thesis "Assessment of the effectiveness of modern wastewater treatment technologies using ecotoxicity tests" deals with ecologically relevant problems related to substances from the group of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) and their insufficient removal in WWTPs. AOPs as powerful technologies to degrade these compounds solve this problem. However, this work assessed the question (via ecotoxicity tests) of whether the degradation products of substances (or combinations of them) could also be toxic. BC student Bernadette Goma mastered the use of the AOP laboratory unit and, with model water with pharmaceuticals, conducted tests of ecotoxicity on Lemna minor and Daphnia magna. On D. magna, not only acute but also chronic tests that are time-consuming and require careful care and especially regular care about organisms (to eliminate organism stress and distort the results). Mortality, reproductivity success, and growth inhibition were monitored (some daphnids, but also roots of L. minor) were measured and via program ImageJ analysed. As I mentioned, the student has done a lot of time-consuming laboratory work, but less energy was devoted to summarising, interpreting, and discussing the results. With regard to the overall work, I rate the diploma thesis as very good B.

Posudek oponenta

Mravcová, Ludmila

The presented thesis is of classical type, it contains theoretical and experimental part. In the theoretical part the student summarized the basic information concerning the given. She described the methods known as advanced oxidation processes and basic ecotoxicological tests, which were further used in the experimental part. The text is clear and logically structured. In the theoretical part, I very much miss a chapter that would link the information given and point out the current state of the art. Partly the student used some of the information further in the discussion of the results. In the experimental part the obtained results are presented. The student used several ecotoxicological tests in relation to the use of the laboratory unit for AOP testing. The experiments performed show the great time consuming nature of them and also the amount of work that was done. However, I must note that the results have been inappropriately handled or presented. In the tables with the results of the tests on Lemna minor, the first column shows the concentrations in mg/L. Is this really the concentration in mg/L? The values in this column only describe the percentage dilution of the solutions in question (except before the use of AOP). Furthermore, the drug concentration (or unit) values in Table 46 are certainly wrong. I also miss any broader discussion within the evaluation of the results with specific outputs from the work performed. I have a few other comments on the work. To which method is figure 4 linked? Note the use of the hyphen and the divider. I would recommend adding the concentrations used or even other information to the table descriptions so that one does not have to scroll back. There was a typo in the use of the word fronds. Be careful of rounding of values presented. Overall, I give the thesis a grade of B and recommend it for defense.

eVSKP id 139045