Awareness Of Environmental Pollution Research Articles

Characterization of cellulose nanocrystals from Zhombwe (Neorautanenia brachypus (harms) CA Sm.) bagasse.

Increased awareness of environmental pollution has changed focus to the use of biodegradable materials because they lack persistence in the environment. This article focused on the production of cellulose nanocrystals from Zhombwe, Neorautanenia brachypus (Harms) CA Sm. bagasse using steam explosion, alkaline treatment, bleaching, purification, and acid hydrolysis. The chemical composition after the treatments was determined using TAPPI standards. Further characterization was done using x-ray Diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The nanoscale dimensions and morphology of the extracted nanocrystals was determined through field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). FTIR spectroscopy and DSC confirmed the removal of noncellulosic compounds. XRD revealed that N. brachypus bagasse contained cellulose type I, which partly endured morphological change to polymorph II after purification and hydrolysis. FE-SEM revealed elliptical to rod-shaped structures after acid hydrolysis, which had a mean length and width of 1103 nm and 597 nm respectively. TAPPI tests revealed that successive chemical treatments increased crystallinity by 29.7%, enriched cellulose content by 74.2%, reduced lignin content by 21.7%, and reduced hemicellulose to less than 1%. The semicrystalline nature of the material produced in our work is a promising candidate for swelling hydrogel applications in areas such as wound dressing, heavy metal removal, controlled drug delivery, agriculture, and sanitary products. Future studies may focus on surface modification of nanocrystals to improve their thermal stability and therefore expand their range for potential industrial applications.

A Historical Perspective Review of the Environmental Pollution

Pollution of the surroundings has remained an enduring obstacle throughout human history, significantly influencing the dynamic between civilization and the natural environment. Thoroughly examining the development of the phenomenon, culminated in the industrial revolution and the subsequent escalation of pollution levels, followed early concerns and awareness of environmental pollution. Through an examination of significant environmental movements, legislative turning points, technological progress, and worldwide influences, our objective is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the profound consequences that pollution has on both ecosystems and society at large. By adopting this historical perspective, we will additionally investigate prospective trajectories and potential resolutions to the complex and urgent matter of environmental pollution.

Environmental pollution and its relationship to the media and the law: Awareness of the dialectics of the complementary relationship

The purpose of the study was to determine the level of public awareness regarding environmental pollution, its causes, and the role that the media—particularly environmental media—plays in informing the public about environmental culture and the dangers it poses to their social, health, and developmental well-being. The role that civil law plays in establishing the guilt of the offender, making him pay, and addressing the consequences of pollution within the context of environmental pollution damage civil liability, particularly in light of the challenges associated with establishing the legal foundation for this duty regarding error and damage. The research employed a stratified random sampling technique. Based on the study’s findings, the population in Iraq is not well-informed about environmental culture or pollution by the country’s media. Proposals and recommendations were made in light of the study’s findings. These included the following: educating children about the risks posed by environmental pollution at home; creating environmental education curricula for all educational levels; disseminating environmental messages in the media; and streamlining these messages so that everyone in society can understand them.

ENZYMES USED FOR SUSTAINABLE WET PROCESSING IN TEXTILE INDUSTRY

Today, enzymes have become an integral part of the textile processing. With the increasing awareness of environmental pollution and the extensive consideration of mankind health, chemical processes used in textile industries are being replaced by enzymatic processes. Usages of enzymes in textile industry will be the best possible alternative of chemicals used in textile industry. Enzymes like amylase, cellulase, catalase, protease, pectinase, laccase, and lipase are widely used in textile manufacturing and processing industries. Use of enzymatic treatments in textile industries is very promising approach as they are eco-friendly, produce high-quality products, and lead to the reduction of energy, water, and time. It is observed that enzymes can replace harsh chemicals, catalyze reaction and operate under mild conditions. These are biodegradable, safe to use and easy to control. In this review environment-friendly uses of various enzymes in different textile processing steps have been discussed.

Nitrogen Budget of South Korea from 2015 to 2019 Including Gaseous Nitrogen Oxides

Objectives : The study was aimed to systematically understand the nitrogen budget from 2015 to 2019, and to determine the annual nitrogen balance in South Korea.Methods : The nitrogen budget was calculated by classifying into agricultural and livestock, city, and forest areas. The nitrogen input was estimated from deposition, biological fixation, agricultural water, inorganic chemical fertilizer, compost, feedstuff, produced crops, imported grocery, and fuel consumption. The nitrogen output was estimated by considering denitrification, volatilization, ground water runoff, land and crop absorption, sewage disposal, drainage, forest uptake, and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.Results and Discussion : The annual nitrogen budget from 2015 to 2019 showed the input as 6,107,449 ton/yr, 6,144,666 ton/yr, 6,245,240 ton/yr, 6,281,552 ton/yr, 5,993,347 ton/yr and the output as 1,346,587 ton/yr, 1,369,119 ton/yr, 1,365,327 ton/yr, 1,378,940 ton/yr, 1,365,994 ton/yr, respectively. The NOx, highly contributing to change in the nitrogen budget, was caused by human activities such as vehicles, business places, and power plants. More than 32% of the total nitrogen budget was caused by NOx in every year.Conclusion : The nitrogen budget continued to increase in the 2010s because of the increase in food and fuel consumption by urbanization. However, the nitrogen budget declined in 2019 due to the effort such as emission regulations and the use of alternatives as the awareness of environmental pollution gradually increased. Therefore, the appropriate institution should be established and actively implemented to reduce the nitrogen effectively.

Recent advances in recycling technologies for waste textile fabrics: a review

The fast fashion trends in the textile industry have resulted in high consumption of fiber with concomitant generation of waste. Awareness of environmental pollution resulting from textile production and disposal has increased significantly. This increase has pushed research activities toward more sustainable recycling alternatives to properly handle the end-of-life of textiles. This review provides an overview of existing technologies, the latest developments, and research studies on the recycling technologies employed in the textile industry. Different types of recycling—mechanical, chemical, and biochemical recycling of standard fabrics used in garments, cotton, wool, polyester, polyamide 6 6, and acrylic—are explored. Recent advances in recycling technologies such as advanced sorting techniques, innovative chemical processing, and emerging biochemical processes are revealed. The review also highlights efforts being made by various agencies and companies in facilitating and employing the technologies on a commercial scale. Various methods for efficient textile waste sorting and identification are also discussed. The reviewed studies revealed that most recycling technologies were conducted on post-industrial textile waste, which tends to be homogenous in the types of dyes and fibers present in the waste. It also suggested that post-consumer textiles could be recycled using chemical and biological options that have the potential to valorize the waste into high-value products.

Living with particles: Disclosure of pollution information, individual responses, and health consequences

Drawing on a panel dataset—the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS)—and other city- and individual-level datasets, this study examines the causal impact of pollution information disclosure on individual outdoor activities and the health status of the middle-aged and elderly. Using city-level variations in disclosure timing, we found that the adoption of pollution information disclosure (PID) significantly reduces the probability of outdoor exercise, especially for those living in more polluted cities. This occurs mainly through enhanced awareness of environmental pollution, particularly for those who are more educated. However, the adoption of PID does not lead to an improvement in health status.

Comparative Analysis of Real-Emitted Particulate Matter and PM-Bound Chemicals from Residential and Automotive Sources: A Case Study in Poland

The awareness of environmental pollution has been continuously growing in recent decades and is currently reaching its maximum. Europe and most developed countries are determined to ensure safe breathing air for their citizens, and the measures to do so are stricter than ever before. Combustion procedures remain the primary means of producing energy and warmth in Poland. Among the notable constituents of flue gases produced as a result of fuel combustion, solid particles (or particulate matter) hold significant prominence. The paper presents the chemical characterisation of particulate matter emitted from stationary and automotive emission sources. Stationary emission sources included the combustion process of fossil fuels (soft wood, bituminous coal, ecopea coal, culm) in domestic heating units and the process of combustion of bituminous coal in a power plant. Automotive emission sources included light duty and medium duty vehicles fuelled by diesel. Exhaust toxicity tests were carried out maintaining the real conditions of PM emission. In all field measurements particulate matter was gravimetrically measured and collected on quartz or glass fibre filters. Subsequently, the content of carbonaceous fraction, inorganic ions, and metals and metalloids was analyzed using different analytical techniques. The chemical composition of the particulate matter differed depending on the emission source. With respect to stationary combustion sources, the main factors determining solid particle emission are related primarily to the fuel quality. The duty of vehicles was also a factor that influenced the chemical characterisation of the particulate matter emitted from the engines.

IMPACTS OF DIGITALIZATION IN INDUSTRY ON ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Purpose- The increasing awareness of environmental pollution both in society and in the business world has caused environmental sustainability to be at the top of the agenda of businesses as an important issue. What kind of effects digitalization in industrial enterprises may have on environmental sustainability is an important question brought by increasing digitalization. The current study seeks to answer this question. Methodology- In this conceptual study, the effects of digitalization on environmental sustainability are examined and categorized on the basis of previous studies conducted in the relevant literature. Findings- The positive and negative impacts of digitalization in industry on environmental sustainability can be categorized into three groups, taking into account the impacts caused by the production, use and disposal of digital technologies. Conclusion- It is argued that digitalization in industrial enterprises can have both positive and negative effects on environmental sustainability, and it can be concluded that the impact of digitalization in the industry on the environment depends on the net effect of these positive and negative effects. Keywords: Digitalization, digital technology production, use of digital technologies, disposal of digital technologies, environmental sustainability, industrial enterprises. JEL Codes: M10, O14, Q56

Mycoremediation: An Innovative and Sustainable Approach for Environmental Restoration

Abstract: Growing awareness of environmental pollution and its negative impacts on ecosystems and human health has spread around the world in recent decades. Traditional remediation techniques frequently fail to adequately treat the wide range of toxins that affect our soil, water, and air. A revolutionary and ground-breaking technology called mycoremediation uses fungi to repair and clean up polluted areas. An overview of mycoremediation's mechanics, uses, and possible advantages is given in this research article. It examines the numerous toxins that can be successfully treated by mycoremediation and talks about the main aspects that contribute to its effectiveness. The paper also discusses upcoming directions, current difficulties, and the possibility of mycoremediation as a long-term approach to environmental restoration.

Onestep Footwear Public relations Campaign Planning as an Eco-Friendly Brand

This article aims to find out how to plan a public relations campaign to increase public awareness of shoe sole waste. Problems are focused on the degree of excess, disadvantages, opportunities and threats over shoe sole litter. In order to approach this problem, theoretical references from persuasive communication, public relations, campaigns and environmentally friendly products are used. The data was collected through input from the SWOT matrix in the form of questionnaire results that had been filled out by Onestep Footwear and analyzed qualitatively. This study concluded that overall, the shoe campaign for Bumi collaborated with one of the local shoe Brands from Bandung called Onestep Footwear. With this campaign, it is hoped that there will be an increase in public awareness of environmental pollution caused by shoe sole waste, and the emergence of a sense to continue to protect the environment by using environmentally friendly shoes, such as Onestep Footwear.

Evaluation of Nature Awareness in Secondary School Students by Nature Education Projects with A Case Study in Bursa, Türkiye

The importance of education given in primary and secondary education period is very important in raising new generations who respect nature and protect nature. In this study, the results of nature education in understanding biological and cultural diversity were evaluated with the example of a Nature Education Project, which was carried out in 2022 and supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) via 4004 Science Schools and Nature Education program for the students of the Regional Boarding School selected as the target group in the Protected Natural Areas of Bursa. The project aims to enable the students who will be the elders of the future living in Bursa and the teachers who will train the students to get to know the biodiversity and natural resources of Bursa by obtaining the information from the first source, by making observations and using the technology, to gain awareness of protection in order to ensure the sustainability of these resources, environmental pollution. It was carried out in order to enable students to establish strong bonds with nature by gaining awareness about nature. Within the scope of the project, the environmental perception scale and environmental attitude scale were applied to the participants as a pre-posttest in the project, and in addition to these tests, the natural science diaries kept during the project and the pictures they made about the activities were evaluated. The nonparametric Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test was used to determine whether there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores. At the end of the project, the target audience to establish a strong bond with nature, to recognize the factors that make up ecosystems, to gain awareness of protecting natural assets, to raise awareness about the limited nature of natural resources and to increase their awareness of environmental pollution and its effects, to transfer it to the society through social interaction after the project, to raise awareness, It has been observed that in the future, Bursa has gained awareness in the form of taking social responsibility in a way that will protect its values and developing by making use of ecotourism. Keywords: Nature Education; Regional Boarding School students; Biodiversity conservation; Protected areas; Türkiye DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-10-01 Publication date: April 30 th 2023

Disasters as opportunities for enhancing sustainability values: Disaster experience and environmental awareness in rural China

AbstractThis study evaluates whether people in general alter their perception of environmental pollution after disasters and the extent to which individual and contextual characteristics moderate this relationship. Results of multilevel regression analyses of data from rural China indicate that the experience of disasters heightens awareness of environmental pollution in local communities, net of various individual‐level and community‐level factors. Additionally, well‐maintained social relationships between villagers attenuate the impact of disasters and make people less aware of environmental pollution, and environmental degradation in the village enhances the impact and increases people's environmental awareness. Furthermore, the impact is not significantly different between residents in villages of different economic levels, and between residents of different levels of socioeconomic status. The results highlight the potential for promoting sustainability after experiencing disruptive shocks and stressors triggered by disasters, and demonstrate that it is crucial to understand environmental awareness as a dynamic process in changing local contexts.

Cellulose as an Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Material for Optical Anticounterfeiting Applications: An Up-to-Date Appraisal.

The falsification of documents, currency, pharmaceuticals, branded goods, clothing, food products, and packaging leads to severe consequences. Counterfeited products can not only pose health risks to consumers but also cause substantial economic losses that can negatively impact the global markets. Unfortunately, most anticounterfeiting strategies are easily duplicated due to rapid technological advancements. Therefore, innovative and cost-effective antiforgery techniques that can offer superior multilevel security features are continuously sought after. Due to the ever-growing global awareness of environmental pollution, renewable and eco-friendly native biopolymers are garnering wide attention in anticounterfeiting applications. This review highlights the potential use of cellulose-based eco-friendly materials to combat the counterfeiting of goods. The initial section of the review focuses on the structure, properties, and chemical modifications of cellulose as a sustainable biomaterial. Further, the topical developments reported on cellulose and nanocellulose-based materials used as fluorescent security inks, films, and papers for achieving protection against counterfeiting are presented. The studies suggest the convenient use of celluose and modified cellulose materials for promising optical antiforgery applications. Furthermore, the scope for future research developments is also discussed based on the current critical challenges in the fabrication of cellulose-based materials and their anticounterfeit applications.

Does awareness of environmental pollution increase electricity consumption? A view from household survey of China.

Household electricity conservation is a non-negligible aspect of environmental pollution with growing importance for an eco-friendly economy and society. However, debates regarding household electricity consumption have placed more emphasis on the physical attributes of the dwellings, demographic characteristics and the socioeconomic behaviour of households; few studies have directly discussed the awareness of environmental pollution. Based on the 'China Family Panel Studies' surveys with an extracted 8249 households in 25 provinces from 2014 to 2018, we analyse whether or not and to what extent the awareness of environmental pollution impacts household electricity consumption. The study finds that the awareness of environmental pollution rather than actual environmental pollution increases household electricity consumption. The finding is robust under various model specifications. Given a 1% increase in the awareness of environmental pollution, households living in southern China, located in eastern China or living in an urban area were found to have higher electricity consumption. To address possible estimation bias due to self-selection, we design a quasi-policy-shock variable to describe the severity of the perceived environmental pollution and run the propensity score matching regression (PSM). The finding still holds.

ANALYSIS AND USAGE OPTIONS OF “PARK AND RIDE” LOTS IN VILNIUS

“Park and Ride” system is an integral part of urban transport systems, providing the ability to change the mode of travel on a daily basis. An analysis of the literature has shown that the “Park and Ride” system is only for car drivers and only for those who enjoy using public transport. Due to the pandemic situation, the increased public attention to their health and the population awareness of environmental pollution, there is a need to adapt the “Park and Ride” sites to a wider range of users – cyclists, pedestrians, electric car drivers. The article seeks to confirm the hypothesis that it is appropriate to transform low-occupancy “Park and Ride” sites into multimodal sites.

Water and Air Pollution as an Emerging Problem for Pakistan: A Review

Currently, the development of human societies is greatly affected because of global environmental problems. Pakistan is also on the list of the most affected countries facing a number of environmental issues that affect not only people health but also the economy. The present work examines with focus on secondary data and information gathered from various literature on water and air pollution. Both water and air pollution are very complex issues and their connection to measuring the exact level of pollution is an extremely difficult one. Therefore, in this review, the main sources influencing pollution risks in Pakistan are human urbanization, surface water pollution, industrial sewage pollution, air pollution, and soil pollution. This study will help to develop suitable strategies and rules for Pakistan environmental protection in the near future. Finally, the aim of this article is to raise awareness of environmental pollution, including water pollution, air pollution, and their effect on human health, animals, and agricultural activities.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) pollution driven by the COVID-19 pandemic in coastal environment, Southeast Coast of India

The rise in the use of single-use plastics and personal protective equipment (PPE) has increased plastic waste in the marine environment. In this study, we surveyed the presence of PPE (face masks and gloves) discharged in 6 beaches along the coast of India. A total of 496 PPE were counted with an average density of 1.08 × 10−3 PPE m−2. The PPE density found was comparable to previous studies. Face masks were the most recorded type of PPE (98.39%), with gloves accounting for only 1.61% of the total. However, a significant reduction in the appearance of PPE was recorded on all six beaches, likely due to the increase in vaccination rates. The most contaminated places were the beaches with recreational activities + fishing. It has been noticed that the lack of awareness of environmental pollution and the negligence of the population and the mismanagement of municipal waste are the main causes of beach pollution by PPE. This study confirms the potential threat of PPE to terrestrial and aquatic organisms of multiple taxa in India, but further studies are needed to quantify the impact of this type of waste on marine animals.

Synthesis and analysis of lactose polyurethanes and their semi-interpenetrating polymer networks

In view of growing public awareness of environmental pollution, plastic waste, and microplastics, agro-based materials are increasingly used to replace raw materials derived from fossil feedstocks in order to take advantage of their sustainability, eco-friendliness, better recyclability, and lack of toxicity. One of our focal areas is lactose, which is the natural disaccharide found in milk; it is inexpensive and widely available. In this work, we synthesized polyurethanes from lactose and toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI), using both conventional heat and microwave. Microwave was found to reduce the reaction time and save energy relative to conventional heat. Moreover, semi-interpenetrating polymer networks were made with a second polymer {e.g., poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) and poly(lactic acid)} in order to impart additional properties to the lactose-based polyurethanes. The resulting polymers were characterized with appropriate analyses.

BIOSURFACTANTS: THE POTENTIAL GREEN SURFACTANTS IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Biosurfactants are amphiphilic microbial molecules with hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties that partition at liquid/liquid, liquid/gas or liquid/solid interfaces. These unique characteristics allow these biomolecules to play a key role in emulsification, foam formation, detergency and dispersal, which makes them ideal for use in different industrial sectors. The production of biosurfactants is considered to be the prime development in industrial technology in the 21st century. Coupled with this feature, increasing public awareness of environmental pollution promotes the search and development of emerging technologies that help in cleaning up of organic and inorganic contaminants. Biosurfactants and biosurfactant producing microorganisms provides an alternative and eco-friendly method of remediation technology of environment contamination with these pollutants. Thus, biosurfactant production, possibility of their application as renewable resources and “green” products has now been the subject of extensive research in recent years. This review deals with the accumulated knowledge regarding biosurfactants gained over the years and possibility of their applications in various industrial fields, in oil recovery, in keeping the environments green, in medicinal sectors. The economic issue regarding the production of biosurfactants on an industrial basis in this regard also has been critically dealt with.