The aim of this study was to assess the impact of ventilation and filtration conditions on particle concentrations in an orthopedic operating room. Total particle, viable particle, and CO2 concentration were measured under three different situations, namely before air filter replacement, after air filter replacement, and in an operating room with a new air conditioning system. Before air filter replacement

Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is increasingly used in aquaculture studies to quantitatively assess materials, energy flows and impacts of a production system and to evaluate the environmental performance of products and services. The application of LCA to sea bass production in two marine farms located in Greece and Albania demonstrated that feed and accordingly feed conversion ratio, followed by fry

This study aimed at profiling the quantitative phytochemicals in different parts of juvenile C. aurantium cultivated on different plastic-treated clayey soils in a pot experiment under ambient field condition. Three plastic types, namely polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) with seven treatment pattern (single LDPE, PP, PS and mixture: LDPE + PP, LDPE + PS, PP + PS, LDPE + PP + PS)

Nylon 6-mordenite composite membranes having porous morphology were applied to the selective separation of heavy metal ions from aqueous heavy metal solution with Pb2+, Cu2+ and Cd2+. The membrane preparation was carried out in the wet phase inversion method using methanol/CaCl2/Nylon 6 solution. The resultant membranes containing mordenite powders with 10, 20 and 30 wt% loading were obtained as coagulated

Crop diversification led to a decline in the partial sustainability index of chemical fertilizers consumption. Crop diversification reduces the multiple sustainability indices of fertilizers and water resources as well as fertilizers, pesticides and water resources consumption. Crop diversification positively related to partial and multiple productivity of fertilizers, chemical pesticides and water

A pot experiment was conducted to observe the impact of the application of various fertilizers on the availability of trace metals in different parts of a pearl millet variety (YBS–98). The level of metals in the pearl millet plant (root, shoot, and grains) was analyzed by the atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AA–6300 Shimadzu Japan). Comparing different parts of millet plant Cu (3.4–4.5), Fe (62

Life is impossible without water because demands of water increasing day by day with emergent population. By increasing the quantity of wastewater, sewage and chemicals containing effluent into the river system from household and industrial activities, the surface and ground water get significantly polluted. In present study, eleven organo-chlorine pesticides (OCPs), sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

In the present study, Aspergillus fumigatus (Genbank accession no. KX365202), was used for heavy metal removal in a hexa-metal system containing mixture of six heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Cd, Ni, Pb and Zn). The total concentration of the heavy metals was kept at 30 mg L−1. The experimental sets were designed based on the relative abundance of the heavy metals present in the wastewater of Delhi-NCR region

Agriculture is the main source of diffuse nutrient pollution in surface waters. It requires best management practices (BMPs) for controlling the discharges of pollutants like total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorous (TP). In addition, these pollutants are accounted in the grey water footprint (GWF) of agricultural productions. This study proposes an integrated methodology with two steps for assessing

Contamination from microplastics is a growing concern around the globe that materialized over the last few decades. Road dust is one of the main contributors of microplastics in an urban environment and presence of microplastics can be a major detriment to health of urban population. The present study focuses on the presence, quantification, and identification of microplastics in the ambient air. Coarse

Over the past few decades, industrial development has caused a dramatic increment in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as a leading cause of climate change. Modifying the industrial plants' environmental performance is the main pillar of improving efficiency that can reduce the waste of resources and make achieving lower-cost global emission reduction targets of the Kyoto protocol's clean development

The role of environmental proactivity to explain the relationship between the stakeholder pressure and environmental strategy of wineries, both at process and product levels, is analyzed. We have applied a model of structural equations to a sample of 312 Spanish wineries. Consistent with prior research, the findings show a positive relationship betweenstakeholder pressure and the implementation of

The current work reports the synthesis of Fe-doped TiO2 nanoparticles by simple coprecipitation method and compares their photocatalytic efficiency to three different commercially available TiO2 (i.e., Sachtopore, Hombikat UV100 and Fluka) using methyl orange (MO) under UV light irradiation. X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were

Gökpınar spring is one of the most important drinking water resources of Denizli city (Turkey), covering more than one third of the water need of the municipality. In this paper, we present a combination of geophysical methods in order to define the groundwater flow paths in Gökpınar spring region. The spring of Gökpınar is a result of the Fault-fracture network formed during the tectonic events which

The soil above on a cave may act as a regulator of the changes occurring in and on the cavity, modifying water infiltration and retention and providing organic matter, clay minerals, and nutrient elements, all of them essential for the growth of microorganisms and precipitates inside the cave. We assessed the mineralogical and geochemical composition of the soil lying upon Nerja Cave (Málaga, S Spain)

AbstractAdsorption potential of the struvite (recovered from the high-strength ammonium-rich synthetic wastewater) was explored for the first time for the removal of an anthraquinone dye (Remazol Brilliant Blue R, RBBR) from aqueous phases. According to the experimental findings obtained from the RBBR-struvite adsorption system, the maximum dye removal efficiency (≈ 79%) was achieved at pH of 2.0,

Two prominent models emerged as a result of intense interdisciplinary discussions on the environmental health paradigm, called the “exposome” concept and the “adverse outcome pathway” (AOP) concept that links a molecular initiating event to the adverse outcome via key events. Here, evidence is discussed, suggesting that environmental stress/injury-induced damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)

Effluent of slaughterhouse wastewater treatment by combined up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor and extended aeration reactor was estimated through artificial neural networks (ANN), ANN-genetic algorithm (GA) and B-spline quasi interpolation. The overall system operated at two runs with average total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) of 1514.65 and 3160.2 mg/L for the first and second run,

In this study, aerogel beads composed of graphene oxide and chitosan (GOCA beads) were synthesized and then characterized by SEM, TEM, FT-IR, and BET techniques. The prepared adsorbent was used for the removal of 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) from surface water and municipal wastewater effluent. The adsorption behavior of the nanocomposite was investigated using batch experiments by evaluating the effect of

Many of the basic dyes are non- degradable and toxic pollutants in textile industrial wastewater. Methylene blue (MB) is a cationic dye that exists at a large scale in the textile wastewater which is discharged into the nearby environment without proper management, particularly in developing countries including Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the adsorption performance of MB from

This research aims at process optimization using response surface methodology (RSM) for coagulation of surface water by coagulants extracted from natural product. Apricot seeds extract (ASE), peach seeds extract (PSE) and mango seeds extract (MSE) were evaluated. The optimum operating conditions for ASE and PSE at initial turbidity of 27.5 NTU were pH 7 and coagulant dose of 45 mg/l. However, the optimum

Landfills are the main option for waste disposal all over the world. Most of the landfill sites across the world are old and are not engineered well to prevent contamination of the underlying soil and groundwater by the toxic leachate. The present study examines the potential use of raw zeolite and heated activated zeolite in the reduction of COD, NH3-N, and colour from leachate. Zeolite was activated

Current work deals with the treatment of leachate nanofiltration concentrate which was exposed to ultrafiltration membrane treatment following anaerobic biological process and nitrification–dentrification process before. Advanced electrocoagulation processes [electro-Fenton (EF) and electro-persulfate (EF)] were applied to the wastewater characterized by high inert COD content arising from resistant

In this work, fly ash from a Brazilian thermal power plant was employed as a low-cost raw catalyst for Procion red degradation by photo-Fenton process. The ash was characterized by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms (BET), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray

Nitric acid-activated carbon prepared from the barks of Leucaenea leucocephala plant (NACBLL) is investigated as an adsorbent for the extraction of fluoride from contaminated water by varying different physicochemical parameters. The conditions for the maximum possible extraction of fluoride have been optimized. The adsorption capacity of the adsorbent is observed to be 1.16 mg/g. NACBLL is characterized

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) have been assembled using natural dyes extracted from the red (Gracilaria) and green (Ulva) algae as photosensitizers and the effect of adding Graphene quantum dot (GQD) has been investigated. The open-circuit voltage (VOC) values of natural dyes of Gracilaria, Gracilaria + GQD, Ulva, and Ulva + GQD are 0.64, 0.73, 0.70, and 0.75, respectively. The short circuit current

Inefficient sewage management has caused contamination of our water resources (rivers and lakes) that inspires researchers to constantly innovate and upgrade the existing wastewater treatment technologies. This study explores the possibility of a microbial consortium immobilized on different natural matrix for sewage treatment at lab-scale bioreactor. Bacterial isolates having lipolytic, proteolytic

In this research, the significant environmental process of CO2 capture is investigated into an aqueous blended MDEA + TMS solution using a stirrer reactor experimentally and numerically. The experiments were designed based on the response surface methodology (RSM) under operating conditions of a pressure range of 2–8 bar, a temperature range of 20–70 °C, MDEA, and TMS concentration range of 10–20 wt%

In this study, trends in hazardous pollution emissions in South Korea for the last decade were investigated to protect people’s health and contribute to the prevention of environmental risks by reducing emissions. It was found that hazardous pollution emissions increased from 47,688,000 kg in 2007 to 57,247,000 kg in 2016. Among them, Xylene and Toluene exhibited the highest proportions. 99% of hazardous

Achieving energy self-sufficiency is critical for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to comply with rapidly changing environmental regulatory standards in a sustainable manner. Currently, a small percentage of WWTPs around the world produce energy for beneficial use and only a handful of these plants are energy self-sufficient. We propose three energy-positive wastewater treatment schemes and use

At 14:00 on 18 June 2017, floods occurred in Shiyang gully at the junction of Beijing and Hebei Province, China. The floods put 12 people at risk, 6 of whom died. After the occurrence of the floods, the environment in Shiyang gully has undergone tremendous changes. There are many loose residual materials in the watershed. Therefore, it was necessary to evaluate the debris flow susceptibility of Shiyang

The halophyte plant species Kosteletzkya pentacarpos produces high amounts of mucilage which may play a role in heavy metal tolerance. The amount and composition of mucilage in K. pentacarpos exposed to zinc toxicity in the presence or in the absence of 50 mM NaCl was investigated. Exposure to 0.1 mM Zn had a detrimental impact on plants growth and water content. Most of Zn was accumulated in the roots

Phenolic compounds, which are present in considerable amounts in industrial wastewater, are toxic, even at low concentrations. Most bacteria used in conventional treatment methods for the removal of phenolics are pathogenic, and their biomass does not have an evident commercial value. We evaluated the usability of microalgae for the removal of phenolic compounds from simulated wastewater and as a sustainable

Hydrazine (N2H4) can injure lungs, liver, kidney, and central nervous system, and it may be carcinogenic to humans. It is used for a chemical decontamination process (HyBRID) of a nuclear facility. After the decontamination process, wastewater containing a high concentration of hydrazine is generated. Thus, it is necessary to remove hydrazine from the wastewater by a safe level. The decomposition tests

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an important long-lived greenhouse gas and is a dominant contributor to stratospheric ozone depletion. Mitigating N2O emission from the rice paddies is one of the important challenges to global food security and climate change research while sustaining optimum productivity. We conducted a 2-year experiment to investigate the effect of different plant growth regulators (PGRs)

AbstractThe synthesis and investigation of reduced graphene oxide (Gr), graphene oxide (GO) and their magnetite composites (MGr and MGO), as sorbents for the adsorptive removal of estriol, was carried out. The nanosorbents were characterized and the factors that can affect the adsorption, such as pH, temperature and the presence of salts and humic acids were studied. The results showed that the adsorption

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (n-TiO2) are added to photocatalytic mortars to improve urban air quality. Their activity can be increased by dispersing and binding them on natural sepiolite surface. Workers handling photocatalytic additives can be exposed to n-TiO2. However, the release of nanoparticles to the workplace can be different if the material used is raw n-TiO2 powders or if the nanoparticles

In the present study, Polyaniline–polyvinyl acetate composite (PANi/PVAc) was used to remove mercury from aqueous media. The PANi/PVAc was chemically synthesized and mercury adsorption experiment was done in batch mode. On this basis, the impact of different parameters, including contact time, solution pH, consumed absorbent amount and applied adsorption isotherms, were further examined. The amount

AbstractThe physicochemical profiling of e-waste was done by AAS, XRD, and SEM with EDX that reveals the composition of valuable metals like Au−, Ag−, Zn−, and Cu−. Thus, the present findings provide the important resource of precious metal in the e-waste (PCBs) as pollutant in the environment and human impact. The native isolates Frankia sp. DDNSF-01 and Frankia casuarinae DDNSF-02 were subjected

As phosphorus (P) exceeds 0.1 mg P L−1, the water is usually considered high enough to cause eutrophication. Thermally treated mussel shell (TMS), a calcium-rich (36.76%) biological material, was an environmentally friendly and low-cost adsorbent for P removal. To achieve very low concentrations of P, composite agents of PAC–TMS, Fe–TMS and La–TMS were prepared with the optimum weight ratio of 0.4

In this study, the bioaccumulation and biosorption of aqueous metals (cadmium, copper, lead, zinc and trivalent chromium) by live and dead cells of Penicillium simplicissimum (isolate 10) were investigated and compared. Removal experiments under varying cell concentrations, pH and initial metal concentrations revealed that live cells generally achieved highest metal removal rates when 0.80 g fresh

The influence of landfill leachate on selected growth parameters in two varieties (‘Bialobrzeskie’ and ‘Monoica’) of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) was studied to evaluate phytoremediation potential of these varieties. The plants were cultivated in hydroponic culture in Knop's nutrient solution. Landfill leachate was added to nutrient solution in concentrations of 10, 15, 20 and 40%, respectively. After

AbstractIncreasing world population triggers intensive agricultural practices responsible for higher heavy metal contamination of soil and water. The present study was conducted to evaluate the morpho-physiological and biochemical response along with phytoextraction potential of Alternanthera bettzickiana for cobalt (Co) and copper (Cu) contaminated soil. Healthy and uniform plants of A. bettzickiana

Chlorobenzoic acids (CBAs) are recalcitrant and toxic materials which enter the environment directly using pesticides and herbicides, or indirectly through the biodegradation of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) compounds. In the conducted study, biodegradation of 4-chlrobenzoic acid was investigated by Lysinibacillus macrolides DSM54T, which had previously been isolated from PCB-polluted soils. Environmental

Denitrifying bioreactors are an innovative nitrate-reduction strategy that reduces NO3-N with carbon substrate. In this study, application of biochar as a carbon substrate in DNBRs and the effect of biochar application rate and bioreactor heights on nitrate and ammonium concentration in the laboratory were investigated. Four mixtures of soil–biochar–wheat straw content of B0 = 0 (control treatment)

Milled olive stones are evaluated as a biosorbent for the removal of heavy metals such as Cd (II), Cu (II), Pb(II) and Cr(VI) from aqueous effluents. To this end, thermodynamic and kinetic studies for single and multimetal systems are performed through batch equilibrium isotherms. The biosorbent was characterized by elemental and FTIR analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The effect of the different

AbstractRe-use of the byproduct wastes resulting from different municipal and industrial activities in the reclamation of contaminated water is real application for green projects and sustainability concepts. In this direction, the synthesis of composite sorbent from the mixing of waterworks and sewage sludge coated with new nanoparticles named “siderite” (WSSS) is the novelty of this study. These

Removal of phenol from simulated wastewater was investigated with silver–gold-nanoparticle-modified mango seed shell-activated carbon under batch experiment. The surface properties of the activated carbons were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Adsorption experiment was carried out at ambient temperature to study the effect of contact time, adsorbent dosage, and temperature

To optimize carbon-based nanoscale-zero-valent iron (nZVI) material and remove hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] more effectively, activated low rank coals (ALRCs) and FeCl2 were used to prepare “activated low rank coals/nanoscale-zero-valent iron” (ALRCs/nZVI) composites by carbothermal reduction. The prepared ALRCs/nZVI was characterized by XRD, SEM, BET and XPS. Then the removal characteristics of Cr(VI)

The effects of pesticide mixtures and electric and magnetic fields on honeybees were evaluated in three experimental sites located in northern Italy: a control site far from anthropogenic-stress sources, a semi-natural site close to a high-voltage electric line and an agricultural site with intensive pesticide use. From each experimental site, young workers and foraging bees were taken monthly from

The present study focused on the characterization of a multi-contaminated former industrial site, followed by an investigation into the suitability of a possible phytoremediation technique. This study area located in Issoudun (France) was contaminated with high concentrations of trace elements such as copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and arsenic (As). The site was divided into 18 blocks, and soil

Catechol is a highly toxic compound that is also a key intermediate in biodegradation pathways of various aromatic compounds. In this paper, a new screening method for isolation of microorganisms with the potential for catechol biodegradation is reported. The method described is based on the ability of catechol to form a color complex with Fe3+ ions. For this purpose, basal medium that is widely used

Chemical precipitation, oxidation/reduction, filtration, ion-exchange, reverse osmosis, membrane technology, evaporation and electrochemical treatment as remediation technologies have various shortcomings which have fueled the search for more environmentally friendly and cost-effective methods of remediating heavy metal contaminated environments. Indigenous bacteria in heavy metal contaminated sites

AbstractAgricultural wastes are equipped with unique physicochemical traits that may be harnessed to obtain valuable end products. Therefore, the present research focused on using waste eggshells as precursors for the synthesis of catalysts for partial oxidation of methane. Catalysts were synthesized via impregnation of copper on calcined eggshell surfaces. The catalysts were tested for selective oxidation

In this paper, a novel synthesis of 1 nm sized metal-free carbon quantum dots (CQDs) and their electrochemical application vis-à-vis mercury (Hg) sensing have been demonstrated. The characterization of synthesized CQDs was done by FT-IR, HR-TEM, XRD and UV–Vis analysis. Furthermore, the CQD-modified electrode shows an excellent sensing ability toward deleterious Hg ion even when 600-fold of excess

The uses of rice husk are constantly increasing since the last decay. Rice husk is a by-product attained from agricultural activities and has a potential use as a bio-sorbent for the adsorption of heavy metal ions, for example, lead removal from water and other aqueous solutions. The basic objective of this research is to synthesis environment-friendly adsorbent using rice husks. The study also investigated

This paper proposes a new geo-environmental Impact index to quantify the implications and dynamics for a country to join in a regional cooperation for low carbon growth (LCG) in Asia. The index helps differentiating the countries according to risk dissemination and risk assimilation categories, which are so crucial in framing effective LCG policies. Empirical results reveal that under the proposed