International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology最新文献

The ever-increasing growth of urban population in worldwide and their unsustainable use of land resources have turned resource planning and management into one of the world's most important environmental challenges. In recent years, the concept of "urban ecosystem health" has been developed to monitor the impacts of human activities on Earth's ecosystems. The present research aims to investigate the ecosystem health status of the Sanandaj city by introducing a spatial decision support system. Urban health indicators were extracted from the Pressure-State-Impact-Response framework and the health status of 26 districts of Sanandaj city has been investigated. Finally, by weighing and integrating of 16 indicators, the total health score in each urban district has been obtained. The results showed that the health status in 9.2% of the areas of Sanandaj were in a very poor to poor, in 30.8% in a poor to moderate, in 52% of the areas in a moderate to strong, and 7.9% of the areas were in a strong to very strong health status. It seems that most of the efforts to restore the health of Sanandaj ecosystem should be focused first on 3, 5, Nanleh and Garizeh and then, on 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12 and Naysar districts. The model introduced in this study can be used to monitor the health status of any urban ecosystem which is the most important factor in maintaining the stability and sustainability of urban ecosystems.

Wastewater containing organic pollutants has created serious environmental issues and severely threatened human health due to the industry’s rapid development. Fenton processes, among the most economical advanced oxidation methods, can efficiently decompose and completely mineralize organic pollutants. Fenton processes have been widely employed in wastewater treatment to remove organic dyes; however, their practical application is limited due to the secondary pollution of Fe sludge. This work used the electrospinning technique to create Fe-alginate/PVDF nanofibers with a mass ration of 1:0.3, followed by iron ion exchange (0.08 wt%) as a photo-Fenton catalyst. The catalytic degradation of 20 mg/L methylene blue revealed that Fe-alginate/PVDF nanofibers (10 mg) had remarkable photo-Fenton catalytic performance, degrading 97.24% of methylene blue within 40 min under optimized conditions (pH of 3, H₂O₂ concentration of 0.20 mM). Additionally, the wetting property and the development of the Fe-alginate coordination structure prevented iron leaching and strengthened the Fe-alginate/PVDF nanofibers’ structure stability, thus limiting secondary pollution of wastewater during application. Moreover, Fe-alginate/PVDF nanofibers could effectively remove MB over a wide pH range of 3.0–9.0, applied to the majority industrial wastewater (neutral or slightly acidic pH conditions). This work provides a facile strategy to prepare stable and cost-effective heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalysts, demonstrating potential applications in industrial-scale wastewater treatment.

The maritime transportation sector poses a significant environmental risk due to its reliance on fossil fuels and its proximity to coastal areas. To address this issue, the International Maritime Organization, authorized by the IPCC, is responsible for reducing and preventing ship-borne emissions. The International Maritime Organization regularly updates emission prevention measures through annual MEPC meetings, particularly under the MARPOL 73/78 Convention, to adapt to changing conditions. In this study, we utilized a bottom-up approach to calculate the emissions of NO_X, SO₂, CO, and PM₁₀ emitted by ships transiting through the Istanbul Bosphorus from 2014 to 2021. We employed the AERMOD air quality dispersion model to generate SO₂ spatial distribution maps, focusing on the year 2014 with the highest pollutant release. The obtained results were compared with measurements from air quality monitoring stations, allowing us to evaluate the contribution of maritime SO₂ emissions to overall Bosphorus pollution. Furthermore, we also examined the impact of low sulfur fuel usage after the sulphur was reduced from 3.5 to 0.5% by mass, in accordance with the regulations put into effect by IMO in 2020.

Healthcare facilities (HCFs) such as hospitals, clinics, and health centres are recognized as the first and last line of defence against unfavourable impacts of climate change. This study examined the climate resilience and environmental sustainability (CRES) of HCFs in seven pilot provinces of Iran. In this regard, the action levels of HCFs were explored in four major areas, including health workforce; water, sanitation and healthcare waste; energy; and infrastructure, technologies and products. Analysis of conditions at HCFs in the studied areas demonstrated that energy; infrastructure, technologies, products; and water, sanitation and healthcare waste are at a low level, while the health workforce area is considered as a medium level. Among the various types of HCFs the highest CRES is related to hospitals, and the lowest is allocated to rural–urban health centres. Therefore, raising the level of awareness, training and empowering health workforces, optimizing the use of resources particularly water and energy, waste minimization, replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy, and promoting new systems and technologies can improve HCFs resilience in these centres. The results of this research led to the establishment of an effective tool for the evaluation of the CRES of HCFs. In addition, identifying HCFs conditions can help policymakers and health system officials in planning and managing appropriately to increase the level of CRES of these systems.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of the ratio of Spirulina maxima biomass to inoculum on the anaerobic co-digestion of malting wastewater using upflow anaerobic sludge blanket pilot-scale reactors. The AD process occurred in mesophilic conditions, lasting for 369 h. The experimental conditions included three groups: (1) malting wastewater (control); (2) malting wastewater with an 80:20 inoculum/Spirulina maxima ratio; (3) malting wastewater with a 60:40 inoculum/Spirulina maxima ratio. The 60:40 inoculum/Spirulina maxima ratio demonstrated superior performance, generating 6.7 times more biomethane compared to both the control and the 80:20 inoculum/Spirulina maxima ratio. This condition achieved a chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency of 76%. Furthermore, the digestate generated did not exhibit phytotoxicity towards lettuce and barley. Therefore, co-digestion digestates can be effectively utilized in agriculture. Co-digestion was also found to be efficient in simultaneously treating co-digestion, generating biomethane, and producing biofertilizer. This work emphasizes a promising and sustainable approach to valorizing waste and effluents, which has positive impacts on bioenergy generation and food production. It promotes the principles of the circular economy and sustainability in agriculture.

The textile industry is reported as one of the most pollution-producing industries because of toxic colorants that are hard to remove by conventional treatment methods. These colorants have highly negative impacts on ecology and aquatic biota. Dye, which is a valuable resource, is discharged as waste in the effluent and is considered as an environmental threat, because of its low degradability. If this dye is recovered from wastewater, on the one side it can be reused and can give financial benefits, and on the other hand, its removal from the wastewater can be a secondary advantage for the environment as wastewater treatment could be simplified. Though various methods for the discoloration of textile effluent have been reported in the literature, but many of them are either expensive, inefficient, or environmentally unfriendly. The reported methods in the literature have different removal mechanisms which can be categorized as degrading mechanisms and non-degrading mechanisms. Though the removal of various dyes including indigo carmine is possible through both mechanisms, however for the recovery of these dyes from wastewater one should adopt a non-degrading mechanism. This article summarizes various reported dye removal methods and will relate the suitability of these methods and the extent to which they are suitable for dye recovery. Based on the nature of the treatment these methods are subclassified as physical, chemical, Physicochemical, biological, and physico-biological methods and this article will encapsulate the adaptivity, massiveness, and immensity of these methods for indigo dye removal and recovery. Upto 100% removal has been attained through various methods among which adsorption and filtration are the most feasible methods for recovery of Indigo dye from effluent.

Plastic waste poses a serious threat to the environment as well as health issues in human and animal. The situation is aggravated in sub-Saharan countries like Ethiopia. Plastic waste management has become the biggest challenge in the study area. This study assessed the management of plastic wastes, disposal practices, adverse impacts on the environment, and identified associated factors in Gondar City, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design using a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview was used to gather data. Using multistage sampling techniques, 393 households and 20 key informants were selected for questionnaire and interview, respectively. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models, whereas narrative analysis was used for qualitative data. Results showed that plastic bags are among the most (48.9%) discarded plastic waste products. Respondents reported that they reused old plastics for water storage or fetching (66.5%) and oil storage (45.1%). Only 16.8% of respondents recycled their plastic waste. Most households (80.9%) confirmed that plastic wastes were disposed of in open dumpsites. The findings indicated that gender and years of stay have a significant association with plastic waste management, disposal practices, and adverse effects on the environment. The practices of plastic waste management and disposal are poor in the study area. The study recommended that community-based environmental education is required to cope with the poor management and disposal practices of plastic waste.

Cooking consumes a significant amount of energy globally, necessitating exploring sustainable alternatives. Solar energy presents an adaptable and freely available resource, offering opportunities for various applications, including solar cooking. This experimental study aims to assess the influence of wing reflectors on the performance of solar box cookers under weather conditions in the arid region of Ouargla, Algeria. Outdoor cooking tests were conducted using different reflector configurations, focusing on temperature levels and energy efficiency. The results reveal that cookers equipped with wing reflectors, particularly those with five-side reflectors, achieve significantly higher temperatures and improved efficiency than those without reflectors. Notably, the configuration featuring three reflectors and two wing reflectors exhibited the highest ratio of 0.105 m² °C/W at 03:45 PM. These findings highlight the potential of wing reflectors in enhancing solar cooking applications in arid climates. The study contributes to understanding solar cooker performance optimization and provides insights into designing efficient solar cooking systems in energy-constrained regions.

Renewable energy aids in lowering carbon dioxide emissions, addresses fuel price volatility, and ensures energy supply security. This paper optimizes hybrid renewable energy systems for powering a large-scale desalination plant in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. It also investigates the feasibility of using such systems to supply power for the desalination process. Several combinations of photovoltaic arrays, wind turbines, and grid systems are analyzed. The systems provide energy requirements for a reverse osmosis desalination plant with a daily capacity of 400,000 m³ and an energy demand of 2 kWh/m³. The HOMER simulation tool is employed to optimize the integrated systems. The considered systems are assessed based on the levelized cost of energy, greenhouse gas emissions, and net present cost. The findings revealed that the hybrid renewable energy system comprised of wind power and grid is the best option to supply the desalination plant at a levelized cost of energy of $ 0.056/kWh. Furthermore, this hybrid system resulted in the reduction of emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide by 108,797,452 kg/year, 471,685 kg/year, and 230,678 kg/year, respectively. The annual wind energy production is 119,852,133 kWh/year. On the other hand, the other integrated renewable energy systems, including photovoltaic-grid and photovoltaic-wind-grid, have levelized cost of energy of $0.0657/kWh and $0.0681/kWh, respectively. This study provides critical insights for stakeholders seeking to optimize hybrid renewable energy for desalination plants. The research emphasizes the significant potential of incorporating these systems into desalination plants to achieve environmentally friendly and economically viable desalination plants.

Environmental contamination with heavy metals is inherent in the development of industries. They can be present in municipal and industrial wastewaters, reach biological wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and affect the performance of the activated sludge process. Moreover, heavy metals almost never occur in isolation and are components of toxic mixtures. Therefore in this study, the influence of binary metal mixtures Cd–Cu, Cd–Zn, and Cu–Zn on activated sludge dehydrogenase activity was evaluated. Two different models were used to identify possible interactions between mixture components: the concentration addition (CA) model and the independent action (IA) model. It seems that the mode of toxic interaction between mixture components strongly depends on the chosen prediction model and measured endpoint. The joint toxicity of studied mixtures was better described by the IA model compared to the CA model.