Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering最新文献

Objectives

The Asia Working Group of Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2019 consensus proposed a new concept named “possible sarcopenia”. The present study was to estimate the association between indoor air pollution by solid fuel usages for cooking and possible sarcopenia among middle-aged and older Chinese population.

Methods

A longitudinal cohort analysis was carried out using nationally representative data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). A total of 17,708 participants were recruited and followed up in the CHARLS. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the effects of cooking fuel usages on the new onset of possible sarcopenia. Stratified analyses were performed according to gender and age, and sensitivity analyses were performed using the complete dataset.

Results

A total of 4,653 participants were included in the final cohort analysis. During the follow-up of 4 years (2011–2015), a total of 1,532 (32.92%) participants developed new-onset possible sarcopenia. Compared with clean fuel usages for cooking, solid fuel usages were associated with a higher risk of possible sarcopenia (HR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.23—1.52, p-value < 0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders, there was a trend for association between solid fuel usages and an increased risk of possible sarcopenia. Stratified analyses by gender and age demonstrated a stronger association of the solid fuel usages with possible sarcopenia in the middle-aged female participants (Model 1: HR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.24—2.69, p-value = 0.002; Model 2: HR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.10—2.47, p-value = 0.016). Sensitivity analyses indicated that the results were robust.

Conclusion

Indoor air pollution from solid fuel usages for cooking was a modifiable risk factor for sarcopenia, especially in middle-aged female population. These findings provide a new prevention strategy to reduce the growing burden of sarcopenia, especially for middle-aged female individuals using solid fuels for cooking.

This study proposes an integrated and sustainable approach for the effective conversion of kitchen waste into valuable products through a two-step process. The primary step involves the implementation of greenhouse solar drying to reduce the moisture content of kitchen waste. The secondary step implies microwave pyrolysis for effective degradation of kitchen waste to biooil, biogas and biochar. Biooil and biogas can be used as renewable fuel source. Biochar can be used as soil amendment. Selection of atmospheric conditions for biochar preparation is discussed, highlighting its crucial role in biochar characteristics. This article highlights, technology readiness level of biochar production from kitchen waste to assess the economic viability for the scalability of the process. In this entirety, the conversion of kitchen waste to valuable products through microwave pyrolysis has significant potential to address the challenges posed by high moisture content and heterogenous nature. With continued research and innovation, it is possible to develop a wide array of value-added products from kitchen waste, ultimately leading to a more eco-friendly and economic approach to waste management.

Graphical Abstract

Microplastic pollution has emerged as a global environmental concern, with pervasive contamination in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. This review paper delves into the intricate dynamics of microplastics within anaerobic digestion systems, addressing their occurrence, impact, and potential mitigation strategies. The occurrence of microplastics in anaerobic digesters is widespread, entering these systems through diverse inputs, such as sewage sludge, organic waste, and etc. Microplastics in anaerobic digestion have been associated with potential adverse impacts on biogas production, process performance, microbial communities, and degradation processes, though the relationship is complex and context dependent. This review highlights the urgent need for comprehensive research into the fate of microplastics within anaerobic digesters. Mitigation strategies offer promise in alleviating microplastic contamination, with advanced separation methods, innovative techniques such as magnetic micro-submarines, photocatalytic micro-motors, membrane bioreactors combined with activated carbon filters, rapid sand filtration, or conventional activated sludge, and disintegration-oriented techniques such as electrocatalysis, biodegradation, and thermal decomposition. Nonetheless, there is a significant knowledge gap that necessitates further research into the fate and long-term effects of microplastics in digestate. Collaborative efforts are crucial to addressing this emerging concern and ensuring the sustainability of anaerobic digestion systems in the face of microplastic challenges.

Microplastics are emerging pollutants that cause health problems for aquatic organisms. Fish is one of the important organisms because of its consumption by humankind. The present study examines the abundance and prevalence of microplastics in freshwater fish species through a systematic review study while considering five important factors, i.e. water resources, habitat, feeding behavior, Fulton’s condition factor, and microplastic characteristics. A comprehensive meta-analysis was undertaken to evaluate relevant publications in terms of microplastic abundance. Articles published up to July 30, 2022 were found through Global search engines including, Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed. In total, 786 articles were found that 53 and 42 articles were used for qualitative review and meta-analysis, respectively. This was carried out by a random-effects model with high heterogeneity (I² = 99.76%). According to the data, the highest attention in microplastic research in body part and water sources are related to gastrointestinal tract (n = 259 (~ 80%)) and rivers (n = 189 (~ 58%)), respectively. According to the results, the average microplastic prevalence range was 5 -100%, and microplastic abundance was within the 0.04–204 items range per individual. The difference between microplastic prevalence and abundance for the key factors for parametric and nonparametric data were analyzed using Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Kruskal-Wallis test, respectively. According to the Baujat plot, two studies (ID: 27 and 25) revealed the minimal influence of microplastics abundance. Conclusively, the average microplastics abundance according to the pooled data, varied between 2.23 and 2.48, with a mean of 2.35 items per individual in the studies overall. It is concluded that the amount of ingested microplastics by fish is related only to physiology (height, weight, and body structure) but not feeding behavior, habitat, and surrounding water.

The heterogeneous sonocatalysis is considered as an impressive remediation approach to eliminate the dyeing wastewaters. Among the efficient sonocatalytic remediation, nanocomposite sonocatalysts have grabbed special attention in recent years. In the presence research, the novel MIL-101(Fe)/ZrO₂/MnFe₂O₄ nanocomposite as a magnetically retrievable catalyst was elaborated using the ultrasound-assisted hydrothermal route and its sonocatalytic performance was tested applying the methylene blue (MB), rhodamine B (RhB), congo red (CR), and methyl orange (MO) organic dyes under US/H₂O₂ system. The as-fabricated nanocomposite is well identified via FESEM, TEM, EDX, EDX elemental dot mappings, AFM, FTIR, XRD, BET, UV-Vis DRS, and VSM. The sonocatalytic destruction outcomes have demonstrated that the MIL-101(Fe)/ZrO₂/MnFe₂O₄ shows appreciable performance for the destruction of MB, RhB, CR, and MO with the yields of 98.17%, 96.35%, 93.40%, and 89.82%, respectively under the optimized conditions of irradiation time of 7 min, dye concentration of 25 mg/L, catalyst amount of 10 mg, US power intensity of 100 W, H₂O₂ concentration of 4 mM, pH of 7, and temperature of 25 ± 1 °C. The fitted kinetic curves were exhibited a first-order model and the half-life time (t_1/2) and reaction rate constant (k_app) of the MB sonodestruction were determined to be 1.20 min and 0.5768 min⁻¹ employing the MIL-101(Fe)/ZrO₂/MnFe₂O₄/US/H₂O₂ system, respectively. The free ^•OH radicals were having a crucial role in the MB sonodestruction reaction, affirmed via quenching the experiments. Besides, the reusing experiments indicate that the MIL-101(Fe)/ZrO₂/MnFe₂O₄ represents propitious stability and long durability and reminded more than 93% after four cycles.

Graphical Abstract

The metal-organic framework MIL-101(Fe)/ZrO₂/MnFe₂O₄ heterojunction magnetically retrievable nanocomposite was successfully prepared and used as a new sonocatalyst for the destruction of MB, RhB, CR, and MO toxic organic dye pollutants from water medium.

The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak has spread worldwide, and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic in March 2020. The transmission mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 in indoor environments has begun to be investigated in all aspects. In this regard, many numerical studies on social distancing and the protection of surgical masks against infection risk have neglected the evaporation of the particles. Meanwhile, a 1.83 m (6 feet) social distancing rule has been recommended to reduce the infection risk. However, it should be noted that most of the studies were conducted in static air conditions. Air movement in indoor environments is chaotic, and it is not easy to track all droplets in a ventilated room experimentally. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) enables the tracking of all particles in a ventilated environment. This study numerically investigated the airborne transmission of infectious droplets in a hospital examination room cooled by a split-type air conditioner with the CFD method. Different inlet velocities (1, 2, 3 m/s) were considered and investigated separately. Besides, the hospital examination room is a model of one of the Bursa Uludag University Hospital examination rooms. The patient, doctor, and some furniture are modeled in the room. Particle diameters considered ranged from 2 to 2000 μm. The evaporation of the droplets is not neglected, and the predictions of particle tracks are shown. As a result, locations with a high infection risk were identified, and the findings that could guide the design/redesign of the hospital examination rooms were evaluated.