Red wine contains polyphenols which are extracted during the winemaking process. However, winemaking is not an extraction; therefore, the resulting byproducts still have a substantial polyphenol content. The aim of this study was to compare two methods for the extraction of phenolic compounds: maceration and matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD). Grape pomace (Vitis vinifera var. Cabernet Sauvignon) from a winery in Querétaro, Mexico was used. The optimal conditions for both methods were identified. Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity were the response variables. A central composite design was used (Minitab 17) for the extraction by maceration. The maceration time (1, 4, 12, 20, and 24 h) and the ratio of ethanol (50 to 80%) acidified with 1% HCl were the two factors studied. For the MSPD extraction, sea sand was used as a dispersant, and a 2² factorial design was employed for the evaluation, with the elution volume and the ratio of sample/dispersant being the two factors analyzed. The optimal extraction method was MSPD with 96 mL (acidified ethanol) as the elution volume and a 1:2 ratio of sample/dispersant. Using these conditions, 14.01 ± 0.19 mMol TEAC/100 g db (Trolox equivalent of antioxidant capacity) of grape pomace was obtained, whereas the total phenolic content was 2836.73 ± 41.90 mg GAE/100 g db. These values are greater than those obtained by maceration. These conditions are close to those predicted by the model (analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a level of significance of 5% (p < 0.05) and a Tukey comparison test for determining significant differences in the comparison of results).

Carbamazepine (CBZ) is an anticonvulsant pharmaceutical that is resistant to photodegradation and biodegradation in conventional wastewater treatment plants. In this research, the degradation of commercial CBZ was studied using a boron-doped diamond-Fe system in continuous flow. A response surface model was created to determine the contributions of the current intensity (0.39, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, and 1.10 A) or current density (1.69, 2.16, 3.25, 4.33, and 4.76 mA/cm², respectively), support electrolyte (NaCl and CaCl₂), and initial CBZ concentration ([CBZ]₀) (0.1, 1.0, 5.5, 10.0, and 11.8 mg/L). The highest CBZ removal (%) was achieved with NaCl as a support electrolyte at a current intensity of 0.64 A (2.77 mA/cm²) and [CBZ]₀ of 4.5 mg/L at a neutral pH (6–7) and a treatment time of 120 min. The electro-oxidation (EO) process achieved a removal efficiency of 77.25%, whereas solar EO removed 90.77% of CBZ in the presence of ultraviolet radiation (536.37 W/m²). CBZ degradation was fitted to the Behnajady–Modirshahla–Ghanbery kinetic model with constant values of 1/m = 0.31 and 1/b = 0.93, thereby indicating the fast decomposition of CBZ. The toxicity was significantly reduced in the effluent. Graphical abstract

Carbendazim (CBZ) is a fungicide widely used on different crops, including soybeans, cereals, cotton, tobacco, peanuts, and sugar beet. Excessive use of this xenobiotic causes environmental deterioration and affects human health. Microbial metabolism is one of the most efficient ways of carbendazim elimination. In this work, Rhodococcus qingshengii RC1 and Rhodococcus erythropolis RC9 were isolated from a bacterial community growing in a biofilm reactor acclimated with microbiota from carbendazim-contaminated soil. Sequencing analysis of genomes of both strains revealed the presence of cbmA, the gene coding for the enzyme that hydrolyses carbendazim to produce 2-aminobenzimidazole (2-AB). The alternative gene for the first catabolic step (mheI) was detected by PCR in strain RC9 but not in RC1. Metabolomic analysis by HPLC and LC-MS showed that both strains have the ability to metabolize carbendazim. R. qingshengii RC1 converts carbendazim to 2-AB, the first degradation intermediary, while R. erythropolis RC9 metabolizes the fungicide to its mineralization, probably because R. qingshengii RC1 lacks the hdx gene coding for 2-AB hydroxylase. HRESIMS-MS/MS results indicate that R. erythropolis RC9 metabolizes carbendazim by cleavage of the benzene ring and subsequent formation of 5-formyl-2-hydroxy-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazole-4-carboxylic acid (X2 C₅H₆N₂O₄). The presence of carbendazim metabolites in culture supernatants of strains RC9 and RC1 suggests that both strains contribute to the efficient degradation of carbendazim in nature.