Hasil untuk "Environmental effects of industries and plants"

A. Vivekanand, Sanjeeb Mohapatra, V. Tyagi

M. B. Ahmed, M. Rahman, Jahangir Alom et al.

Microplastics (MPs) pollution has become one of the most severe environmental concerns today. MPs persist in the environment and cause adverse effects in organisms. This review aims to present a state-of-the-art overview of MPs in the aquatic environment. Personal care products, synthetic clothing, air-blasting facilities and drilling fluids from gas-oil industries, raw plastic powders from plastic manufacturing industries, waste plastic products and wastewater treatment plants act as the major sources of MPs. For MPs analysis, pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS), Py-MS methods, Raman spectroscopy, and FT-IR spectroscopy are regarded as the most promising methods for MPs identification and quantification. Due to the large surface area to volume ratio, crystallinity, hydrophobicity and functional groups, MPs can interact with various contaminants such as heavy metals, antibiotics and persistent organic contaminants. Among different physical and biological treatment technologies, the MPs removal performance decreases as membrane bioreactor (> 99%) > activated sludge process (~98%) > rapid sand filtration (~97.1%) > dissolved air floatation (~95%) > electrocoagulation (> 90%) > constructed wetlands (88%). Chemical treatment methods such as coagulation, magnetic separations, Fenton, photo-Fenton and photocatalytic degradation also show moderate to high efficiency of MP removal. Hybrid treatment technologies show the highest removal efficacies of MPs. Finally, future research directions for MPs are elaborated.

Abdulaziz M. Al-Abdulla, Nafis Mahmud, Sabla Y. Alnouri et al.

Produced water, generated as a byproduct of oil and gas extraction, is a complex mixture characterized by high salinity and the presence of hydrocarbons, heavy metals, salts, and production-related chemicals. Its large volume and pollutant load pose significant environmental and operational challenges, making effective treatment and disposal essential for environmental protection. This study presents a systematic bibliometric analysis of produced water treatment research based on the Scopus database. It examines seven key dimensions of the research landscape: publication growth, keyword patterns, productive countries, institutions, and influential journals. A total of 1423 Scopus-indexed articles published between 1977 and 2024 were reviewed using a targeted search strategy focused on produced water in the oil and gas sector. The analysis highlights the most active contributors in terms of publication output and citations. Additionally, VOSviewer software was used to identify research trends and map networks among keywords and citations. Bibliometric trends indicate that future research should prioritize environmental impact, techno-economic assessment, and life-cycle analysis of produced water treatment. Emerging technologies, such as electrochemical and biological treatments, as well as monetizing produced water through the recovery of valuable minerals are gaining attention. The insights from this bibliometric review help to identify active research areas in produced water treatment and provide a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders working toward more effective and sustainable treatment solutions.

Lamprini Anagnosti, A. Varvaresou, P. Pavlou et al.

Microbeads are solid primary microplastics < 5 mm in diameter that are added to cosmetic products for cleansing and/or exfoliation of the skin. After use, they are discharged into the drain and end up in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs), from which they can escape into waters. Once disposed, there is no efficient method of recovery and the environmental conditions do not allow full biodegradation. Focusing mainly on the possible effect of microbeads on the environment and the human health, and taking into account that there have always been alternatives with similar cost, scientists suggested banning microbeads from cosmetic products. Despite the increasing knowledge on the microplastics' effects, the pressure from non-governmental organizations (NGO's) and the increasing public concern, few European and other countries worldwide have taken legislative steps against microbeads, and even fewer against other microplastics used in cosmetic products, mainly because it is a common belief that cosmetic industries responded massively to the call for a phase-out. Although EU acted soon after scientists focused on microbeads' effects by restricting cosmetics with microbeads to bare the EU Ecolabel in 2014, there is still no European-wide ban, which will probably take place as of 2022. Present study offers a thorough literature review on the presence of microbeads in cosmetics up to date, focusing primarily on the actions against their use, and questioning whether future pollution from microbeads or/and microplastics in cosmetics has been successfully handled.

Abderrhmane Bouafia, Souhaila Meneceur, Souheyla Chami et al.

Considered heavy metals, such as As(III), Bi(II), Cd(II), Cr(VI), Mn(II), Mo(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), Sb(III), Se(-II), Zn(II), and contaminating chemical compounds (monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as phenolic or polycyclic derivatives) in wastewater (petrochemical industries: oil and gas production plants) are currently a major concern in environmental toxicology due to their toxic effects on aquatic and terrestrial life. In order to maintain biodiversity, hydrosphere ecosystems, and people, it is crucial to remove these heavy metals and polluting chemical compounds from the watery environment. In this study, different Nanoparticles (α-Fe_2O_3, CuO, and ZnO) were synthesized by green synthesis method using Portulaca oleracea leaf extract and characterized by UV–Vis spectrophotometers, FTIR spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) techniques in order to investigate morphology, composition, and crystalline structure of NPs, these were then used as adsorbent for the removal of As(III), Bi(II), Cd(II), Cr(VI), Mn(II), Mo(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), Sb(III), Se(-II), and Zn(II) from wastewater, and removal efficiencies of were obtained 100% under optimal conditions.

S. Ramos, G. S. Dinali, C. Oliveira et al.

S. Marimuthu, Sankar Malayandi, Karthikeyan Rajendran

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have become indispensable due to their wide range of applications across various industries, particularly in enhancing human health and environmental sustainability. Recently, the use of biological sources for AgNP synthesis has gained significant attention, as it minimizes adverse effects on animals, plants, humans, and the environment. This study focuses on the biosynthesis of AgNPs using the culture supernatant of Bacillus sp. EPS003, a soil isolate. The UV-visible spectrum of the biosynthesized nanoparticles revealed a surface plasmon resonance peak at 420 nm, confirming the formation of AgNPs. Functional groups were identified through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis. The synthesized AgNPs had an estimated size of 71.34 nm, and their stability was confirmed using zeta potential measurements. Furthermore, the biosynthesized AgNPs exhibited excellent dye degradation potential. They demonstrated maximum catalytic activity within a few minutes of incubation against eosin yellow and methyl orange dyes, achieving decolorization efficiencies of up to 62.3% and 73.4%, respectively. These biosynthesized AgNPs may be useful in bioremediation applications, helping to mitigate environmental stress caused by the release of toxic dye-rich industrial effluents.

Zeyu Xia, Sibo Cheng

Accurate and rapid prediction of wildfire trends is crucial for effective management and mitigation. However, the stochastic nature of fire propagation poses significant challenges in developing reliable simulators. In this paper, we introduce PyTorchFire, an open-access, PyTorch-based software that leverages GPU acceleration. With our redesigned differentiable wildfire Cellular Automata (CA) model, we achieve millisecond-level computational efficiency, significantly outperforming traditional CPU-based wildfire simulators on real-world-scale fires at high resolution. Real-time parameter calibration is made possible through gradient descent on our model, aligning simulations closely with observed wildfire behavior both temporally and spatially, thereby enhancing the realism of the simulations. Our PyTorchFire simulator, combined with real-world environmental data, demonstrates superior generalizability compared to supervised learning surrogate models. Its ability to predict and calibrate wildfire behavior in real-time ensures accuracy, stability, and efficiency. PyTorchFire has the potential to revolutionize wildfire simulation, serving as a powerful tool for wildfire prediction and management.

Andrea Ciaccio, Francesco Moscone, Elisa Tosetti

In this paper we investigate the causal impact of the European Union Emissions Trading System, a cap-and-trade scheme limiting greenhouse gas emissions of firms, on their environmental performance. Although previous studies have focused primarily on the effect of the emission cap imposed by the policy, we argue that the trading mechanism creates complex interdependencies among firms that can change the policy's intended effects. We develop a novel Difference-in-Differences approach that disentangles the direct causal effects of the scheme on regulated firms from the indirect spillover effects arising from trading among firms. By incorporating potential interference between treated units, our methodology allows a more comprehensive assessment of the policy's overall effectiveness. Monte Carlo simulations show that our proposed estimators perform well in finite samples, confirming the reliability of our approach. To assess the direct and indirect effects of the scheme, we construct a novel database on emissions of European industrial sites by matching information on treated plants from the European Commission's Community Independent Transaction Log with emission data from the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register for the years from 2001 to 2017. We find that the scheme reduced emissions only for non-trading plants, but such reduction is entirely offset when accounting for spillovers from trading plants, thus suggesting that the trading mechanism neutralizes the environmental benefits of the policy. Our findings have important implications for the design of future environmental policies and the ongoing evaluation of cap and trade policies.

Nicolás Blampied, Alessia Cafferata, Marwil J. Davila-Fernandez

Can constantly comparing ourselves to others lead to overconsumption, ultimately increasing the ecological footprint? How do social comparisons shape green preferences over time? To answer these questions, we develop an environmental Overlapping Generations (OLG) model that explicitly accounts for Veblen effects and allows green preferences to be updated asynchronously, influenced by past environmental conditions and relative status considerations. We show that, along the optimal path, positional spending leads to overconsumption, which is detrimental to the environment. Taxing consumption is counterproductive as it does not directly address the social comparisons issue, leaving the problem unchanged. When the Veblenian mechanism is weak, the introduction of a materialistic ``secular trend'' -- that lowers the importance placed on the public good -- gives rise to two stable equilibria separated by a saddle: one in which agents care about environmental quality as much as consuming, and the other in which they derive utility solely from the latter. Studying the basins of attraction reveals that green investments are highly fragile. Our numerical experiments further indicated that, when Veblen effects are strong, the model depicts endogenous, persistent, aperiodic oscillations. In this case, green preferences fluctuate close to zero, and environmental quality is very low. Taken together, these findings suggest environmental vulnerability grows in parallel with status-driven consumption.

Juan Carlos Soto Quispe, Armando Fortunato Ugaz Cherre, Angel Enrique Llompart Navarro, Irwing Smith Saldaña Ugaz, José Manuel Marchena Dioses, Mariana Alexandra Montero Silva, and Robert Barrionuevo García,

Reptile and amphibian species in the Equatorial BTES face threats such as fragmentation, habitat loss, and climate change. Between 2019 and 2021, the richness and abundance of herpetofauna species was evaluated in the Lucarqui peasant community in Piura, northwest Peru. The objective of this research is to provide a preliminary list of species and understand their temporal frequency patterns. The study area was divided into specific zones: with anthropogenic activity, “crops” and “population centers”, where incidental catches and visual surveys were carried out, and without anthropogenic activity, “forests” and “ravines”, where transects of variable length and fixed width (2 m), the biological data obtained were analyzed with the iNEXT statistical tool, and a standardized methodology was provided for the calculation of the temporal frequency of recordings (FRT). The study identified 26 species: 7 amphibians and 19 reptiles. Amphibians dominated in abundance, while reptiles were rare. 85.71% (6) of amphibians and 47.36% (9) of registered reptiles are restricted to the Equatorial BTES. FRT patterns varied by habitat and time. These, along with wealth and abundance, were altered and reduced in areas influenced by human activity, crops, and population centers. It was found that there were still more species to be reported, especially reptiles. The study highlights the richness and vulnerability of the herpetofauna in the Equatorial BTES, reaffirming the urgent need for conservation strategies and continued research to ensure the protection and deep understanding of this valuable, fragile ecosystem.

Victor Kislyakov, Pavel A. Zubov, Aleksandr Kokorev

The use of geosynthetic containers (geotubes) is a promising technology for the elimination of environmental pollution from industrial and subsurface use waste, based on the storage and dewatering of liquefied waste inside geosynthetic shells. The problem of environmental pollution from the mining industry is relevant since this industry is one of the leading areas of the world economy. Geotubes have found their application to solve some of the challenges facing the industry. However, in most cases, geotubes are not integrated into technological processes and do not use all the possibilities of their application. The data, effective methods, and technologies, examples of applications in various areas of the mining industry. he main advantages and disadvantages of technologies are presented. Examples of the use of geotubes in mining, including the development of placer deposits, the construction of structures, the operation of sludge storages, dumps, are considered.

Carla Rodrigues, Fausto Freire

For product systems that heavily rely on user profiles, such as buildings, vehicles, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems, or toilet systems, estimating environmental impacts during the use phase can be challenging, which can be a major contributor to life cycle impacts. User-behavior uncertainty has not been sufficiently addressed in life cycle assessment studies. The goal of this article is twofold: i) to propose a probabilistic life cycle approach that combines user-behavior scenario analysis, pairwise comparative analysis, and global sensitivity analysis, and ii) to apply this approach to a novel toilet system (WashOne) for comparison with a conventional system (toilet and bidet). A combination of deterministic usage patterns and stochastic scenarios (as a result of combining uncertain parameters) was employed. A pairwise comparison indicator presents uncertain results, indicating that the WashOne has significantly lower environmental impacts than the conventional system in all categories. Results from the global sensitivity analysis (using Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient) show that toilet paper (in the conventional system) and washlet use (in the novel system) have the most significant effect on the impacts. This article concludes that (i) novel systems that greatly depend on user preferences can reduce impacts compared to conventional systems, and (ii) it highlights that user behavior becomes less influential as product systems are designed to be more efficient.

Bernat Vinolas, Maria del Mar Casanovas-Rubio, Oriol Pons-Valladares et al.

This study assesses the sustainability of eight wall construction alternatives suitable for self-built housing in rural informal settlements, comparing different building solutions in the Brazilian context. Housing affordability is a global challenge, particularly relevant in developing countries where informal settlements are prevalent. This research addresses the need for sustainable construction practices in these contexts, focusing specifically on wall construction as a critical building element. The study relies on MIVES, a multi-criteria decision-making method, to evaluate the environmental, economic, and social impacts of each alternative. The eight alternatives include variations of soil-cement blocks (precast and on-site produced), ceramic blocks, concrete blocks, and precast concrete panels, with and without mortar and plaster coatings. A hierarchical requirements tree, encompassing criteria and indicators related to resource consumption, emissions, cost, empowerment, safety, comfort, and innovation, was developed based on technical literature and expert knowledge. Weights for these criteria and indicators were determined using the Delphi technique. Value functions were used to standardize quantitative indicator values onto a 0-to-1 scale. This research aims to provide a structured framework for evaluating the sustainability performance of different wall construction techniques in rural informal settlements, thus providing valuable insights for informed decision-making in self-built housing projects. Results indicate that concrete blocks and precast concrete panels without coatings achieved the highest sustainability index, primarily due to their lower economic costs and environmental impacts. Conversely, ceramic blocks with coatings achieved the lowest sustainability performance. Alternatives without coatings were generally preferred due to their lower costs, aligning with real-world practices in rural areas where economic constraints govern material choices. However, these alternatives performed less favorably in terms of social sustainability, particularly in comfort and community acceptance. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the evaluation framework across different weighting scenarios, with economic, environmental, and social biases leading to only minor ranking shifts. The findings highlight the importance of balancing cost-effectiveness with durability and habitability in self-built housing, emphasizing the need for innovative solutions, particularly in self-built soil-cement blocks, to improve sustainability while maintaining affordability.

Zhao Li, Keyi Xiong, Weie Wen et al.

Endophytes, which are widely found in host plants and have no harmful effects, are a vital biological resource. Plant endophytes promote plant growth and enhance plants’ resistance to diseases, pests, and environmental stresses. In addition, they enhance the synthesis of important secondary metabolites in plants and improve the potential applicability of plants in agriculture, medicine, food, and horticulture. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in understanding the interaction between endophytes and plants and summarize the construction of synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) and metaomics analysis of the interaction between endophytes and plants. The application and development prospects of endophytes in agriculture, medicine, and other industries are also discussed to provide a reference for further study of the interaction between endophytes and plants and further development and utilization of endophytes.

I. Kosakivska, L. Babenko, K. O. Romanenko et al.

Heavy metals (HMs) are among the main environmental pollutants that can enter the soil, water bodies, and the atmosphere as a result of natural processes (weathering of rocks, volcanic activity), and also as a result of human activities (mining, metallurgical and chemical industries, transport, application of mineral fertilizers). Plants counteract the HMs stresses through morphological and physiological adaptations, which are imparted through well‐coordinated molecular mechanisms. New approaches, which include transcriptomics, genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics analyses, have opened the paths to understand such complex networks. This review sheds light on molecular mechanisms included in plant adaptive and defense responses during metal stress. It is focused on the entry of HMs into plants, its transport and accumulation, effects on the main physiological processes, gene expressions included in plant adaptive and defense responses during HM stress. Analysis of new data allowed the authors to conclude that the most important mechanism of HM tolerance is extracellular and intracellular HM sequestration. Organic anions (malate, oxalate, etc.) provide extracellular sequestration of HM ions. Intracellular HM sequestration depends not only on a direct binding mechanism with different polymers (pectin, lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, etc.) or organic anions but also on the action of cellular receptors and transmembrane transporters. We focused on the functioning chloroplasts, mitochondria, and the Golgi complex under HM stress. The currently known molecular mechanisms of plant tolerance to the toxic effects of HMs are analyzed.

Abate Ayele, Yakob Godebo Godeto

Heavy metals generated mainly through many anthropogenic processes, and some natural processes have been a great environmental challenge and continued to be the concern of many researchers and environmental scientists.&is is mainly due to their highest toxicity even at a minimum concentration as they are nonbiodegradable and can persist in the aquatic and terrestrial environments for long periods. Chromium ions, especially hexavalent ions (Cr(VI)) generated through the different industrial process such as tanneries, metallurgical, petroleum, refractory, oil well drilling, electroplating, mining, textile, pulp and paper industries, are among toxic heavy metal ions, which pose toxic effects to human, plants, microorganisms, and aquatic lives. &is review work is aimed at biosorption of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) through microbial biomass, mainly bacteria, fungi, and microalgae, factors influencing the biosorption of chromium by microorganisms and the mechanism involved in the remediation process and the functional groups participated in the uptake of toxic Cr(VI) from contaminated environments by biosorbents.&e biosorption process is relatively more advantageous over conventional remediation technique as it is rapid, economical, requires minimal preparatory steps, efficient, needs no toxic chemicals, and allows regeneration of biosorbent at the end of the process. Also, the presence of multiple functional groups in microbial cell surfaces and more active binding sites allow easy uptake and binding of a greater number of toxic heavy metal ions from polluted samples.&is could be useful in creating new insights into the development and advancement of future technologies for future research on the bioremediation of toxic heavy metals at the industrial scale.

S. Yadav, Navish Kataria, Pradeep Khyalia et al.

Despite of our growing understanding of microplastic's implications, research on the effects of fibrous microplastic (FMPs) on the environment is still in its infancy. Some scientists have hypothesized the possibility of natural textile fibres, which may act as one of the emerging environmental pollutants prevalent among microplastic pollutants in the environment. Therefore, this review aims to critically evaluate the toxic effects of emerging FMPs, the presence, and sources of FMPs in the environment, identification and analytical techniques, and the potential impact or toxicity of the FMPs on the environment and human health. About 175 publications (2011-2023) based on FMPs were identified and critically reviewed for transportation, analysis and ecotoxicological behaviours of FMPs in the environment. Textile industries, wastewater treatment plants, and household washing of clothes are significant sources of FMPs. In addition, various characterization techniques (e.g., FTIR, SEM, RAMAN, TGA, microscope, and X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy) commonly used for the identification and analysis of FMPs are also discussed, which justifies the novelty aspects of this review. FMPs are pollutants of emerging concern due to their prevalence and persistence in the environment. FMPs are also found in the food chain, which is an alarming situation for living organisms, including effects on the nervous system, digestive system, circulatory system, and genetic alteration. This review will provide readers with a comparison of different analytical techniques, which will be helpful for researchers to select the appropriate analytical techniques for their study and enhance their knowledge about the harmful effects of FMPs.

Ewa Jaszczak, Ż. Polkowska, Sylwia Narkowicz et al.

Cyanide toxicity and their environmental impact are well known. Nevertheless, they are still used in the mining, galvanic and chemical industries. As a result of industrial activities, cyanides are released in various forms to all elements of the environment. In a natural environment, cyanide exists as cyanogenic glycosides in plants seeds. Too much consumption can cause unpleasant side effects. However, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is the most common source of cyanide. Live organisms have the ability to convert cyanide into less toxic compounds excreted with physiological fluids. The aim of this paper is to review the current state of knowledge on the behaviour of cyanide in the environment and its impact on the health and human life.

Chirasmita Mohanty, Vinay Kumar, Sabita Bisoi et al.