Critical Environmental Pollution Research Articles

Advancements in miniaturized infrared spectroscopic-based volatile organic compound sensors: A systematic review

The global trends of urbanization and industrialization have given rise to critical environmental and air pollution issues that often receive insufficient attention. Among the myriad pollution sources, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) stand out as a primary cluster, posing a significant threat to human society. Addressing VOCs emissions requires an effective mitigation action plan, placing technological development, especially in detection, at the forefront. Photonic sensing technologies rooted in the infrared (IR) light and matter interaction mechanism offer nondestructive, fast-response, sensitive, and selective chemical measurements, making them a promising solution for VOC detection. Recent strides in nanofabrication processes have facilitated the development of miniaturized photonic devices and thus sparked growing interest in the creation of low-cost, highly selective, sensitive, and fast-response IR optical sensors for VOC detection. This review work thus serves a timely need to provide the community a comprehensive understanding of the state of the art in this field and illuminate the path forward in addressing the pressing issue of VOC pollution.

Sensing Properties of g-C3N4/Au Nanocomposite for Organic Vapor Detection

Alleviating the increasingly critical environmental pollution problems entails the sensing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as a hazardous factor for human health wherein the development of gas sensor platforms offers an efficient strategy to detect such noxious gases. Nanomaterials, particularly carbon-based nanocomposites, are desired sensing compounds for gas detection owing to their unique properties, namely a facile and affordable synthesis process, high surface area, great selectivity, and possibility of working at room temperature. To achieve that objective, g-C3N4 (graphitic carbon nitride) was prepared from urea deploying simple heating. The ensuing porous nanosheets of g-C3N4 were utilized as a substrate for loading Au nanoparticles, which were synthesized by the laser ablation method. g-C3N4 presented a sensing sensitivity toward organic vapors, namely methanol, ethanol, and acetone vapor gases, which were significantly augmented in the presence of Au nanoparticles. Specifically, the as-prepared nanocomposite performed well with regard to the sensing of methanol vapor gas and offers a unique strategy and highly promising sensing compound for electronic and electrochemical applications.

Lycopene Ameliorate Atrazine-Induced Oxidative Damage in the B Cell Zone via Targeting the miR-27a-3p/Foxo1 Axis.

Lycopene, a natural bioactive component, has potential to reduce the risk of environmental factors inducing chronic diseases. It is important to explore lycopene's health benefits and its mechanism. The uncontrolled use of atrazine in agriculture causes critical environmental pollution issues worldwide. Exposure to atrazine through water and food chains is a risk to humans. In this study, mice were orally treated with lycopene and/or different concentrations of atrazine for 21 days to explore the influence of atrazine on the spleen and the role of lycopene's protection in atrazine exposure. The work found that atrazine exerted its toxic role in the B cell zone of the spleen by inducing Foxo1 deficiency. Atrazine caused ROS generation and Pink1/Parkin dysfunction via inducing Foxo1 deficiency, which led to apoptosis in the B cell zone. Additionally, the work revealed that lycopene ameliorates atrazine-induced apoptosis in the B cell zone of the spleen via regulating the miR-27a-3p/Foxo1 pathway. The finding also underscored a novel target of lycopene in maintaining homeostasis during B cell maturation.

Mapping and analyzing the construction noise pollution in China using social media platforms

Construction noise has become a critical environmental pollution source with serious impacts due to rapid urbanization in China. However, studies on construction noise pollution throughout the country are lacking. Meanwhile, emerging social media enables real-time information exchange and can act as a society monitoring sensor. Accordingly, this study employs an innovative approach utilizing web crawler technology and text mining to investigate national construction noise pollution from public feedback on social media platforms. Results showed that construction noise pollution was more severe at around 4:00 am, while more serious in the morning than in the afternoon at the national level. At the regional level, construction noise is most pronounced in the second quarter, relatively light in the first quarter, and generally more severe in the northeast areas. Besides, a weak positive correlation was explored between the construction noise severity and regional economic development. Moreover, through the policy content analysis, the important measures summarized from regional policies were categorized into different groups with the demonstration of recommended practical policy settings. The framework and findings of this study provide a theoretical and practical reference and guideline for future environmental investigation, noise management strategy development, and related policy formulation.

Mechanical Properties of Eco-friendly Concrete Made with Sugarcane Bagasse Ash

Modern concretes lay emphasis on high strength in order to reduce structural member sizes to reduce materials used; high early strength to promote fast construction; high durability to reduce maintenance costs; and the incorporation of industrial and agricultural wastes to reduce environmental degradation. The incorporation of industrial and agricultural wastes into concrete as cement replacement materials reduces the amount of cement used in the production of concrete and the CO2emissions arising from cement production. Sugarcane bagasse is a waste product from the extraction of juice from sugar cane. It is estimated that 1.7 million tons of bagasse are produced worldwide every year. Much of the bagasse is used as boiler fuel and to produce electricity, and the ash is dumped in earth fills, resulting in critical environmental pollution that requires immediate attention. Available literature shows that when burned under controlled conditions, a pozzolanic ash of high silica content can be obtained, which can be used in concrete production with several advantages. This study investigates the mechanical properties of concrete designed for high strength and incorporating processed sugarcane bagasse ash in amounts of 10–40% by weight of cement in a binary combination with silica fume. Concrete workability in the fresh state and compressive, flexural, and tensile strengths in the hardened state are investigated. Water absorption of hardened concrete is also investigated as an indicator of potential durability. The results show that the mix containing 10% SCBA has the highest mechanical strength, and increasing the SCBA percentage reduces water absorption. However, the workability of concrete in the fresh state reduces substantially with an increase in ash content. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-06-010 Full Text: PDF

The boosted activity of AgI/BiOI nanocatalyst: a RSM study towards Eriochrome Black T photodegradation.

Nowadays, critical environmental pollution needs some novel, simple, effective, and cost-effective catalysts with high efficiency in the visible region of the light. Thus, the AgI/BiOI coupled nanocatalyst sample (CS) was prepared and briefly characterized. The pHpzc values of 6.2, 5.4, and 4.5 were estimated for AgI, BiOI, and AgI/BiOI samples. Based on the PXRD results, average crystallite sizes of 35.2, 34.7, and 34.1nm were obtained for AgI, BiOI, and AgI/BiOI samples from the Scherrer formula and 38.3, 25.6, and 25.6nm by the Williamson-Hall formula. SEM image confirmed a sheet-like BiOI morphology covered by AgI nanoparticles. The simultaneous interactions of the influencing variables on the boosted photocatalytic activity of CS sample towards Eriochrome Black T (EBT) were evaluated by response surface methodology (RSM) (under 100-W tungsten lamp irradiation with 230 mW/m2.nm irradiance). The goodness of the model was confirmed by the significance of the model (F value of 65.68 > F0.05, 14, 13 = 2.55) and a non-significant LOF (F value of 0.97 < F0.05, 10, 3 = 8.79) at a 95% confidence interval obtained in ANOVA analysis of the results. The center point runs have the following conditions: catalyst dose: 0.68g/L; pH: 7.5; CEBT: 7.25mg/L; and irradiation time: 53.5min, while the optimal run included the following conditions: catalyst dose: 1.0g/L; pH: 4; CEBT: 10mg/L; and irradiation time: 80min. About 95% of EBT molecules were degraded in the optimal conditions.

IMPACT OF PESTICIDE (FENITROTHION) ON AQUATIC AND TERRESTRIAL ANIMALS: A REVIEW

Pesticide contamination has become a significant public health problem globally because of their widespread use in the agriculture sector to increase crop yield and quality. The organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) are extensively used for insect handling in agriculture due to their effectiveness against the insects and the restricted staying power in the environment. OPs can prevail prolong in the natural environment, causes pollution issues and produce a major problem to humans, animals and nature. The extensive application of OPs in public health and agricultural programs causes critical environmental pollution, which accounts for serious health issues due to acute or chronic poisoning in the living creatures. The Fenitrothion (FNT), from the organophosphate family, is the contact insecticide and the selective acaricide. This review article focuses on the adverse effects of pesticides on targeted and non-targeted organisms, including terrestrial and aquatic life. It includes organophosphates and their toxicity on humans and animals. The main focus is on Fenitrothion, its mechanism and its adverse toxic effect on animals and humans. Adverse effects of Fenitrothion (FNT) on blood cells, immunity, kidney, liver, reproductive system, genetic material, and other aspects are also studied. Oxidative stress has also been included as it is the main factor in pesticides. The objective of this review article is to precisely cover pesticides, mainly FNT. Keywords: Pollution, public health pests, agriculture, pesticides, organochlorine, Fenitrothion, systemic toxicity.

Economic Analysis of Fuel Oil Production from Pyrolysis of Waste Plastic

The Global plastic production has reached up to 300 million tons in 2015, and waste management has become a serious issue especially in middle and low income countries such as Pakistan. Pakistan, which is producing 1.32 million ton/year of plastic waste, is also facing the issue of environmental pollution as well as unadequate waste dumping ability due to surge in urban population. Among various waste management techniques, pyrolysis has been receiving attention because it offers solution to two most critical problems, energy shortage and environmental pollution. The main purpose of this paper is to produce fuel oil by waste plastic through the pyrolysis process and its cost estimation. Waste plastic decomposes in a various fraction of hydrocarbons catalytically at 400oC. These hydrocarbons are separated through distillation columns and phase separators as light and heavy fuel oil and wax. The economic analysis shows that the estimated total capital investment required for a pyrolysis plant is $0.2 million, the estimated total production cost of pyrolysis plant is $1.6 million/year. The results shows that pyrolysis of waste plastic to produce fuel oil can be the viable solution to meet Pakistan’s energy demand as well as to solve waste dumping issue.

University Students’ Perception of Environmental Issues

The present paper focuses on environmental awareness and perception of environmental issues by university students in Slovakia. We attempt to find out what problems of the environment are considered to be the most critical ones from the students’ point of view. In addition to that, another objective is to elaborate a list of students’ suggestions regarding raising motivation of people to adopt an eco-friendly behaviour. For the research we used a questionnaire consisting of 9 questions. The results show that students perceive as most critical environmental problems water and air pollution, traffic, waste, deforestation and overconsumption.

An effective method to screen carbon (boron, nitrogen) based two-dimensional hydrogen storage materials

The current critical environmental pollution caused by the huge fossil fuel burning together with the increasingly scarce energy source has inspired much attention on the renewable clean hydrogen energy. Thus, the hydrogen storage materials are very vital for the hydrogen application and will be screened by the high-throughput computational screening procedure in this paper. Generally, metal-modified carbon (boron, nitrogen) nanomaterials can exhibit excellent hydrogen storage capacities. An effective procedure is designed to screen the potential metal decorated carbon (boron, nitrogen) hydrogen storage materials from the Materials Project database, which can be proved to be easily realized and reliable. Totally six ideal structures are obtained for hydrogen storage by considering the thermodynamic stability, the metal decorating, the theoretical hydrogen gravimetric density larger than 5.5 wt%, the PBE band gap smaller than 1.0 eV, and the two-dimensional structure restriction. Furthermore, the binding energy of the metal atom to the screened 2D materials, the average adsorption energy per H2 adsorbed by the metal, the density of states, the difference charge densities are calculated by the density functional method. We believe that our screening procedure can effectively and accurately search for hydrogen storage materials, which should be the theoretical basis for experimental researches.

Abandoned Industrial Areas with Critical Environmental Pollution: Evaluation Model and Stigma Effect

The paper illustrates the phases and results of an evaluation model applied to abandoned industrial areas affected by critical environmental pollution. The main aim is to provide the economic evaluation of the impacts of critical environmental pollution on the market value of the areas, in anticipation of their future requalification and refunctionalization. Firstly, two mass appraisal models are applied: a regressive model in order to isolate the effects of real estate valorization generated by the requalification interventions of the abandoned steel mill areas of Bagnoli in Naples (Italy); an autoregressive model in relation to the chronology of the interventions and the real estate market dynamics, in order to predict values and costs of the building products to be realized on the areas. Subsequently, using the Ellwood model, the irreversible damage suffered by the areas in question due to the effect of critical environmental pollution is estimated. This irreversible damage corresponds to a “stigma” effect, or a loss to property value due to the presence of a risk perception-driven market resistance: for the abandoned steel mill areas of Bagnoli the reduction in the market value is equal to 28.63% approximately. The state of contamination of the areas is also described, estimating the related environmental remediation costs as a “deduction” to be applied to the “capital value” of the areas.

Ultrasensitive catalytic assessment of chromium(VI) using digital imaging

Simple, selective and highly sensitive methods of assessment of Chromium (VI) as a critical environmental pollutant are highly desirable at lower cost, especially under resource limited settings. Therefore, herein we describe for the first time the coupling of digital imaging with catalytic analysis for the extremely sensitive determination of Cr(VI) using its catalysis of the borax activated and micellar sensitized 2-aminophenol (AP) - hydrogen peroxide reaction. The fixed time kinetic measurement was applied by following the oxidation product after 10 min of mixing the reactants using a digital camera or spectrophotometrically at 435 nm. The optimized conditions were: 5 mmol L−1AP, 200 mmol L−1 H2O2, 1.1 v/v% Tween-60, 90 mmol L−1 borax, and 5 mmol L−1citrate at pH = 6.45 ± 0.05 and 45 °C. The linear calibration graph extended for up to 12.0 ng mL−1 of Cr(VI) with a detection limit (3Sb) of 0.1 ng mL−1, both by digital imaging and spectrophotometrically. The implemented method was successfully applied to various natural and polluted industrial waste waters. The analytical data were statistically in excellent agreement with those obtained following the standard GFAAS method. The developed method is two orders of magnitude more sensitive than the standard diphenylcarbazide spectrophotometric method.

Conversion Mechanisms of Selective Extraction of Lithium from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries by Sulfation Roasting.

With the undergoing unprecedented development of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the recycling of end-of-life batteries has become an urgent task considering the demand for critical materials, environmental pollution, and ecological impacts. Selective recovery of targeted element(s) is becoming a topical field that enables metal recycling in a short path with highly improved material efficiencies. This research demonstrates a process of selective recovery of spent Ni-Co-Mn (NCM)-based lithium-ion battery by systematically understanding the conversion mechanisms and controlling the sulfur behavior during a modified-sulfation roasting. As a result, Li from complex cathode components can be selectively extracted with high efficiency by only using water. Notably, the sulfur driven recovery processes can be divided into two stages: (i) part of the structure of NCM523 was destroyed, and Ni, Co, and Mn were reduced to divalent in different degrees to form sulfate (NiSO4, CoSO4, MnSO4) when reacting with H2SO4 at ambient temperature; (ii) with increasing temperature, Li ions in the unstable layered structure are released and combined with SO42- in the transition metal sulfate to form Li2SO4, and the sulfates of transition metals react to form Ni0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O1.4. Studies have shown sulfur can be recirculated thoroughly in the form of SO42-, which in principle avoids secondary pollutions. By controlling the appropriate conversion temperature, we envisage that the sulfation selective roasting recovery technology could be easily applied to other spent lithium-ion battery materials. Besides, this work may also provide a unique platform for further study on the efficient extracting of other mineral resources.

Tat-Independent Secretion of Polyethylene Terephthalate Hydrolase PETase in Bacillus subtilis 168 Mediated by Its Native Signal Peptide

Widespread utilization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has caused critical environmental pollution. The enzymatic degradation of PET is a promising solution to this problem. In this study, PETase, which exhibits much higher PET-hydrolytic activity than other enzymes, was successfully secreted into extracellular milieu from Bacillus subtilis 168 under the direction of its native signal peptide (named SPPETase). SPPETase is predicted to be a twin-arginine signal peptide. Intriguingly, inactivation of twin-arginine translocation (Tat) complexes improved the secretion amount by 3.8-fold, indicating that PETase was exported via Tat-independent pathway. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the improvement of Tat-independent secretion by inactivating Tat components of B. subtilis 168 in LB medium. Furthermore, PET film degradation assay showed that the secreted PETase was fully active. This study paves the first step to construct an efficient engineered strain for PET degradation.

Chemical and electrochemical properties of a hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent

Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have been recently introduced and acknowledged to offer remarkable advantages over the common organic solvents, thanks to their biodegradability, low toxicity and low cost. In the present paper a first study of the electrochemical properties and extraction capabilities of a prototypical hydrophobic DES, based on tetrabutylammonium chloride-decanoic acid (1:2 M ratio), is carried out. A small water content is shown to be advantageous as it dramatically affects the electrical conductivity and viscosity of the solvent, i.e. the parameters of fundamental importance in electrochemistry. A critical environmental pollutant, namely Cr(VI), has been successfully extracted from aqueous phase and amperometrically detected in the DES phase.

Nonylphenol: Properties, legislation, toxicity and determination.

This paper aims to gather and discuss important information about nonylphenol, such as physical chemistry properties, toxicity and analytical methods in various matrices. As a degradation product of ethoxylated alkylphenols, nonylphenol presents a higher degree of reactivity than its precursor. Due to its harmful effects on the environment, use and production of nonylphenol has been banned in European Union countries, alongside their precursors. The guide on quality of drinking water (USEPA) recommends a maximum concentration of 28 µg L-1 for fresh water. In Brazil, there is no clear legislation containing values ​​of maximum concentration of nonylphenol. Due to this lack of regulation, a continuous monitoring is necessary of this pollutant in environmental samples. This paper aims to encourage further studies on nonylphenol, seen as a critical environmental pollutant. For proper monitoring is necessary to have reliable analytical methods and easy to perform in routine analysis.

In situ fabrication of Ni(OH)2/Cu2O nanosheets on nanoporous NiCu alloy for high performance supercapacitor

The rapid depletion of fossil fuels along with critical environmental pollution has put forward urgent demands for advanced energy storage devices such as high-performance supercapacitors (SCs). Nickel hydroxides (Ni(OH)2) have been proved to be a high capacity electrode material for SCs, however, the preparation method and stability of Ni(OH)2 structures are unsatisfactory. In this work, via a low cost and one-step hydrothermal method in H2O2 aqueous solution without other reagents, vertically arranged Ni(OH)2/Cu2O nanosheets can be facilely fabricated on three-dimensional nanoporous NiCu alloy (NPNC), which exhibits large surface area and high electrical conductivity. Being the source of Ni and Cu, NPNC acts as the matrix of active materials as well. Thus, the strong combination and electron transportation between the active materials and NPNC can be achieved. Furthermore, the uniform distribution of Cu2O in the hybrids enhances the electrochemical stability of electrode. As a result, the binder-free Ni(OH)2/Cu2O/NPNC electrode materials exhibit a high capacity (8234 mC cm−2 or 823.4 C cm−3 at 20 mA cm−2) with excellent cycling stability (112.8% capacity retention after 10,000 cycles at 200 mA cm−2) and rate capability. Such desirable properties signify that the Ni(OH)2/Cu2O/NPNC composites hold great promise for the high-performance supercapacitors.

Mitigating effect of nano-zerovalent iron, iron sulfate and EDTA against oxidative stress induced by chromium in Helianthus annuus L.

Due to its wide industrial application, chromium (Cr) is known to be a critical environmental pollutant. Contamination of water and agricultural soil by Cr inhibits crop productivity and their physiological and biochemical processes. The objective of the current work was to investigate the effects of appropriate reducing agents such as EDTA, iron sulfate (Fe2+), and zerovalent nano iron (Fe0 nanoparticles) on growth and physiology of sunflower plants under Cr(VI) stress. Results showed that the Cr uptake increased by increasing the amount of EDTA, leading to a significant reduction in morphological and physiological parameters except for MDA and H2O2 contents. Treatment with Fe0 nanoparticles and Fe2+ reduced Cr concentration in root and shoot, increased root and shoot dry weight, plastid pigments (chlorophyll and carotenoids) and proline contents; however, the level of MDA and H2O2 decreased significantly. All parameters were affected by Fe2+ during the first week of sampling; however, Fe0 nanoparticles affected all traits until the end of the third sampling stage. A statistically significant and positive correlation was found between root Cr concentration and MDA and H2O2 seedlings treated with EDTA, Fe2+, and Fe0 grown under Cr stress. From the result of this study, it can be concluded that sunflower has the potential for accumulation of Cr as a heavy metal, and treatment with Fe0 nanoparticles to prevent Cr uptake is more effective than other employed treatments.

Bioleaching of arsenopyrite by mixed cultures of iron-oxidizing and sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms

Arsenic is a critical environmental pollutant associated with acid mine drainage. Arsenopyrite is one of the major arsenic sulfide minerals whose weathering lead to the contamination of arsenic. In this study, the leaching behaviors of arsenopyrite by two mixed cultures of iron-oxidizing and sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms (Ferroplasma thermophilum and Acidithiobacillus caldus, Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans and Acidithiobacillus caldus) were investigated, accompanying with community structure analysis of free microorganisms. The ratio of F. thermophilum to A. caldus of 1/1 showed a more favorable effect on the arsenic leaching than other ratios, and F. thermophilum played a dominant role in the solution all the leaching time. While adding A. caldus in the S. thermosulfidooxidans bioleaching system, the dissolution of arsenopyrite was suppressed. Notably, when the ratio of S. thermosulfidooxidans to A. caldus was 2/1, the arsenic extraction was accelerated at the early stage, but later it slowed down. The reason was because A. caldus was the predominant species at the later stage which made the redox potential decrease faster. XRD demonstrated that the proper addition of A. caldus could eliminate the sulfur passivation and promote the leaching in a degree. These studies are helpful to evaluate the environmental impact of arsenic.

Phosphorus Fate and Dynamics in Greywater Biofiltration Systems.

Phosphorus, a critical environmental pollutant, is effectively removed from stormwater by biofiltration systems, mainly via sedimentation and straining. However, the fate of dissolved inflow phosphorus concentrations in these systems is unknown. Given the growing interest in using biofiltration systems to treat other polluted waters, for example greywater, such an understanding is imperative to optimize designs for successful long-term performance. A mass balance method and a radiotracer, 32P (as H3PO4), were used to investigate the partitioning of phosphorus (concentrations of 2.5-3.5 mg/L, >80% was in dissolved inorganic form) between the various biofilter components at the laboratory scale. Planted columns maintained a phosphorus removal efficiency of >95% over the 15-week study period. Plant storage was found to be the dominant phosphorus sink (64% on average). Approximately 60% of the phosphorus retained in the filter media was recovered in the top 0-6 cm. The 32P tracer results indicate that adsorption is the immediate primary fate of dissolved phosphorus in the system (up to 57% of input P). Plant assimilation occurs at other times, potentially liberating sorption sites for processing of subsequent incoming phosphorus. Plants with high nutrient uptake capacities and the ability to efficiently extract soil phosphorus, for example Carex appressa, are, thus, recommended for use in greywater biofilters.