Hasil untuk "Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering"

B. Karn, T. Kuiken, M. Otto

Objective Although industrial sectors involving semiconductors; memory and storage technologies; display, optical, and photonic technologies; energy; biotechnology; and health care produce the most products that contain nanomaterials, nanotechnology is also used as an environmental technology to protect the environment through pollution prevention, treatment, and cleanup. In this review, we focus on environmental cleanup and provide a background and overview of current practice; research findings; societal issues; potential environment, health, and safety implications; and future directions for nanoremediation. We do not present an exhaustive review of chemistry/engineering methods of the technology but rather an introduction and summary of the applications of nanotechnology in remediation. We also discuss nanoscale zerovalent iron in detail. Data sources We searched the Web of Science for research studies and accessed recent publicly available reports from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies and organizations that addressed the applications and implications associated with nanoremediation techniques. We also conducted personal interviews with practitioners about specific site remediations. Data synthesis We aggregated information from 45 sites, a representative portion of the total projects under way, to show nanomaterials used, types of pollutants addressed, and organizations responsible for each site. Conclusions Nanoremediation has the potential not only to reduce the overall costs of cleaning up large-scale contaminated sites but also to reduce cleanup time, eliminate the need for treatment and disposal of contaminated soil, and reduce some contaminant concentrations to near zero—all in situ. Proper evaluation of nanoremediation, particularly full-scale ecosystem-wide studies, needs to be conducted to prevent any potential adverse environmental impacts.

Muhammad Salman Nasir, Guorui Yang, Iqra Ayub et al.

Abstract The future energy crisis and environmental degradation can only mitigate by harvesting solar energy into renewable, safe, economical and clean technology like water splitting. The graphitic carbon nitride has an attractive band structure, good chemical stability, earth-abundant and significantly easily fabricated which makes an application for the generation of hydrogen by water splitting. In this paper, we try to critically focus on the current progress and future development of the different strategies of water splitting using graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) for hydrogen generation. In this context, we discuss recent strategies like metal and non-metal doping (electronic structure), morphology tuning (geometric structuring), use of mediators (Z-scheme technology), defects engineering, plasmonic materials, dye-sensitization, perovskite oxides, carbon nitrides, carbon dots, metal organic framework, and a bimetallic cocatalyst. Finally, we summarize the recent advances and future developments of g-C3N4 bases photocatalysis.

Sonia Katyal

Twenty-five years ago, Joel Reidenberg argued that technology itself, not just law and regulation, imposes rules on communities in the Information Society. System design choices like network architecture and configurations create regulatory norms he termed "Lex Informatica"-referencing the merchant-driven medieval "Lex Mercatoria" that emerged independent of sovereign control. Today we face different challenges requiring us to revisit Reidenberg's insights and examine the consequences of that earlier era. While Lex Informatica provided a framework for analyzing the internet's birth, we now confront the aftereffects of decades of minimal or absent regulation. Critical questions emerge: When technological social norms develop outside clear legal restraints, who benefits and who suffers? This new era demands infrastructural reform focused on the interplay between public and private regulation and self-regulation, weighing both costs and benefits. Rather than showcasing the promise of yesterday's internet age, today's events reveal the pitfalls of information libertarianism and underscore the urgent need for new approaches to information regulation. This Issue presents articles from two symposiums-one on Lex Informatica and another on race and technology law. Their conversation is now essential. Together, these papers demonstrate what I call the "Lex Reformatica" of today's digital age. This collection shows why scholars, lawyers, and legislators must return to Reidenberg's foundational work and update its trajectory toward a reform-focused approach designed for our current era.

S. Radenkovic, M. Dugic, I. Radojevic

The answers on the current status and future development of Quantum Science and Technology are presented.

Ian A. Cosden, Elizabeth Holtz, Joel U. Bretheim

Research Software Engineers (RSEs) have become indispensable to computational research and scholarship. The fast rise of RSEs in higher education and the trend of universities to be slow creating or adopting models for new technology roles means a lack of structured career pathways that recognize technical mastery, scholarly impact, and leadership growth. In response to an immense demand for RSEs at Princeton University, and dedicated funding to grow the RSE group at least two-fold, Princeton was forced to strategize how to cohesively define job descriptions to match the rapid hiring of RSE positions but with enough flexibility to recognize the unique nature of each individual position. This case study describes our design and implementation of a comprehensive RSE career ladder spanning Associate through Principal levels, with parallel team-lead and managerial tracks. We outline the guiding principles, competency framework, Human Resources (HR) alignment, and implementation process, including engagement with external consultants and mapping to a standard job leveling framework utilizing market benchmarks. We share early lessons learned and outcomes including improved hiring efficiency, clearer promotion pathways, and positive reception among staff.

Mahir Tajwar, Mahfuzur Rahman, Mahmudul Hasan et al.

Groundwater quality is under increasing threat in rapidly urbanizing Southeast Asian megacities, where unregulated expansion and industrial activity are altering subsurface geochemical conditions. In Dhaka, Bangladesh, groundwater serves as a crucial source of potable water for millions, necessitating rigorous assessment of its suitability for human and agricultural use. This research seeks to comprehensively assess the hydrogeochemical characteristics of shallow groundwater, evaluating its suitability for both drinking and irrigation purposes using a combined approach of geochemical methods, multivariate statistical analyses, and geospatial techniques. The hydrogeochemical analysis of 15 groundwater samples revealed a cation order of Ca2 + > Na+ > Mg2+ > K+ and an anion order of HCO3− > Cl− > SO42− > NO3−. The primary objective of this research is to assess the hydrogeochemical characteristics and water quality of shallow groundwater in Dhaka using a combination of graphical techniques, multivariate statistical analyses, and water quality indices. Fifteen groundwater samples were collected during the dry season and analyzed for major cations and anions. Piper, Gibbs, Durov, and Stiff diagrams were employed to identify dominant processes. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering were used to distinguish geogenic and anthropogenic influences. Results revealed that groundwater is dominated by the calcium bicarbonate type, with cation order Ca²⁺ > Na⁺ > Mg²⁺ > K⁺ and anion order HCO₃⁻ > Cl⁻ > SO₄²⁻ > NO₃⁻. Cation exchange and silicate weathering were identified as the significant processes influencing water chemistry. PCA revealed that three principal components accounted for 86.4 % of the variance, indicating the influence of both natural mineral dissolution and localized anthropogenic inputs. According to the Water Quality Index (WQI), 5 samples were excellent, 6 were good, and 4 were poor for drinking purposes. All samples were suitable for irrigation based on SAR, RSC, SSP, EC, and TDS values. These findings provide a robust baseline for groundwater quality monitoring in Dhaka and similar urban areas. The integrated methodology can guide policy decisions on water resource protection and help communities prioritize safe groundwater use for both domestic and agricultural needs. The study offers valuable information for assessing water quality, monitoring contamination risks, and developing groundwater management strategies, particularly in rapidly urbanizing regions of Southeast Asia.

Jing Wu, Yawei Wang, Gaizhong Chen et al.

As a famous coastal tourist city in China, Sanya is facing the dual challenges of solid waste management and resource utilization while tourism is booming. To realize efficient solid waste management and innovative circular economy models, Sanya actively explores and practices the construction path of a “zero-waste city”. In this study, Pearson correlation analysis and material flow analysis were used to analyze the factors influencing the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in Sanya and the changes in the effectiveness of MSW treatment in Sanya before the construction of the “zero-waste city” (2018) and five years later (2023). The results of the study show that the construction of a “zero-waste city” in Sanya, through the implementation of a series of policy measures, including the strengthening of strategic planning and leadership, the upgrading of capacity building, and the promotion of nationwide action participation, has effectively promoted the efficient synergistic treatment of MSW, thereby realizing both environmental benefits and economic benefits.

Nghiem Thanh Pham, Tung Kieu, Duc-Manh Nguyen et al.

Small Language Models (SLMs) offer computational efficiency and accessibility, yet a systematic evaluation of their performance and environmental impact remains lacking. We introduce SLM-Bench, the first benchmark specifically designed to assess SLMs across multiple dimensions, including accuracy, computational efficiency, and sustainability metrics. SLM-Bench evaluates 15 SLMs on 9 NLP tasks using 23 datasets spanning 14 domains. The evaluation is conducted on 4 hardware configurations, providing a rigorous comparison of their effectiveness. Unlike prior benchmarks, SLM-Bench quantifies 11 metrics across correctness, computation, and consumption, enabling a holistic assessment of efficiency trade-offs. Our evaluation considers controlled hardware conditions, ensuring fair comparisons across models. We develop an open-source benchmarking pipeline with standardized evaluation protocols to facilitate reproducibility and further research. Our findings highlight the diverse trade-offs among SLMs, where some models excel in accuracy while others achieve superior energy efficiency. SLM-Bench sets a new standard for SLM evaluation, bridging the gap between resource efficiency and real-world applicability.

Georgi Markov, Jon G. Hall, Lucia Rapanotti

Many organisational problems are addressed through systemic change and re-engineering of existing Information Systems rather than radical new design. In the face of widespread IT project failure, devising effective ways to tackle this type of change remains an open challenge. This work discusses the motivation, theoretical foundation, characteristics and evaluation of a novel framework - referred to as POE-$Δ$, which is rooted in design and engineering and is aimed at providing systematic support for representing, structuring and exploring change problems of a socio-technical nature, including implementing their solutions when they exist. We generalise an existing framework of greenfield design as problem solving for application to change problems. From a theoretical perspective,POE-$Δ$ is a strict extension to its parent framework, allowing the seamless integration of greenfield and brownfield design to tackle change problems. A Design Science Research methodology was applied over a decade to define and evaluate POE-$Δ$, with significant case study research conducted to evaluate the framework in its application to real-world change problems of varying criticality and complexity. The results show that POE-$Δ$ exhibits desirable characteristics of a design approach to organisational change and can bring tangible benefits when applied in practice as a holistic and systematic approach to change in socio-technical contexts.

Sebastian Baltes, Florian Angermeir, Chetan Arora et al.

Large Language Models (LLMs) are now ubiquitous in software engineering (SE) research and practice, yet their non-determinism, opaque training data, and rapidly evolving models threaten the reproducibility and replicability of empirical studies. We address this challenge through a collaborative effort of 22 researchers, presenting a taxonomy of seven study types that organizes the landscape of LLM involvement in SE research, together with eight guidelines for designing and reporting such studies. Each guideline distinguishes requirements (must) from recommended practices (should) and is contextualized by the study types it applies to. Our guidelines recommend that researchers: (1) declare LLM usage and role; (2) report model versions, configurations, and customizations; (3) document the tool architecture beyond the model; (4) disclose prompts, their development, and interaction logs; (5) validate LLM outputs with humans; (6) include an open LLM as a baseline; (7) use suitable baselines, benchmarks, and metrics; and (8) articulate limitations and mitigations. We complement the guidelines with an applicability matrix mapping guidelines to study types and a reporting checklist for authors and reviewers. We maintain the study types and guidelines online as a living resource for the community to use and shape (llm-guidelines$.$org).

Mohammed Talib Abid, Njood Aljarrah, Tamer Shraa et al.

E. Atofarati, M. Sharifpur, Zhongjie Huan

Abstract Nanofluids have emerged as a transformative cooling solutions that offer substantial improvements in various engineering applications that require enhanced heat transfer. This review comprehensively analyses the latest research advances, technological progress, and regulatory considerations associated with nanofluids. Beginning with an overview of nanofluid properties, composition, and preparation methods, we highlight their roles in enhancing heat transfer. Detailed examinations of experimental studies and numerical simulations have revealed their effectiveness in applications such as automobile radiators, electronic cooling, turbine blade cooling, and solar PV-thermal systems. Health and safety considerations were addressed by discussing nanoparticle toxicity, biocompatibility, and environmental impacts, along with occupational health hazards and recommended safety measures. We scrutinized the regulatory landscape and identified challenges and gaps in frameworks across Africa, Asia, North America, and the European Union. A bibliographic analysis of the progress in nanofluid applications for heat transfer provides insights into the research trends, publication dynamics, and key contributors. This review concludes with future research prospects and potential applications of nanofluids, emphasizing the need for innovation and regulatory oversight. This review underscores technological and scientific advancements while stressing the importance of safety protocols and robust regulatory frameworks for sustainable nanofluid technologies.

Haruna Adamu, Usman Bello, Usman IbrahimTafida et al.

Soil pollution by microplastics (MPs) is an escalating environmental crisis with far-reaching consequences. However, current research on the degradation and/or remediation of MPs has mainly focused on water-simulated environments, with little attention given to soil MPs. Therefore, the review explores such terrestrial territory, exploring the potential of biodegradation and novel photocatalytic technologies for MPs degradation/remediation in soil. This review comprehensively investigates the potential of biological and photocatalytic approaches for soil MPs degradation and remediation. A temporal analysis of research from 2004 to 2024 highlights the increasing focus on this critical issue. The review explores the biocatalytic roles of diverse enzymes, including cutinase, PETase, MHETase, hydrolase, lipase, laccase, lignin peroxidase, and Mn-peroxidase, in MPs degradation. Strategies for enzyme engineering, such as protein engineering and immobilization, are explored to enhance catalytic efficiency. The potential for developing enzyme consortia for optimized MP degradation is also discussed. Photocatalytic remediation using TiO2, ZnO, clay, hydrogel, and other photocatalysts is examined, emphasizing their mechanisms and effectiveness. Computational modeling is proposed to deepen understanding of soil MPs-catalyst interactions, primarily aiming to develop novel catalysts tailored for soil environments for environmental safety and sustainable restoration. A comparative analysis of biological and photocatalytic approaches evaluates their environmental implications and the potential for synergistic combinations, with emphasis on soil quality protection, restoration and impact on soil ecosystems. Hence, this review accentuates the urgent need for innovative solutions to address MPs pollution in soil and provides a foundational understanding of the current knowledge gaps, as well as paves the way for future research and development.

Corson L. Cramer, Edgar Lara‐Curzio, Amy M. Elliott et al.

Many energy systems demand heat transfer at high temperatures to keep up with high demand for power, so high‐temperature material that can perform and last under these harsh conditions is needed for heat exchangers. The engineering requirements for these high‐temperature heat exchanger material call for high thermal conductivity, high resistance to fracture, high resistance to creep deformation, environmental stability in environments associated with the application, and high modulus of elasticity while maintaining low cost to make and maintain. Naturally, ceramics are a good solution for this endeavor. In the past, high‐temperature heat exchangers made from ceramics have been used. We provide examples of ceramics in relevant heat exchange applications and provide motivation where additive manufacturing (AM) can improve efficiency. AM for the relevant material is under development, and we provide insight on the AM of ceramic materials and examples of AM heat exchangers keeping cost in mind. The motivation of the review paper is to provide a framework for material and manufacturing selection for high‐temperature heat exchangers for AM to keep up with the demand for better efficiency, better material, better manufacturing, and cost moving forward with AM technology in high‐temperature ceramic heat exchangers.

Juxia Xiong, Baojian Zhang, Zhenfeng Liang et al.

Particulate matter, represented by soot particles, poses a significant global environmental threat, necessitating efficient control technology. Here, we innovatively designed and elaborately fabricated ordered hierarchical macroporous catalysts of Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 (OM CZO) integrated on a catalyzed diesel particulate filter (CDPF) using the self-assembly method. An oxygen-vacancy-enriched ordered macroporous Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 catalyst (VO-OM CZO) integrated CDPF was synthesized by subsequent NaBH4 reduction. The VO-OM CZO integrated CDPF exhibited a markedly enhanced soot oxidation activity compared to OM CZO and powder CZO coated CDPFs (T50: 430 vs 490 and 545 °C, respectively). The well-defined OM structure of the VO-OM CZO catalysts effectively improves the contact efficiency between soot and the catalysts. Meanwhile, oxygen vacancies trigger the formation of a large amount of highly reactive peroxide species (O22-) from molecular oxygen (O2) through electron abstraction from the three adjacent Ce3+ (3Ce3+ + Vö + O2 → 3Ce4+ + O22-), contributing to the efficient soot oxidation. This work demonstrates the fabrication of the ordered macroporous CZO integrated CDPF and reveals the importance of structure and surface engineering in soot oxidation, which sheds light on the design of highly efficient PM capture and removal devices.

C. Pompei, G. Ruas, Hugo Renan Bolzani et al.

The presence of micropollutants and pathogens in sanitary wastewater and surface water is a growing concern that impacts public health, environmental balance and the maintenance of water supply services. To improve sanitary wastewater treatment, it is necessary to develop and improve sustainable technologies. Among the available options, microalgae-based systems stand out for their efficiency and generation of value-added byproducts. To study the impact of luminosity and the presence of micropollutants (13 selected) on the removal of E. coli and total coliforms from real anaerobically treated wastewater, a pilot flat-panel photobioreactor (50 L) was operated in batch mode in a tropical climate region. This is the first study to evaluate whether micropollutants interfere with coliform groups, considering a microalgae-based system and an experiment in a tropical climate region. E. coli had better removal (from 104 to 101 CFU 100 mL-1) than did total coliforms (from 104 to 103 CFU 100 mL-1). The removal of E. coli was more strongly linked to luminosity and temperature, while the removal of total coliforms was influenced by the presence of the selected micropollutants.

ZHENG Jiahao, JIANG Wei, CHEN Sili et al.

MnO2/MCM-41 composite was prepared by one-pot method to investigate its removal of Sr2+ from radioactive wastewater. The prepared composite were characterized by SEM，BET，FT-IR. The effects of parameters such as mass ratio，pH，adsorption time and competing ion effect of MnO2 and MCM-41 on the adsorption test were investigated. The results showed that the composite adsorbent could rapidly adsorb Sr2+ in water and reached the adsorption equilibrium in 120 min with the maximum adsorption capacity of 85.46 mg/g. The composite adsorbent had the highest adsorption capacity when the mass ratio of MnO2 and MCM-41 was 4∶1 ，and the composite adsorbent had high adsorption performance in the range of pH 4-9. In addition，the composite adsorbent maintained good adsorption capacity in the presence of Na+，K+，Mg2+ and Ca2+，and the inhibited adsorption capacity followed the order of Na+< K+< Mg2+< Ca2+. The adsorption kinetic data analysis of the pseudo-secondary model fit the adsorption data better than the pseudo-first-order model，indicating that chemisorption dominated the adsorption process. The novel MnO2/MCM-41 composite prepared for the removal of Sr2+ from radioactive wastewater had the advantages of rapid adsorption，high adsorption capacity，selectivity，and the ability to be prepared on a large scale，which made it promising to play an important role in the field of Sr2+ containing radioactive wastewater removal.

Shanshan Di, Ziyang Diao, Yunye Xie et al.

Benzovindiflupyr (BEN) has emerged as one of the fastest-growing SDHI fungicides in recent years, but it is considered “very highly toxic” to aquatic fish, invertebrates and crustaceans (EC50 or LC50, 0.0035–0.056 mg/L, acute toxicity). The comprehensive study on bioactivity, toxicity, and degradation behaviors of BEN at the enantiomeric level would facilitate the development of a high-efficiency and low-risk application method. The bioactivities of 1S, 4R-(−)-BEN against five target pathogens (Alternaria alternata, Phoma multirostrata, Selerotium rolfsii, Magnaporthe oryzae, and Rhizoctonia solani) (EC50, 0.00562–0.329 mg/L, high-efficiency) were 6.7–1029 times higher than 1R, 4S-(+)-BEN, demonstrating significant enantioselectivity. For Danio rerio, 1S, 4R-(−)-BEN (LC50, 0.0360 mg/L, “very highly toxic”) exhibited higher toxicity than 1 R, 4S-(+)-BEN, but the toxic interaction was concentration addition (TUrac, 0.94), indicating an enhanced toxicity in the presence of 1R, 4S-(+)-BEN. Molecular docking was employed to offer insights at the molecular level and elucidate the factors influencing enantioselectivity. The stronger binding affinity of 1S, 4R-(−)-BEN with SDH was in line with the quantitative experimental findings. The degradation of two BEN enantiomers in four different fruits followed the first-order degradation kinetics equation, and displayed enantioselectivity. The preferential degradation of 1R, 4S-(+)-BEN was found in pears and grapes, while varying enantioselectivity was found at different stages in tomatoes and watermelons. The residual concentrations of BEN in grapes were higher than the EU’s MRL, which in the other three fruits were below the MRLs during the sampling. In conclusion, 1S, 4R-(−)-BEN proved to be the more effective monomer. Utilizing the pure monomer could not only reduce the dosage of racemate by about 44–59 %, but also mitigate the risk of introducing inefficient monomer into the environment (especially for fish).

Oliver Karras

In the last two decades, several researchers provided snapshots of the "current" state and evolution of empirical research in requirements engineering (RE) through literature reviews. However, these literature reviews were not sustainable, as none built on or updated previous works due to the unavailability of the extracted and analyzed data. KG-EmpiRE is a Knowledge Graph (KG) of empirical research in RE based on scientific data extracted from currently 680 papers published in the IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference (1994-2022). KG-EmpiRE is maintained in the Open Research Knowledge Graph (ORKG), making all data openly and long-term available according to the FAIR data principles. Our long-term goal is to constantly maintain KG-EmpiRE with the research community to synthesize a comprehensive, up-to-date, and long-term available overview of the state and evolution of empirical research in RE. Besides KG-EmpiRE, we provide its analysis with all supplementary materials in a repository. This repository contains all files with instructions for replicating and (re-)using the analysis locally or via executable environments and for repeating the research approach. Since its first release based on 199 papers (2014-2022), KG-EmpiRE and its analysis have been updated twice, currently covering over 650 papers. KG-EmpiRE and its analysis demonstrate how innovative infrastructures, such as the ORKG, can be leveraged to make data from literature reviews FAIR, openly available, and maintainable for the research community in the long term. In this way, we can enable replicable, (re-)usable, and thus sustainable literature reviews to ensure the quality, reliability, and timeliness of their research results.

Rock Yuren Pang, Katharina Reinecke

Our society has been increasingly witnessing a number of negative, unintended consequences of digital technologies. While post-hoc policy regulation is crucial in addressing these issues, reasonably anticipating the consequences before deploying technology can help mitigate potential harm to society in the first place. Yet, the quest to anticipate potential harms can be difficult without seeing digital technologies deployed in the real world. In this position paper, we argue that anticipating unintended consequences of technology can be facilitated through creativity-enhancing interventions, such as by building on existing knowledge and insights from diverse stakeholders. Using lessons learned from prior work on creativity-support tools, the HCI community is uniquely equipped to design novel systems that aid in anticipating negative unintended consequences of technology on society.