Philipp Treu, Dimitra Iltsiou, Rabia Elbuga-Ilica
et al.
The oxidative cleavage of biomass-derived vicinal diols holds significant potential for producing valuable renewable carboxylic acids. Fe-ZSM-5 zeolite is a highly effective catalyst for this reaction using mild reaction conditions; however, it suffers from diffusion limitations, particularly with larger substrates. To overcome these challenges, we synthesized hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite that integrate mesopores within the conventional microporous framework, thereby mitigating diffusion constraints. These hierarchical materials were developed using carbon templating and desilication techniques. Carbon templating led to the creation of well-defined mesopores, while desilication facilitated the formation of hollow crystals. The mesopore-containing hierarchical zeolites led to increased ion-exchange capacity, due to enhanced accessibility of exchange positions for the Fe3 + cations, with the desilicated zeolite exceeding the Fe-loading by 3.5 times that of the microporous parent ZSM-5 material, as observed by UV–vis spectroscopy, EXAFS analysis and elemental analysis by ICP-OES. Catalytic tests revealed that hierarchical Fe-ZSM-5 catalysts exhibit superior performance compared to their purely microporous counterparts. Specifically, desilication improved catalytic activity for smaller substrates, while carbon templating proved more effective for larger vicinal diols. Furthermore, the carbon templated zeolite displayed enhanced activity per Fe-site, highlighting the benefits of hierarchical porosity in optimizing catalytic performance.
McLuret, S. Joe Patrick Gnanaraj, Vanthana Jeyasingh
This study focuses on optimizing IoT-enabled stepped basin solar stills by integrating the Taguchi method, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithms. The objective was to enhance distillate yield, thermal efficiency, and system performance by optimizing key parameters—water depth, basin material, phase change material (PCM) type, and reflector angle. The Taguchi orthogonal array minimized experimental runs, while PSO and ABC algorithms refined parameter selection. Experimental results showed that a combination of 5 mm water depth, black copper basin, salt hydrate PCM, and a 45° internal reflector angle achieved a distillate yield of 3200 ml/day with 78.05 % efficiency, nearing the theoretical maximum of 4100 ml/day. Real-time IoT monitoring enabled dynamic adjustments, further improving efficiency. The findings highlight the effectiveness of combining smart monitoring and advanced optimization techniques to create scalable and sustainable solar desalination solutions for water-scarce regions.
Shaimaa Abdulrahman, G. Al-Kindi, Elaf Abdul Azal Ihsan
et al.
Soil contamination with medicines can occur when unused or expired medications are improperly disposed of or when pharmaceutical manufacturing waste is inadequately treated or managed. Moreover, the largest percentage of damaged and expired medical materials in the sanitary landfill area during the COVID-19 period in the study region were Metronidazole (Flagyl) and Amoxicillin. The disposal of numerous drugs and medical waste from Al-Jazeera Pharmaceuticals Company, which were examined and found to have a higher concentration of the compound Metronidazole (Flagyl) and Amoxicillin, This study aimed to analyze the results of the impact of Metroni-dazole (Flagyl) and Amoxicillin concentrations on the chemical and geotechnical properties of soil. Undisturbed soil samples was collected and then cured by mixing 10 mg/l of Metronidazole (Flagyl) and 25 mg/l of Amoxicillin to the time period from 15 to 135 days. The obtained geotechnical tests results of natural and contaminated silty clay soil showed that the soil became softer, the cohesiveness between the particle sizes of soil decreased due to the absorption of the soil by the Metronidazole (Flagyl) and Amoxicillin concentration. Moreover, the results indicate that the soil collapse rose from 5.6 to 9.5 after 150 days of curing.
Madhu Surana, Dhruti Sundar Pattanayak, V.K. Singh
et al.
Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has garnered significant attention due to its low cost, ease of preparation, high chemical stability, and non-toxicity. Nevertheless, pristine g-C3N4 faces challenges in simultaneously achieving a broad absorption range, high stability, efficient charge separation, and strong redox capability, which hampers its practical applications. Recently, g-C3N4-based Z-scheme photocatalysts have emerged as research hotspots owing to their robust redox ability, effective charge carrier separation, and capacity to harness visible light for degradation of tetracyclines (TCs) in waters. This review delves into the fundamental photocatalysis, and application of g-C3N4-based Z-scheme photocatalysts for the degradation of TCs pollutants. The review concludes with final remarks and a concise discussion on the prospects of g-C3N4-based Z-scheme photocatalysts.
The planetary boundaries framework defines a safe operating space for humanity. To date, these boundaries have mostly been investigated separately, and it is unclear whether breaching one boundary can lead to the transgression of another. By employing a dynamic global vegetation model, we systematically simulate the strength and direction of the effects of different transgression levels of the climate change boundary (using climate output from ten phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project models for CO _2 levels ranging from 350 ppm to 1000 ppm). We focus on climate change-induced shifts of Earth’s major forest biomes, the control variable for the land-system change boundary, both by the end of this century and, to account for the long-term legacy effect, by the end of the millennium. Our simulations show that while staying within the 350 ppm climate change boundary co-stabilizes the land-system change boundary, breaching it (>450 ppm) leads to critical transgression of the latter, with greater severity the higher the ppm level rises and the more time passes. Specifically, this involves a poleward treeline shift, boreal forest dieback (nearly completely within its current area under extreme climate scenarios), competitive expansion of temperate forest into today’s boreal zone, and a slight tropical forest extension. These interacting changes also affect other planetary boundaries (freshwater change and biosphere integrity) and provide feedback to the climate change boundary itself. Our quantitative process-based study highlights the need for interactions to be studied for a systemic operationalization of the planetary boundaries framework.
Cheng-Hong Yang, Chih-Hsien Wu, Kuei-Hau Luo
et al.
Air pollution has become a major global threat to human health. Urbanization and industrialization over the past few decades have increased the air pollution. Plausible connections have been made between air pollutants and dementia. This study used machine learning algorithms (k-nearest neighbors, random forest, gradient-boosted decision trees, eXtreme gradient boosting, and CatBoost) to investigate the association between cognitive impairment and air pollution. Data from the Taiwan Biobank and 75 air-pollution-monitoring stations in Taiwan were analyzed to determine individual levels of exposure to air pollutants. The pollutants examined were particulate matter with a diameter of ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone. The results revealed that the most strongly correlated with cognitive impairment were ozone, PM2.5, and carbon monoxide levels with adjustment of educational level, age, and household income. The model based on these factors achieved accuracy as high as 0.97 for detecting cognitive impairment, indicating a positive association between air pollutions and cognitive impairment.
In most settlements of Ukraine there are no existing programs for municipal solid waste management (MSW) and schemes for sanitary cleaning of settlements, there are no registers of waste generation, treatment and disposal and disposal sites, which leads to the formation of landfills, deteriorating sanitation settlements and increase the level of environmental danger in the region. The article presents the results of research that indicate that the existing structure of the MSW management system in Ukraine at the regional level (on the example of Zhytomyr region) is imperfect. It is characterized by fragmentation, disunity and heterogeneity. The peculiarity of the system is the lack of interaction between government agencies, environmental services and the local community, which does not provide a sufficient level of control over the sanitary condition of territories, as well as collection, transporta tion, disposal and disposal of solid waste. The aim of the study is to strategically analyze the preconditions for the implementation of municipal solid waste management systems to increase the level of environmental safety in the united territorial communities through the introduction of environmental logistics and crowdsourcing mechanisms. The methodological basis for assessing and selecting methods and ways to improve the environmental safety of the study region by improving the waste management system (hereinafter - waste management) is a systematic approach that allows analysis of the problem and ensures search efficiency for management decisions. The SWOT and PEST analysis identified the strengths and weaknesses of the existing waste management system and the prerequisites for the implementation of a modern system of solid waste management. The increase in the number of business structures that are ready and able to implement modern methods of waste disposal and identified the availability of modern innovative management methods in public authorities and local governments. However, the low efficiency of the existing waste management system, the lack of communication and coordination of actions between stakeholders in solving the problem pose a threat to maintaining the environmental security of the region.
L’une des orientations de la charte du Parc national des Cévennes est de promouvoir une agriculture respectueuse de la biodiversité et des principes de l’agroécologie. Dans un contexte d’évolution globale du climat et de raréfaction de la ressource nectarifère, le Parc a lancé de 2020 à 2023 un programme d'envergure afin d’être un territoire pilote pour l’accueil des pollinisateurs sauvages et domestiques.
Risnadi Irawan, Mustafa Kamal, Hanif Muchdatul Ayunda
et al.
Seiring dengan peningkatan pertumbuhan ekonomi pasca bencana gempa dan tsunami aceh tahun 2004 mempengaruhi tingkat pertumbuhan warung kopi di kota Meulaboh. Hal ini juga menjadi pendorong meningkatnya jumlah konsumen dan berbagai karakter serta sejumlah latar belakang konsumen penikmat kopi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengelompokan konsumen ke dalam beberapa kategori yang didasari faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi keputusan konsumen dalam memilih warung kopi arabika. Penggunaan teknik analisis multivariate dari Principle Component Analysis (PCA) dalam analisis data penelitian dengan tahapan seperti perhitungan matriks korelasi, analisis faktor dan mengestimasi muatan setiap faktor dengan metode estimasi maksimum. Hasil penelitian menunjukan persentase kelima kelompok konsumen warung kopi arabika di Kota Meulaboh ialah penikmat kopi 17,1%, konsumen umum/konvensional 14,2%, konsumen sosialita 13,4%, konsumen trendi 12,8%, konsumen gaya hidup 12,2%. Dapat disimpulkan bahwa banyak konsumen memilih warung kopi arabika dikarenakan cita rasa dan kualitas dari kopi yang disajikan, kelompok ini termasuk kedalam orang yang mengerti kopi. Selain kelompok penikmat kopi, warung kopi arabika di Kota Meulaboh juga dikunjungi dari 4 kelompok lainnya seperti konsumen umum yang memilih warung kopi arabika dikarenakan rekan kerja, konsumen sosialita karena hubungan sosial, konsumen trendi karena gengsi dan konsumen gaya hidup dengan alasan brand dan status sosial.
Microcystins with leucine arginine (MC-LR) is a virulent hepatotoxin, which is commonly present in polluted water with its demethylated derivatives [Dha7] MC-LR. This study reported a low-cost molecularly imprinted polymer network-based electrochemical sensor for detecting MC-LR. The sensor was based on a three-dimensional conductive network composed of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), graphene quantum dots (GQDs), and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The molecularly imprinted polymer was engineered by quantum chemical computation utilizing p-aminothiophenol (p-ATP) and methacrylic acid (MAA) as dual functional monomers and L-arginine as a segment template. The electrochemical reaction mechanism of MC-LR on the sensor was studied for the first time, which is an irreversible electrochemical oxidation reaction involving an electron and two protons, and is controlled by a mixed adsorption–diffusion mechanism. The sensor exhibited a great detection response to MC-LR in the linear range of 0.08–2 μg/L, and the limit of detection (LOD) is 0.0027 μg/L (S/N = 3). In addition, the recoveries of the total amount of MC-LR and [Dha7] MC-LR in the actual sample by the obtained sensor were in the range from 91.4 to 116.7%, which indicated its great potential for environmental detection.
HIGHLIGHTS
A molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor was proposed for detecting MC-LR.;
The sensor was based on a 3D conductive network composed of MWCNTs, GQDs and AuNPs.;
The molecularly imprinted polymer was engineered by quantum chemical computation.;
The reaction mechanism of MC-LR on the sensor was studied.;
The total amount of MC-LR in actual samples was detected successfully.;
A laboratory-scale system with a capacity of 7L/h consisting of three different ultrafiltration membranes operating alternatively, was designed and installed at the Sanitary Engineering Laboratory (SEL) facilities. The purpose of this membrane system was to test the performance of alternative membranes in terms of secondary effluent treatment from a dairy and a brewery industry located in Patras industrial area. The three membranes selected after a literature review were a PVDF UF tubular membrane module, a ceramic UF tubular membrane module and a polysulfone HF UF tubular membrane module. The batch experiment protocol followed for each membrane consisted of a chemical cleaning procedure and a 5-hour continuous operation with secondary effluent from the two industries. The laboratory results showed that the permeate water complies with the limits set by Greek legislation for unrestricted irrigation. The PVDF membrane showed the best membrane performance in terms of effluent quality with better results in organic load removal. It also showed higher stability with very low standard deviation values. In terms of TMP increase and effluent drop during the 5-hour batch trials, the ceramic membranes showed lower values, while the PVDF membranes were more stable after the first hour of the trial and showed a very low increase for the rest of the trial.
The research aims to determine the optimal approaches to design, engineering support, and rational use of resources in the construction and operation of dairy farms. The work indicates that the modern construction of dairy farms is essential to developing the agro-industrial complex since high-quality infrastructure directly affects animal productivity, production efficiency, and environmental safety. Creating modern livestock complexes requires a scientifically sound approach that considers innovative construction methods, optimal technological solutions, and ecological requirements. One of the key theoretical aspects of the effective construction of dairy farms is the combination of architectural, construction, and technological factors. A critical component is ensuring functional relationships between the construction parameters of premises and systems for the mechanization of production processes, which helps to minimize labor costs and improve sanitary and hygienic conditions. The methodological foundations of effective construction include an integrated approach to selecting design solutions, materials, and energy-efficient technologies. An essential step in the development of dairy farm construction is the introduction of environmentally friendly technologies aimed at reducing the negative impact on the environment. Organic waste utilization systems, such as biogas plants and manure processing technologies, contribute to the rational use of resources and reduce pollution levels. Thus, the effective construction of dairy farms is based on a sensible combination of scientific approaches, innovative solutions, and environmental responsibility. The development of dairy farms requires introducing energy-efficient technologies, environmentally friendly solutions, and creative approaches to construction. The construction of a dairy farm will be profitable only if the necessary modernization and automation of production are carried out. In this case, the invested funds will pay off in the shortest possible time and will bring income. The introduction of modern technologies and materials increases the productivity of enterprises and the creation of comfortable conditions for animals, which is the key to the sustainable development of the dairy industry. Keywords: farm, technology, animals, environment, construction, mechanization.
S. Egnatosyan, David A. Hakobyan, Spartak Sargsyan
The use of thermal insulation materials to reduce the heating and cooling demand of the building in order to provide energy efficiency is the main solution. But there is a wide range of these products on the market and, therefore, the choice and application of these materials is a rather difficult task, since many factors must be taken into account, such as environmental safety, cost, durability, climatic conditions, application technology, etc. Basically, comfort microclimate systems are designed based on normative standards, where the thickness of the thermal insulation material is selected depending on the required heat transfer resistance. These values are calculated taking into account climate conditions, that is the duration of the heating period, as well as taking into account sanitary and hygienic requirements. This article discusses the thermal performance of building materials, and also provides a comparative analysis of the use of thermal insulation materials depending on climatic factors and on the system providing comfort microclimate. Based on the calculations by mathematical modeling and optimization, it is advisable to choose the thickness of the thermal insulation, taking into account the capital and operating costs of the comfort microclimate systems. Comparing the optimization data with the normative one, the energy efficiency of the building increases by 50-70% when applying the optimal thickness of the thermal insulation layer, and when the thermal insulation layer is increased, the thermal performance of the enclosing structures has improved by 30%, which contributes to energy saving.
The increased risks of storm flood occurrences in large cities are the result of land use changes due to rapid urbanization. This study examines the influence of land use changes in Khulna City Corporation (KCC) area on surface runoff over a period of 15 years, from 2005 to 2020. Land use–land cover (LULC) maps for 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020 were created employing support vector machine (SVM)-based supervised image classification using time-series satellite data, and the surface runoff was determined using Soil Conservation Service-Curve Number model. The major land use change drivers of surface runoff were determined through a correlation analysis. Surface runoff was observed to follow a similar trend as that of impervious urban areas, which went up by 5.44% from 2005 to 2020 (17.00 mm increment in average runoff) and the opposite trend was found in vegetation land cover, which declined by 13.34% in areal extent throughout the study period. In comparison with other types of land use, surface runoff changes were most significantly associated with the changes in urban impervious areas and vegetation land use-land cover (LULC) class. In fast-growing cities across the world, and especially in developing nations, the results of this study may serve as a guide for urban storm flood management and urban planning efforts. HIGHLIGHTS
Between 2005 and 2020, the urban area increased by 9.82%, while vegetation cover dropped by 13.24%.;
During 2005–2020, the relative degree of average runoff depth on a particular day with a 100-year rainfall event rose by 5.44% (17.00 mm).;
The increase in runoff depth was found to be positively and negatively correlated with the expansion of urban impervious areas and changes in vegetation land cover class, respectively.;
Joanna Burger, Michael R. Greenberg, K. Lowrie
et al.
James Johnson received his M.S. degree in sanitary engineering from the University of Illinois, and his PhD in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Delaware. He spent his entire academic career on the faculty at his undergraduate alma mater Howard University. During his tenure at Howard, he became Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering, was named the Samuel P. Massie Professor of Civil Engineering, and later served as the Dean of Howard University’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Sciences. His major research areas involve treatment of hazardous waste, including technology, regulatory issues, public policy, and minority equity issues in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). For many years, Dr. Johnson served on the Management Board for the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation that provides expert advice and technical assistance to the Department of Energy (DOE) to deal with their nuclear weapons legacy wastes. He served as the Associate Director of the Great Lakes and MidAtlantic Hazardous Substance Research Center. In 2010, he was appointed Chair of the independent National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and served on the Board of Scientific Counselors for this agency. He also served as the Director of USEPA’s National Center for Environmental Research. Dr. Johnson is a diplomat of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers, and in 2005 received the National Society of Black Engineers Lifetime Achievement Award in Academia, as well as the Gordon Maskew Fair Distinguished Educator Award of the Water Environment Federation (2008). This award honors one of the pioneers of environmental engineering. Since retiring from Howard University, Dr. Johnson has continued his commitment to environmental education by being a Visiting Professor at Morgan State University, and Chair of the Maryland Association of Community Colleges that oversees 16 community colleges. In 2018, he began serving as the Interim President of the Baltimore City Community College, illustrating his strong commitment to education. His career combines a commitment to environmental protection, college education at all levels, especially community colleges and traditionally Black colleges and Universities. He is currently Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering at Howard University, and serves on several boards of colleges and universities, such as Anne Arundel Community College.
Currently, billions of tons of industrial waste from ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises have accumulated in Russia. Ferrous metallurgy is one of the most environmentally dirty industries. The history of the environmental problem of the city of Nizhny Tagil, goes back to the beginning of the creation of the mining industry of the Urals. The development of mining, chemical, metallurgical production, mechanical engineering is formed by the increasing pressure of anthropogenic factors on the environment. Emissions of industrial enterprises, energy systems and transport into the air, at the present stage of the development of science and technology, have reached such a size that in some areas, especially in large industrial centers, pollution levels are several times higher than permissible sanitary standards.
he development of genetic technologies requires adequate legal regulation of these relations, taking into account their characteristics and the need to ensure the safety of genetic engineering activities on a systematic basis in conjunction with biological, environmental, climatic, sanitary and epidemiological, food and other types of national security. The article considers the main directions for improving the legislation on genetic engineering activities and related branches of legislation, including in the field of ensuring biological safety. The necessity of legal regulation of relations related to the use of genomic editing technology as an integral part of genetic engineering activities is substantiated. When improving legislation in the field of genetic engineering, it is necessary to take into account the objective processes associated with the emergence of GMOs of new generations, based on a differentiated approach to assessing GMO risks and monitoring them. Risk assessment of further development of genetic technologies, ensuring their safety should be carried out on the basis of an integrated approach as part of biological safety, in connection with which it is necessary to legalize the concepts of “genetic technologies” and “biological technologies”, determine the relationship between them, legislate their classification, as well as concepts of “risk assessment”, “risk factors”, “biological safety indicators”. There is a need for systematic information and legal support for the use of genetic and biotechnologies, one of the directions of which is the legal regulation of the activities of bioresource centers, as well as the procedure for creating, maintaining, using bioresource collections and biobanks, including the conceptual apparatus, principles, organizational and legal measures.
A controlled landfill is one of the ways to manage the waste generated, which is laid between open dumping and sanitary landfill. Ganet Landfill is the only one landfill located at the Tanjungpinang, Indonesia. Currently, this landfill face the operational problem and abundant to the environmental problems. This study consists of the three objectives, (i) to study the current problems of controlled landfill operation; (ii) to determine the challenges of controlled landfill operation affect the surrounding environment, and (iii) to suggest an improvement and innovation to the controlled landfill operation. The case study was conducted at Ganet Landfill in Tanjungpinang, Indonesia as a controlled landfill. The qualitative method with the semi-structured interview instrument used in this research. The data collection involved four respondents from Ganet Landfill office and the Department of Public Housing and Peoples’ Settlement Riau Archipelago. Finding shown that the most dominant current problem in Ganet landfill is the lack of manpower, lack of heavy equipment, lack of land for the future, lack of infrastructure leading to unloading points. While the challenges faced in operating Ganet Landfill as a controlled landfill are meeting the needs of the present and future communities and spread knowledge about landfills among staff and the community. Therefore, the suggestion the improvement and innovation to the Ganet Landfill are change the controlled landfill to the sanitary landfill, cooperation with the private sector to improve the landfill operation, increase waste processing from households, and increase community concern about the landfill to make sure the controlled landfill is in line with sustainable development at the local and national perspective.