Journal of Advances in Environmental Health Research
Volume:13 Issue: 2, Spring 2025

Anaerobic digestion (AD) converts animal and agricultural waste into biogas, offering significant benefits for waste management and renewable energy production. It enhances energy security, reduces dependence on imports, and mitigates greenhouse gas emissions. Despite its potential, AD faces challenges that require improved policies, investments, and training. Technological advancements, such as nanotechnology, can further increase biogas production, while by-products like biofertilizer contribute to farm profitability. However, pathogens in animal waste (AW), such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella, pose public health risks through contamination of water, food, and surfaces. Efficient management of livestock waste is essential to reduce environmental impacts, and the proper pricing of natural resources, including land, water, and landfills, is crucial for sustainability. The benefits of biogas include energy generation, waste reduction, pathogen elimination, and the conversion of organic waste into high-quality fertilizer, which supports agricultural productivity. However, challenges remain, such as small-scale technology, impurities, temperature sensitivity, and limited applicability in urban areas. To improve economic feasibility, the fermentation process can be conducted in controlled environments using digestion tanks. This study explores strategies for effective biomass resource management, focusing on optimizing biogas production and its by-product utilization for sustainable energy development.

Air quality is one of the most vital elements for sustaining life on this planet. Without it, the existence of living beings would be impossible, making the preservation of air quality essential. However, the rapid growth of technology and urbanization has led to a significant increase in air pollutants. Given their harmful effects on human health and the environment, governments are compelled to adopt extraordinary measures to prevent air pollution and environmental degradation. Furthermore, a healthy and pollution-free environment is a fundamental citizenship right, as emphasized in numerous international and domestic laws. The persistent air pollution in Tehran, coupled with inadequate control and supervision, constitutes a violation of citizens’ rights. This review study explores the right of citizens to a healthy environment, with a focus on Tehran’s air pollution. It begins by examining Tehran’s air pollution from an environmental perspective. The second section discusses the legal framework in Iran, analyzing the rules, regulations, and approvals that address the right to a healthy living environment. Finally, the third section investigates civil rights to a healthy environment within international law, highlighting its recognition in both mandatory and non-mandatory documents.

The objective of this study was to establish a facility-level modeling tool to assess the performance of internal operational strategies and external emissions.

The biological process model in Benchmark Simulation Model No. 2 (BSM2) was upgraded to include two-stage and four-stage nitrification, as well as denitrification processes, to effectively simulate nitrous oxide (N2O) production. Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and N2O were also incorporated, taking into account digestion, cogeneration, and sludge storage processes. The refined model was utilized in a case study at the Isfahan Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in Iran to assess various operational strategies and explore potential challenges related to emission management.

The simulation results, based on the model’s structural assumptions, indicate a negative impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with regional energy upgrades in the ventilation system and activated sludge sector. For example, variations in the biogenic and non-biogenic CO2​ proportions were observed when the total suspended solids (TSS) removal efficiency was altered, decreasing or increasing to 30/70 and 20/80, respectively. While off-site CO2​ emissions can be mitigated, this reduction is offset by a significant rise in N2​O emissions. This is particularly concerning given that N2​O exhibits a greenhouse effect nearly 300 times greater than that of CO2​.

It should be pointed out that numerous studies are needed to evaluate plant-wide control strategies in WWTPs for informed and effective decision-making regarding performance optimization.

The availability of groundwater with acceptable quality has become a significant challenge in many regions worldwide, particularly in Morocco. This issue is exacerbated by severe climatic conditions and pollution, which render groundwater resources increasingly vulnerable to various contamination factors. The Plateau of the El Hajeb region is part of the Causse Middle Atlas and the water table of the grand basin of Saïs, two major main reservoirs of groundwater in Morocco. In this context, the primary aim of this study is to identify the geochemical facies of the groundwater in the region housing the municipal waste dump. Additionally, the study seeks to determine the sources of mineralization affecting these waters.
Over the course of two sampling campaigns conducted between 2015 and 2018, groundwater samples were collected from 97 points. These points were strategically located around the municipal waste dump and along the groundwater flow, including wells, boreholes, and springs. Analyses were conducted in accredited laboratories following standardized methods, with a focus on the determination of major ions.
The results of the geochemical analysis, as represented by the Piper diagram, revealed a calco-bicarbonate facies with low mineralization. This low mineralization does not affect the potability of the waters, thus maintaining their suitability for human consumption. The carbonate formations (calcite and dolomite) constitute the host rocks of the groundwater.
Chlorination and/or sulfation alteration processes were observed, contributing to the presence of specific ionic species associated with anthropogenic pollution.

There are biologically harmful factors in waste management and, if neglected, they can bear detrimental consequences for the organization and its staff. Regarding the importance of the healthcare of the personnel working in waste management, this study has been conducted to identify and assess the sanitary and safety hazards threatening Top Turn operators working in urban compost waste factories.

In this sectional-descriptive study which was conducted in Karaj’s Waste Management Organization Compost Factory in the year 2021, job hazard analysis (JHA) method was used in order to calculate the sanitary and safety risk caused by deleterious factors. First, the job in mind was selected and its responsibilities as well as the degree and probability of each risk factor were specified; then the risks were assessed according to risk assessment matrix based on MIL-STD-882B standard.

A total of 8 risk factors were identified for the top turn operator, and respectively 2 factors were ranked as unacceptable, 4 factors as undesirable, 2 factor as acceptable but needing review. Using the JHA method the sanitary and safety hazards can be assessed and ranked proportionate to the risk level.

Regarding the importance of sanitary hazards, in addition to identifying and assessing them, it is suggested that controlling measures be carried out in order to reduce and repress risk levels so that the related occupational accidents and diseases and, as a result their heavy expenses can be prevented.

Potential ore deposits and mining activities can cause soil and groundwater pollution with heavy metals, posing risks to human health. This study aimed to identify heavy metal sources, their transfer patterns, and contamination levels in the Jovein aquifer (NW Sabzevar, Iran). The groundwater samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Pollution indices, including the heavy metal pollution index (HPI) and heavy metal evaluation index (HEI), were calculated. Statistical analyses such as principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were applied, and results were mapped using ArcGIS software. The average element concentrations followed the order: Boron (B) > chromium (Cr) > barium (Ba) > vanadium (V) > arsenic (As) > aluminum (Al) > lithium (Li) > selenium (Se) > molybdenum (Mo) > copper (Cu) > zinc (Zn) > uranium (U) > tungsten (W) > antimony (Sb). PCA showed Cr and nickel (Ni) originated from weathering of chromite ores and ultramafic rocks, while As and Cu were linked to sulfide mineralization. Although HPI levels were elevated, they remained below critical thresholds. CA grouped samples into two clusters: one with Ni, Cr, and Cu, and the other with As and Sb. Geogenic processes are the main contributors to groundwater contamination, while mining activities have minimal influence in the Jovein aquifer. Overall, the assessment reveals poor groundwater quality due to heavy metal pollution.

Exposure to air pollutants, such as PM2.5 is recognized as a significant health risk, contributing to the development of various diseases, and increased risk of premature mortality. Multilayer perceptron (MLP) and radial basis function (RBF) neural networks, were used to predict the hourly concentration of PM2.5 in Isfahan, Iran. The MLP model was designed with five input variables, including PM2.5 concentration and weather characteristics, ten hidden layers, and a single output layer. The dataset was divided into three subsets: 70% for training, 15% for testing, and 15% for validation. The results showed that the average concentration of PM2.5 was 26.5 μg/m3. The root mean square error (RMSE) was estimated as 6.49 μg/m3. Increasing the input data resulted in a slight reduction in network error, with the RBF model, utilizing 1450 inputs and an RMSE of 6.47, achieving the same accuracy as the MLP model with 10 inputs. Given that the PM2.5 concentration estimates from the RBF and MLP models deviated by less than 23 and 25%, respectively, compared to the observed concentrations, both MLP and RBF can be regarded as reliable tools for predicting PM2.5 levels.

The Qazvin Plain is one of Iran’s largest and most important agricultural regions. It is situated on the Qazvin aquifer. Understanding the relationship between surface features such as topography, land use, and soil type with the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the aquifer is crucial for this region.

In this study, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to delineate the hydrological response units (HRUs) of the plain. These units were calculated based on common characteristics, including land use, topography, and soil type. Additionally, the MODFLOW model was used to simulate groundwater levels based on the hydraulic conductivity (K) map, well pumping tests, and other parameters. This model served as a quantitative indicator of groundwater resources. Furthermore, the spatial distribution map of electrical conductivity (EC) values was used as a qualitative indicator of groundwater resources. In the Qazvin aquifer, EC is the most important limiting factor for water quality. The relationship between these factors was then analyzed using geographically weighted regression (GWR).

The values of EC with a statistic of R2 = 0.66 and groundwater level with a statistic of R² = 0.79 were controlled by surface characteristics, indicating a strong relationship between these variables and surface features.

This research can highly assist water and environmental resource managers and decision-makers in managing the quantity and quality of water in this region.