Pollution
Volume:8 Issue: 3, Summer 2022

The sediments of Saf-Saf river (North eastern of Algeria), were studied in order to evaluate their degree of contamination by trace metal elements. Six heavy trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn and Ni) were researched at the surface sediments of nine study stations. Since these different metallic elements appear as tracers of anthropogenic pollution; various evaluation indices of metallic contamination were studied (Igeo, FC, DC, IPS and PEC). The results of these indices are consistent and reveal a polymetallic sediment contamination by several heavy metals essentially by Fe, Mn and Cd, with an abundance of Fe and Mn. Sediment pollution index, indicates that sediments at all stations are hazardous (IPS ˃ 20). The environmental quality of Saf-Saf river sediments, were realized by comparing the metal contents with the values of the TEC and the PEC has showed that the metals Cd, Cu and Mn present a great danger of toxicity.

New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase-1(NDM-1) is an enzyme that hydrolyzes a wide range of β-lactams antibiotics, including carbapenems. The presence of the NDM-1 inhibits the potential of β–lactam antibiotics in treating infections caused by bacterial strains carrying such resistances, thus leaving minimal treatment options available. Due to this, the rapid distribution of NDM-1 harboring bacteria accounts for a significant public health menace worldwide. These bacteria have been detected in clinical specimens and environmental compartments where bacterial infections are ubiquitous. In this study, identification and absolute quantification of NDM-1 in sixteen lake sediment samples collected in and around Hyderabad, India, was carried out using a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and the results were expressed in gene copy number/ng (nanogram) of template DNA. Thirteen samples (out of sixteen) displayed a positive signal for NDM-1 during the qPCR analysis with the highest gene copy number/ng of template DNA (71.8) being observed in the Amberpet STP. Three samples, samples from Durgamcheru lake, Kandi lake, and Singur dam, were negative for the NDM-1 during the qPCR analysis. Hierarchical clustering analysis was performed to categorize the sampling location into different clusters based on pollution sources and the observed results were expressed in the form of a dendrogram.

The assessment of human health risk associated with accumulation of lead, copper, zinc, nickel, and Arsenic in the muscle of bartail flathead (Platycephalus indicus) collected from Jofreh pier and Bushehr port, northwest of the Persian Gulf of Iran was examined. A total of 80 P. indicus were collected and analysed using ICP-OES from two seasons (summer and winter) of 2019; estimated daily intake (EDI), estimated weekly intake (EWI), target hazard quotient (THQ), hazard index (HI) and Carcinogenic risk (CR) were determined. The mean concentration (μg/g) range were observed as: zinc (16.37-50.17)> As (5.65-8.83)> Cu (2.19-3.63)> Pb (0.62-6.37)> Ni (0.17-1.08). Hazard index (HI) for adult and children during consumption of P.indicus was <1, the highest HI values were calculated for adults (0.06) in Bushehr and children (0.14) in Jofreh. The CR levels for Ni and Pb were within acceptable limits (10-6 to 10-4) and arsenic was unacceptable (> 10-4) at sampling sites.

To compare water quality parameters in the vicinity of Gas Flaring Area of Ebocha-Obrikom of Rivers State with that of the recommended standards.The research utilized standard analytical procedures. All sampling, conservation, transportation and analysis followed standard procedures described in APHA (2012). All the samples collected were transported to the laboratory through keeping in an icebox to prevent degradation of the organic substances.Result depicts that Turbidity, DO, BOD, COD, TSS, Magnesium, Iron, Cadmium, Lead, Chromium, and Nickel exceeded the desirable limit meant for drinking purpose as well as could potentially pose threats toward human society. Hence, remain unsuitable for drinking, as the inhabitants were more vulnerable for their total lifetime period of exposure through continuous consumption of unsuitable drinking water.It is recommended that the local government environmental health officers and other regulatory agencies frequently monitor the levels of these pollutants within the area and also ensure strict adherence to guidelines to ensure a healthy environment. As exposure to the above stated parameters can have a remarkable impact on human health living in the vicinity of the gas flaring area by drinking water around the study area; thus, groundwater needs to treated before using for household purpose or drinking. Thus, this study would help in decision making for stakeholders and relevant authorities in the execution of reasonable groundwater management strategies and remediation plans in the area to protect public and environmental health.

Preparation of an efficient hybrid structure photocatalyst for photocatalytic decomposition has been considered a great option to develop renewable technologies for environmental remediation. Herein, ternary magnetic Fe3O4/GQD/g-C3N4 nanocomposite (FGC) was prepared using the ball mill method. Binary nanocomposites Fe3O4/g-C3N4 (F/CN) and GQD/g-C3N4 (G/CN) were prepared to compare photocatalytic activity with FGC. The performance of photocatalysts for degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) was studied. EDX results showed that Fe3O4, GQD and g-C3N4 nanoparticles (NPs) are uniformly distributed in the FGC. The FGC nanocomposite shows superparamagnetic behaviour with a saturation magnetization of 12 emu. g-1, which makes it favourable compound for magnetic separation procedure. Photocatalytic activity of FGC (100%) was much higher than those of the G/CN (88%) and F/CN (77%) photocatalysts. The superior activity of FGC compared to binary composites was attributed to broader absorption in the visible light band and greater suppression of electron-hole recombination. The photocatalytic degradation of RhB using FGC was consistent with pseudo-first-order kinetics. The reusability of FGC was examined for four runs and no noticeable decrease was observed with the same irradiation time for each run. Finally, it can be argued that FGC photocatalyst can be an efficient semiconductor for the degradation of organic dyes from wastewater.

The quality of the water from Lake Bosomtwe was assessed to aid in the conservation decision on the lake. Twenty-six parameters of physico-chemical, bacteriological, and organic effects and major and trace ions were evaluated using the principal component analysis. The levels of these parameters were also compared with surface water benchmarks of Ghana EPA, WHO, EU, US EPA and CCEM. As prescribed by the benchmarks of these regulatory bodies, the mean levels of temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, nitrates, phosphate, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total hardness, conductivity, alkalinity, turbidity and fluorine did not signal any lake pollution, but sulphate, total and faecal coliforms, chlorophyll-a, cadmium and mercury showed pollution tendencies. Temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, nitrates, phosphate, sulphate and total coliform bacteria were found to be the main parameters that drive 71.2% of the limnological characteristics of the lake water and deserve careful consideration in designing conservation strategies for the lake.

In this study, the purpose was to investigate the histopathological, genotoxic effect, oxidative stress and cell death due to Metronidazole (MTZ), which is a 5-nitroimidazole compound used widely for the treatment of anaerobic organism infections in fish and humans on gill and liver tissues of Oncorhynchus mykiss.Trout fishes were exposed to 5, 10, and 20 mg/L of MTZ in the aquariums for 2, 4 and 8 days. Staining technics namely H&E, NOS immunohistochemistry, and TUNEL were performed to determine histopathological changes, oxidative damage and apoptosis. Additionally, smear preparations were also prepared from gill blood for genotoxic evaluations. The organ damage started in the 2nd day with 5 mg/L MTZ application and effects increased per duration and dose-dependent manner. It was observed that the gills had the primary and secondary lamellae lengths, with formation of clavate lamellae, fusion in secondary lamellae, separation of epithelium and aneurysm. Regional necrosis, vacuolization of hepatocytes, pycnotic nucleus, enlarged sinusoids were also determined in the liver. NOS immunoreactivity increased with the inducible immunoreactivity (iNOS) that was more prominent when compared to the endothelial immunoreactivity (eNOS). Apoptotic immunoreactivity was higher in the 10 mg 8th day experimental group at liver and gills, and was lower 20 mg 8th day experimental group. When the gills and liver compared with each other, in all doses, immunoreactivity was lower in gills, compared with liver. Genotoxic examinations showed that both number of micronucleated erythrocytes and nuclei abnormalities were higher in MTZ-treated groups.

This study aims to assess the pollution of honey by heavy metals based on the efforts of an urbanization gradient in the city of Annaba (Northeast Algeria) where the dosage of five heavy metals (Fe, Cr, Ni, Cu, Cd) was carried out in four sites.The level of heavy metals was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The results obtained indicated that even when all the samples were contaminated they were of good quality since the concentrations did not exceed the international standards.According to the results of heavy metal concentrations in the honeys studied, the most abundant element is Fe with an average concentration of 6.956 ± 2.045 (mg/kg), Cr 0.765 ± 0.197 (mg/kg), Ni 0.6005 ± 0.159 (mg/kg), Cu 0.21025 ± 0.065 (mg/kg) and Cd 0.01425 ± 0.005 (mg/kg).The heavy metals studied are present in all samples but trace amounts. Moreover, the comparison of the honey from the four sites indicates to us that the healthiest honey is that of the urban site.

The current study determines the concentrations of trihalomethanes (THMs), and the cancer risk associated with them. The tap water sampling was done from the command area of nine water treatment plants (WTPs) of Delhi, India. THMs levels in the water samples from eighteen distribution points were investigated for one year. The cancer risk (CR) related to THMs by different exposure routes i.e., ingestion, dermal absorption, and inhalation, was assessed for males and females. The THM levels varied between 11.41 µg/L to 175.54 µg/L in the distribution system, having a mean level of 77.58 µg/L. The average concentrations of THMs exceeded the maximum permissible limit given by Indian Standards. The concentration of chloroform was maximum, followed by bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform. For males and females, the mean value of total CR was 5.09E-05 5.70E-05, respectively. As the THMs levels were high, the total CR value was also more than the negligible level of risk i.e., 1.0 x 10-6 through all exposure routes.

Worldwide there is an immense demand for plastic material that results in “white pollution”. Petrochemical-based plastic is used all over the world which leads to adverse impacts on every sphere of the earth. However, many steps have been taken to control this plastic pollution globally, such as chemical treatments, plastic waste incineration, sanitary landfilling, and 7 R programs. Still, plastic pollution is one of the major international problems. Non-biodegradable plastic would not eradicate from our environment until we have an economically feasible and more biodegradable substitute. In recent years algae, especially microalgae, have got attention worldwide, owing to their various applications. Microalgae is one of the sustainable ways of bioplastic synthesis as during cultivation it also purifies wastewater. This review paper has summarized various species of microalgae used for the synthesis of bioplastic, their cultivation system, and methods for bioplastic production by using microalgae biomass, followed by multiple challenges, solutions, and future prospects.

Humans spend close to 90% of their time within the indoor environment. Deteriorating indoor air quality, especially high PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 is slowly becoming a major concern. A study was carried out, for two years, to characterize the spatiotemporal variation of PM in the indoor-outdoor environment across different residential setups (R1, R2, R3, and MC) in the Delhi region. The study established correlation between monthly variations of Indoor/Outdoor (I/O) ratios and meteorological factors. The results showed Spatio-temporal variation in the average mass concentrations of PM10 recorded peak values during the winter season (avg. 514± 72.15 µg/m3) and minimum concentration was observed during monsoon (avg. 91.41± 22.64 µg/m3) months. Among all the sites, the mixed cluster (MC), a residential cum commercial zone reported the highest particulate matter concentration (avg. 308.10 ±37.23 µg/m3) and while R2 reported the least concentration (avg. 244.9± 27.65 µg/m3) within the indoor environment. The I/O ratios of particulate matter were observed to be highest in January (I/O ratio1.6) and lowest in June month (I/O ratio 0.8). PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 dynamics were found to be critically influenced by meteorological factors, regular household activities, and diverse building designs. The short- or long-term exposure of particulate pollutants (beyond the permissible limits) can increase the probability of acute health effects, so there is an utmost requirement to collect better and systematic information about actual exposure levels experienced in different urban residential environments.

Events such as the emission of toxic gases are possible on floating roof storage tanks. Since gasoline is a high-consumption and volatile product stored in adjacent oil depots or large cities, it is necessary to assess their emission risk. Given that the multi-criteria methods allow the identification of and assessment of the indicators well and allow the participation of expert experts, so the FAHP method has been used to identify and assess the risk before the emission of toxic gases. The results showed the importance of 7 factors among 36 factors, 3 of which were related to equipment error. The DOW'S CEI method was used to assess the emission risk if the event occurred. This method provides safe boundaries based on Emergency Response Planning Guidelines (ERPGs), where the results indicate the settlement placement around the oil repository in the range of the predicted concentration at all three levels of ERPG.

In order to evaluate the impact on water quality of the abandoned Sidi Kamber mine in Skikda, NE Algeria, Pb, Zn, Cd, Fe, Cu, Mn and Ni metals were collected at surface water and groundwater, from twenty eight sites located near the mine. Conventional hydrochemical methods, heavy metal pollution index (HPI) and multivariate statistical analysis techniques: correlation matrix (CM), principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were used. Surface water results show that El-Souk River has a high level of pollution, but Guenitra dam water is less contaminated. Regarding the groundwater results, the wells and springs are not suitable for drinking. The overall quality estimated by HPI values of surface and groundwater are poor; they may pose a potential health risk to the local population. The PCA and HCA suggest that surface water and groundwater are contaminated by two sources: anthropogenic and natural. According to the obtained results, surface water and groundwater pollution state of this area raises serious concerns about health and environment.

During the past years, air quality has become an important global issue, due to its impact on people's lives and the environment, and has caused severe problems for humans. As a prevention to effectively control air pollution, forecasting models have been developed as a base for decision-makers and urban managers during the past decades. In general, these methods can be divided into three classes: statistical methods, machine learning methods and hybrid methods. This study's primary intent is to supply an overview of air pollution prediction techniques in urban areas and their advantages and disadvantages. A comparison has also been made between the methods in terms of error assessment and the use of geospatial information systems (GIS). In addition, several approaches were applied to actual data, and the findings were compared to those acquired from previous published literatures. The results showed that forecasting using machine learning and hybrid methods has provided better results. It has also been demonstrated that GIS can improve the results of the forecasting methods.

The biotoxins can enter the marine food chain, and, accordingly, seafood consumers are also at risk of ingesting toxins from contaminated aquatic animals. Hormozgan Province in the north of Persian Gulf is an area with high industrial and urbanization rising rate. In the present work, the aim was to identify the okadaic acid and domoic acid producers in the coastal waters and to investigate on their accumulated concentrations in edible bivalves in order to assess the consumer’s health risk. Water samples were collected during winter 2018 and summer 2019 from one blank and four stations facing industrial and municipal effluents. Four species of edible bivalves were collected from coastal lines of Hormozgan province, at the lowest tide time. The concentrations of toxins were determined by indirect competitive ELISA method. Pseudonitzschia delicatissima, Nitzschia punges and Nitzschia seriata in the production of domoic acid and Dinophysis caudate, Prorocentrum Lima and Ceratium tripos in the production of okadaic acid were identified. The okadaic acid concentrations ranged from 59.8 ± 2.38 to 121.96 ± 28.25 µg/kg, ranging from 0.85 to 83.59 ± 38.72 for Domoic acid. Among the studied bivalves, Pinctada radiate contained the maximum concentrations of measured toxins. For the first time at Hormozgan Province, the consumption guidelines for domoic and okadaic acid were calculated. The human health risk assessment showed that at present time, the algal consumers from Hormozgan province are not at risk of domoic and okadaic acid toxins.

Indoor air pollutants affect children’s health and previous research mostly focuses on respiratory and allergic diseases. However, little is known about the risks among school children in East Malaysia. Therefore, we studied associations between school children’s respiratory and allergic symptoms and indoor air pollutants in schools in Sabah, Malaysia. We randomly enrolled 332 school children (14 years old) from 24 classrooms in 6 secondary schools in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Information on personal characteristics, respiratory and allergic symptoms were gathered by using a standard questionnaire. The skin prick test was used to characterize the atopy. In each classroom, the indoor concentrations of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), formaldehyde, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), carbon dioxide (CO2) temperature and relative humidity were monitored. Overall, 11.7% reported doctor-diagnosed asthma, 14.8% wheezing, 17.5% day-time breathlessness, 37.0% breathlessness after exercise, 13.0% breathlessness at night-time, 55.1% rhinitis and 10.8% skin allergic in the last 12 months. Regression analysis showed that the onset of wheezing was common in doctor-diagnosed asthma (OR= 8.29, 95% CI= 3.70-16.10) and with parental asthma/allergy (OR= 2.13, 95% CI= 1.10-4.15), and associated with concentrations of NO2 (OR= 1.03, 95% CI= 1.01-1.21) and CO2 (OR= 1.01, 95% CI= 1.01-1.11). Day-time breathlessness was associated with indoor NO2 (OR=1.02, 95% CI= 1.02-1.35) and TVOC (OR= 1.30, 95% CI= 1.10-1.52). The indoor concentrations of NO2, CO2, TVOC and PM2.5 as well as parental asthma/allergy, and parental smoking were associated with the outcome of respiratory and allergic symptoms.

Abstract Rising threats, such as climate change, have thus far resulted in disruptions to ecosystems. Therefore, ecological resilience (eco-resilience) to absorb such distractions and maintain the capacity of ecosystems has been the focal point of numerous studies. In most cases, the characteristics of ecosystems are considered as indicators shaping this type of resilience. In this study, an alternative approach was adopted to examine the performance and outcomes of an ecosystem instead of reflecting on affective factors. Therefore, the resilience index (RI) of an urban forest park was assessed using eco-functional indicators, such as eco-volume (Veco), eco-height (Heco), bio-volume (Vbio), and eco-volume (Veco). At first, the forest park zoning was done. Then, each of the introduced indicators was calculated based on its specific parameters. Finally, the RI of the urban forest park was premeditated. The results showed that each zone with more effective Veco, Heco, and Veco gained a higher score in terms of resilience. The obtained score for RI was thus the function of the current ecological state of each zone. The study conclusions also confirmed that the outputs of the applied framework could embody the main indicators of resilience assessments (viz. thresholds, adaptive capacity, and self-organization). The application of this model on a larger scale required further studies.

Pars special economic energy zone (PSEEZ) in Iran is the second largest energy zone in the world with more than 60,000 operational and non-operational personnel. Considering the nature of the activities being done in PSEEZ, it is rational to expect that a wide range of hazardous materials be present in the air composition of this area. It is shown in this research that Benzene-Toluene-Ethylbenzene-Xylene (BTEX) are the most challenging in PSEEZ and benzene concentration violates the standards in all sampling points. The study area is divided into three subzones of gas refineries, petrochemical complexes and non-operational areas. In the gas refineries, benzene concentration is recorded to be 480 times higher than the standard for exposure limit. The concentration of benzene in petrochemical complexes is also about 160 times higher than the standard limit. Considering the vicinity of the petrochemical complexes the cumulative impacts of BTEX will also worsen the situation regarding BTEX cancer risk. In non-operational areas, benzene concentration reaches 40 times higher than the standard limit which is a serious health challenge. Comparing the data of BTEX distribution with AQI proves that AQI solely is not an appropriate index for assessing the air quality in PSEEZ and defining local indices for air quality assessment with taking hazardous chemicals such as BTEX into account. Moreover, some other pollutants such as heavy metals and H2S are detected in the air quality in significant amounts which raise the need to a reconsideration in location of unprotected non-operational personnel.

Increasing the pollution rate of water sources is one of the most severe issues that the world faces. This issue has stimulated researchers to investigate different treatment methods such as adsorption, chemical precipitation, membrane filtration, flocculation, ion exchange, flotation, and electrochemical methods. Among them, adsorption has gained broad interest due to its ease of operation, low cost, and high efficiency. The critical factor of the successful adsorption treatment process is finding attractive adsorbents with attractive criteria such as low cost and high adsorption capacity. In the last few decades, nanotechnology has attracted much attention, and numerous nanomaterials have been synthesized for water and wastewater treatment. This work provides a quick overview of nanomaterials, which have been investigated for water remediation as adsorbent and photocatalyst. This work reviewed more than 100 articles to provide a critical review that would determine the limitation of using nanomaterials in water treatment at the commercial scale.

Mercury pollution is an issue of global concern. In Colombia, the use of contaminated water for food crop irrigation and artisanal mining contributes to mercury pollution in soil, affecting food production and restoration of disturbed areas. Mycorrhizal fungi are symbionts that provide benefits to plants including resistance to heavy metals, but fungal effects on germination remain to be fully described. This study tested the effect of mercury and mycorrhizal fungi on Lactuca sativa seed germination. A 2x5 completely randomized factorial experiment was developed to assess the effect of five HgCl2 polluted treatments, two mycorrhizal treatments (i.e., with inoculum, without inoculum), and the interaction of both factors on seed germination, seedling root colonization, pH, and final water content. In samples with no mercury pollution, mycorrhizal fungi had an inhibitory effect on seed germination. Likewise, the effect of mercury on seed germination is significantly inhibitory. However, pots inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi showed constant germination probabilities, independently of mercury concentration. According to the best model determined for the data, a key step in the mitigation of mercury toxicity in seed germination is to prevent substrate pH changes. The environmental conditions of the experiment contributed to densely activate populated biomass of inoculum, which promoted root invasion from various points. Overall, the presence of mycorrhizal fungi in seedbeds could lead to a reduced number of plant individuals. However, the use of fungal inoculum in polluted environments, highly contributes to plant establishment, which is relevant in further vegetable cultivations growing in soil polluted areas.

Lignin rich solid residues after saccharification during the production of ethanol from lignocellulosic substrates are major concern during past times. These solid residues left after the saccharification of Coir pith and Bit fiber waste are pyrolysed at 350 oC to yield biochar, which has been characterized and its potential for removal of Malachite Green, a dye present in the effluents from coir product manufacturing units are studied. FTIR and XRD spectra revealed the diverse functional groups present on the surface of biochar. SEM images showed the porous structure of the biochar. A maximum dye removal efficiency of 99.5% was achieved using Coir Pith Biochar (1 %) within 24 hours of treatment at a dye concentration of 100 mg/l. The removal efficiency was 99.4 % using Bit Fiber Biochar (0.8 %) in the same treatment period. The efficiency of removal was enhanced on adjusting the pH to 4 at which the dye removal of 99.6 % and 99.7 % was achieved using Bit fiber biochar and Coir pith biochar respectively. The residence time was significantly reduced to 2 and 4 hours respectively for bit fiber and coir pith biochar at pH 4 and hence the produced biochars are cost effective adsorbents for removal of dyeing effluents in wastewater. The adsorption fits into pseudo-second order kinetics and is well described by langmuir isotherm model. This would also facilitate the sustainable use of spent solid substrates left after lignocellulosic ethanol production in a more economical way.

Comparative analysis of microbiological indicators (heterotrophic and hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria) in bottom sediments and biochemical parameters (level of oxidized proteins (OP) and lipid peroxidation (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities) in hepatopancreas of mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lam.) from three Sevastopol bays - Laspi, Kazach’ya, Streletskaya (the Black Sea) was carried out. The results obtained allowed to identify certain differences between the studied areas and characterize their ecological state. The maximum abundance of heterotrophic and hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria was found in the most polluted Streletskaya Bay (95,000 and 250 cells/g respectively), the minimum - in the conventionally pure Laspi Bay (2,500 and 1.5 cells/g respectively). Parameters of prooxidant-antioxidant system (level of OP and LPO, SOD and CAT activities), as well as ALT activity in the hepatopancreas of mussels from Streletskaya Bay were found higher as compared to those in other tested areas. Most significant differences (more than twofold) in SOD activity, LPO content and basic ketone forms of OP levels were found between Laspi and Streletskaya bays. The results obtained indicate the severe pollution and less favorable living conditions for aquatic organisms in Streletskaya Bay, as well as demonstrate the high level of biochemical adaptation of mussels to complex environmental pollution. The studied parameters can be applied in the ecological monitoring of the coastal sea water areas.

The current research study the comprehensive health and environmental hazard levels of Particulate matters originating from natural radionuclides sources collected from different Qassim region locations, Saudi Arabia. Activity concentration for 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K was assessed using a Sodium Iodide detector. Gamma-ray parameters as the Radium equivalent, Gamma level index, absorbed dose, annual effective dose, and lifetime risk were measured to predict the growth of radiological dangers. The average activity concentration for 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K is 35±0.06, 32.6±0.4, and 294.99±1.31 Bq/kg. Ra(eq) ranges from38.3 to 143.1 with an average of 104.37 Bq/kg, absorbed dose ranges from 18 to 66.49 with an average of 48.18 nGy/h, and annual effective dose ranges from 22.09 to 81.58 with an average of 59.11 μSv/y. The relative contribution was 26%, 33%, and 41% for 40K, 226Ra, and 232Th, respectively. The obtained results do not cause apprehensions from the radiation population compatible with permissible public limits. The obtained database helps the investigators follow the future pollution exchange due to Scientific progress in the use of radioactive materials.

Solar disinfection is becoming increasingly popular around the world for eliminating pathogens present in wastewater. The goals of this study were to identify the significant variables and to maximize the log reduction values (LRV) of total coliforms present in treated urban wastewater using solar disinfection. To achieve the goals, a 23 full factorial design of experiments and response surface methodology were used. Solar disinfection was carried out in an open-air batch reactor and in a solar batch reactor. The three variables considered were solar irradiation, volume of sample and exposure time at two markedly different levels: solar irradiation (1100 Wh/m2 and 1700 Wh/m2), volume of sample (0.2 L and 2L), and exposure time (0.5 h and 3 h). When compared to other variables, exposure time was the most significant factor in the analysis of variance (ANOVA) study for both the reactor conditions. The regression equation developed for a solar reactor does not adequately explain the variability of the experimental data when compared to the regression equation developed for an open-air reactor. According to the response optimizer, the optimum values of the factors for solar disinfection using a solar reactor to achieve an LRV of 2 for 0.25 L of sample volume are 1700 Wh/m2 solar irradiation and 2.97 hours of exposure time. With an open-air reactor, 0.2 L of sample must be exposed to 1700 Wh/m2 of solar irradiation for 3 hours to achieve LRV of 2.

The optimization of nickel ion (Ni2+) removal in aqueous solutions with various factors (initial Ni concentration, solution pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time), as affected by raw cow bone (RBO) and its biochar (bone char: BC; produced by pyrolysis processes at 500 °C and a residence time of 4 hours) as adsorbents was investigated by a three-level Box–Behnken model (BBM) under response surface methodology (RSM). A total of 29 experimental runs were set for each adsorbent, and the experimental data were fitted to the empirical model. To understand the Ni2+ adsorption processes better, the properties of RBO and BC were characterized using Fe-SEM, FT-IR, BET, XRD, and CHNS elemental analysis techniques. The BC characteristics showed that pyrolysis increased the specific surface area (by 100 times) and phosphate functional groups, but decreased the carbonate functional groups, and yielded a more irregular and rougher morphological surface compared to RBO. Based on BC's superior ion exchange mechanisms and physical electrostatic adsorption compared to RBO, the removal efficiency of Ni2+ by BC was higher in aqueous solutions. The numerical optimization of BBM revealed that the optimum removal by BC (82.56%) was obtained at an initial Ni2+ concentration of 30.79 mg L−1, pH of 6.99, adsorbent dose of 4.87 g L−1, and contact time of 57.82 min, with the desirability of "1". BC can be effectively used for Ni removal from Ni-contaminated aqueous solutions; still, the application of modification methods (e.g., physical and chemical activation) may be necessary to help remove more Ni2+ by BC.

A new traiazole derivative (4-amino-5-(((5-methyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)thio)methyl)-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol, (L), was employed as a chelating ligand to form a dibutyltin chloride complex and improve the poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) properties. The doped PVC films were characterized via FT-IR, UV-Vis spectrum, elemental analyses (C, H, N, and M (metallic)), and magnetic susceptibility and conductivity measurements. These characterizations were conducted at room temperature, and it was disclosed that the chelating ligand rules as a bidentate chelate. The photostabilization examination of plain and L-doped PVC films was conducted in the presence of ambient air using the accelerating weather tester, where the doping ratio was fixed to 0.5 wt.%. The photostabilization performance of the additive was evaluated by tracking the indexes of carbonyl (ICO), polyene (IPO), and hydroxyl (IOH), and weight loss relationship with irradiation time. It was noticed that the values of ICO, Ipo, and IOH enhanced with the irradiation time, where this improvement relied on the presence of the Bu2SnL complex.