A systematic review of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollution: A combined bibliometric and mechanistic analysis of research trend toward an environmentally friendly solution

Olive Mekontchou Yemele; Zhenhua Zhao; Jackson Nkoh Nkoh; Ervice Ymele; Muhammad Usman

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171577

A systematic review of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollution: A combined bibliometric and mechanistic analysis of research trend toward an environmentally friendly solution

Sci Total Environ. 2024 May 20:926:171577. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171577. Epub 2024 Mar 21.

Authors

Olive Mekontchou Yemele¹, Zhenhua Zhao¹, Jackson Nkoh Nkoh², Ervice Ymele³, Muhammad Usman¹

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lake of Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China.
² Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, Shenzhen Public Service Platform for Collaborative Innovation of Marine Algae Industry, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Marine Algal Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, PR China; College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, PR China; Department of Chemistry, University of Buea, PO Box 63, Buea, Cameroon.
³ Department of Chemistry, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon.

PMID: 38521268
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171577

Abstract

Pollution caused by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is a significant concern. This concern has become more problematic given the rapid modification of PAHs in the environment during co-contamination to form substituted PAHs. This review aims to integrate bibliometric analysis with a rigorous study of mechanistic insights, resulting in a more comprehensive knowledge of evolving research trends on PAH remediation. The results show that research in this field has progressed over the years and peaked in 2022, potentially due to the redirection of resources toward emerging pollutants, hinting at the dynamic nature of environmental research priorities. During this year, 158,147 documents were published, representing 7 % of the total publications in the field between 2000 and 2023. The different remediation methods used for PAH remediation were identified and compared. Bioremediation, having >90 % removal efficiency, has been revealed to be the best technique because it is cost-effective and easy to operate at large scale in situ and ex-situ. The current challenges in PAH remediation have been detailed and discussed. Implementing innovative and sustainable technologies that target pollutant removal and valuable compound recovery is necessary to build a more robust future for water management.

Keywords: Bioremediation technologies; Emerging pollutants; Environmental pollution; Organic pollutants; Scaling-up.

Publication types

Review