Environmental Quality Standards Research Articles

In-depth characterization of particulate matter in a highly polluted urban environment at the foothills of Himalaya-Karakorum Region.

In recent years, the rising levels of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) have an impact on the earth's system, leading to undesirable consequences on various aspects like human health, visibility, and climate. The present work is carried out over an insufficiently studied but polluted urban area of Peshawar, which lies at the foothills of the famous Himalaya and Karakorum area, Northern Pakistan. The particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10µm, i.e., PM10 are collected and analyzed for mineralogical, morphological, and chemical properties. Diverse techniques were used to examine the PM10 samples, for instance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy along with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, proton-induced x-ray emission, and an OC/EC carbon analyzer. The 24h average PM10 mass concentration along with standard deviation was investigated to be 586.83 ± 217.70µg/m3, which was around 13 times greater than the permissible limit of the world health organization (45µg/m3) and 4 times the Pakistan national environmental quality standards for ambient PM10 (150µg/m3). Minerals such as crystalline silicate, carbonate, asbestiform minerals, sulfate, and clay minerals were found using FTIR and XRD investigations. Microscopic examination revealed particles of various shapes, including angular, flaky, rod-like, crystalline, irregular, rounded, porous, chain, spherical, and agglomeration structures. This proved that the particles had geogenic, anthropogenic, and biological origins. The average value of organic carbon, elemental carbon, and total carbon is found to be 91.56 ± 43.17, 6.72 ± 1.99, and 102.41 ± 44.90µg/m3, respectively. Water-soluble ions K+ and OC show a substantial association (R = 0.71). Prominent sources identified using Principle component analysis (PCA) are anthropogenic, crustal, industrial, and electronic combustion. This research paper identified the potential sources of PM10, which are vital for preparing an air quality management plan in the urban environment of Peshawar.

Public education and the environment

This paper investigated, in an overlapping generations model highlighting two-period lived households, the influence of education and environmental awareness on physical capital and environmental terms by sketching, at the stable steady-state equilibrium, the comparative static examination. According to this approach, the study has shown that public education policy can neither boost environmental quality standards nor the capital stock.  The study also found that larger environmental awareness as young results in upper capital accumulation and upper environmental quality. Regarding individuals' environmental awareness in old age, it was revealed that it leads on the one hand to less physical capital accumulation and on the other hand to a better environmental quality, only in the case where the value of environmental awareness at a young age is 10 and the value of environmental awareness at old age is greater than or equal to 40. Keywords: Capital accumulation; environmental awareness; environmental quality; public education

Microplastics in remote region of the world: Insights from the glacier of Geladandong, China

Although microplastics have been detected in different remote areas, people are still short of knowledge for environmental background of microplastics in remote area. In this work, we collected air, snow, river and lake water samples from Geladandong region (the origin of the Yangtze River) of the Tibetan Plateau, along with microscopy and Micro-FTIR analyses. Microplastics abundance (0.13–19.8 items/L) was the low as compared with other remote areas worldwide, and the morphology of fiber and film, material of PP and PET, and size of <300 μm were the main microplastics features. Due to natural aging during the transport processes, microplastics were degrading to smaller particle in Geladandong. Air mass trajectory analysis shows microplastics in Geladandong is transferred by repeated atmospheric transport from no human activity place. All these results suggested that Geladandong is an ideal research area for environmental background value and characteristic of microplastics. In conjunction with data from other remote regions, we established the background values for microplastics in remote areas. This work provides quantitative evidence for establishing environmental quality standards, and monitoring environmental changes.

Safe and sustainable fish and seafood system and per- and poly-fluorinated substances occurrence: the role of PFAS toxicity in the assessment.

Fish and seafood are valuable sources of both nutrients and organic contaminants. The expansion of the analytical per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) panel with toxicological characterisation necessitates an update of PFAS intake assessment and management within the context of cumulative exposure. Benthic and demersal seafood, such as clams, squid, and cuttlefish, are more prone to contamination with C9-C14 perfluorocarboxylic acids, exhibiting the highest relative potency factors in terms of immunotoxicity, according to the grid recently proposed by the European Commission Scientific Committee on Health, Environment, and Emerging Risk. Based on the Italian food consumption database referring to demersal and benthic biota such as squid, cuttlefish, crustaceans, and clams, a toxicology-based intake scenario was drafted to highlight the relevant contribution of such wild species to PFAS intake, well above the provisional health-based guidance value of 4.4ng/kg body weight per week. Ensuring consistency between PFAS reduction and substitution policies, environmental quality standards for water bodies, and the issuance of advisories and regulations regarding safe and sustainable intake of fish and seafood is crucial. This is done to prevent a loss of accountability for institutional bodies, which aim to protect fragile (sensitive and vulnerable) groups from PFAS exposure and simultaneously promote 'blue growth' as a sustainable food production system.

Evaluation of the Performance of Wastewater Treatment Plant at Steel Mill Karachi, Pakistan

The purpose of this study is to evaluate how well Steel Mill Karachi's wastewater treatment system works. Wastewater treatment facilities employ the activated sludge technique. Several influent and effluent locations allowed for the collection of influent and effluent samples. A number of physicochemical parameters, such as total dissolved solids (TDS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), electric conductivity (EC), pH, and other metals, such as potassium (K), iron (Fe), sulphate (SO4-2), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), zinc (Zn), and magnesium (Mg), were measured in order to evaluate the effectiveness of wastewater treatment plants. In a lab environment, the sample's analysis findings were compared to Sindh Environmental Quality Standards (SEQS) for Pakistan. EC, BOD5, COD, SO4-2, Ca, Mg, Na, K, TDS, TSS, EC, BOD5, COD, SO4-2, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, and Zn were removed to different degrees: 42.93%, 60.33%, 43.63%, 51.53%, 40.5%, 35.56%, 26.33%, 22.12%, 34.09%, 20.75%, 55.87%, 22.12%, and 76.10%. Only two metrics, the COD and Zn concentrations, were over the SEQS limits, keeping other effluent results parameters within the limits. Additionally, it is advised that proper maintenance be carried out to increase the effectiveness of wastewater treatment plants.

WASTEWATER TREATMENT DESIGN OF KAMPAR STATE POLYTECHNIC CPO PURIFICATION LABORATORY

Kampar Polytechnic has a miniplan laboratory for processing CPO into cooking oil, biodiesel, and soap. During its operation, this processing produces liquid waste and solid waste. The waste released must be treated before being discharged into the environment, provided that the amount of COD reduction efficiency is good enough (63,41%). The COD content in wastewater is still above environmental quality standards. To reduce COD according to permissible standards, recycling is carried out with effluent from the sedimentation process returned to the equalization unit. The design of equalization, coagulation, and flocculation tubs has been successfully carried out. The results obtained are the dimensions of the equalization bath at 2m length, 2m width, and 1.2m height. The dimensions of the coagulation bath are 1.5m long, 1.0m wide, and 1.2m high. The dimensions of the flocculation bath are 2.5m long, 1.5m wide, and 1.2m high, with the provision that consideration meets the volume of liquid waste treated.

Promising membrane photobioreactor for continuous flow treatment of Low C/N wastewater: Treating process, community structure, and cooperation mechanism

Low carbon/nitrogen (C/N) wastewater treatment is an emerging issue for conventional treatment technologies. To achieve this goal, a novel membrane photobioreactor (MPBR), integrating microalgae consortium (MC) and activated sludge (AS) phases, was investigated. The separation of the MC and AS phases could improve the removal of pollutants in low C/N wastewater, which could achieve the rapid denitrogenation through NH4+-N assimilation in MC phase, and effectively reduce organic matter concentration in AS phase, resulting in better nutrient recovery, lower costs, and stable pH. The results in phase I showed that the pollutants, such as chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium (NH4+-N), and total phosphorus (TP), met the Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water (GB3838–2002) by MPBR. The AS phase with low DO, which could enrich heterotrophic bacteria (e.g., Bacteroidetes vadinHA17, Spirochaeta and Ahniella) and nitrogen cycling bacteria (e.g., Mycobacterium, Bacillus and Ellin6067), could promote the removal of COD and NO3--N in the continuous effluent. Based on the co-occurrence pattern analysis, the main influencing factor of MC and AS phases was the reduction of COD, which also illustrated the synergistic removal of organic matter by the cooperative interaction of microalgae and heterotrophic bacteria. From a genetic perspective, the internal circulation mode also enhanced microbial nitrogen metabolism in the MPBRs, with higher abundances of nitrification- and denitrification-related functional genes in the MC phase, and higher abundances of nitrification, dissimilatory nitrate reduction, and denitrification genes in the AS phase. This study provided an experimental and theoretical basis for MPBR in low-C/N wastewater treatment.

Multi-isotopic composition of brown crab (Cancer pagurus) and seafloor sediment from a mine tailing sea disposal impacted fjord ecosystem

Sea disposal of mine tailings in fjord ecosystems is an important coastal management issue in Norway and occurs at the land-sea interface. Here we studied accumulation of heavy metals in brown crab (Cancer pagurus) and seafloor sediment from Jøssingfjord, Norway during 2018 to evaluate long-term, legacy pollution effects of coastal mine tailing sea disposal activities. Nickel and copper sediment pollution in the mine tailing sea disposal area was classified as moderate and severe, respectively, under Norwegian environmental quality standards, and highlights the persistent hazard and legacy impacts of heavy metals in these impacted fjord ecosystems. Mercury, zinc, and arsenic had stronger affinities to brown crab muscle likely due to the presence of thiols, and availability of metal binding sites. Our multi-isotopic composition data showed that lead isotopes were the most useful source apportionment tool for this fjord. Overall, our study highlights the importance and value of measuring several different heavy metals and multiple isotopic signatures in different crab organs and seafloor sediment to comprehensively evaluate fjord pollution and kinetic uptake dynamics. Brown crabs were suitable eco-indicators of benthic ecosystem heavy metal pollution in a fjord ecosystem still experiencing short- and long-term physical and chemical impacts from coastal mining sea disposal activities.

Monitoring of university wastewater within the sewage system and its performance evaluation through integrated constructed wetlands.

Rapid increase in population and industrialization has not only improved the lifestyle but adversely affected the quality and availability of water leading to ample amount of wastewater generation. The major contribution towards wastewater production is from sewage. Regular monitoring and treatment of sewage water is necessary to conserve and enhance the quality of water. The present study focuses on monitoring of sewage water within the sewage system of a residential university. A total of 16 samples from different manholes were collected for physicochemical and heavy metals analysis and compared with final effluent collected from integrated constructed wetlands (ICWs) to assess its removal efficiency. The mean concentrations of influent and effluent were compared with national environmental quality standards (NEQS) for municipal discharge (pH6-9, COD 150mg/L, TSS 200mg/L and TDS 3500mg/L) and international agricultural reuse standards (IARS) (pH6-8, COD <150mg/L, TSS < 100mg/L) respectively. Among all physicochemical parameters, influent values for chemical oxygen demand (COD) (169.56-258.36) mg/L exceeded the limit of NEQS for discharge into inland waters, whereas for total suspended solids (TSS) the concentration exceeded for discharge into STP (406mg/L) and inland waters (202.33mg/L). However, effluent concentrations for all the parameters were found within the permissible limit set by IARS. The removal efficiency for different parameters such as phosphate- phosphorus (PO43-P), COD, TSS, total dissolved solids (TDS) and total kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) were 52, 53, 54, 35, and 36%, respectively. Heavy metal concentrations were compared with WHO guidelines among which lead (Pb) in effluent and chromium (Cr) in influent exceeded the limit (Pb 0.01 and Cr 0.05mg/L). Interpolation results showed that zone 2 was highly contaminated in comparison to zone 1 & 3. Statistical analysis showed that correlation of physicochemical parameters and heavy metals was found significant (p < 0.05).

Conditions for liability of the airport’s in connection with public intervention carried out on the basis of setting increased technical requirements for existing buildings and newly designed buildings in the RUAs

On the basis of the application of article 129 section 2 in connection with article 136 section 3 of the Environmental Protection Act there is a noticeable erroneous interpretative practice of the courts in assuming that compensation covers not only the costs related to material expenditure incurred to improve acoustics, but also costs that were not incurred (forecast costs). In practice, this also applies to those RUAs in which environmental quality standards have not been exceeded and no increased technical requirements have been established for residential buildings. This leads to compensation beyond the scope of legal damage, which results in ineffectiveness of intervention implemented in real estate markets around airports.This situation justifies undertaking research that will result in sorting out the conditions for airport liability and presenting the correct scope of compensation for the analyzed legal damage.

Biochar accelerated Fenton process for roxarsone oxidation, inorganic arsenic adsorption and simultaneous immobilization of arsenic-iron sludge

Complete remediation of organoarsenics from environmental matrix hits the bottleneck, that is, the sluggish efficiency of oxidative degradation towards organoarsenics and unsatisfying immobilization performance towards generated inorganic arsenic. Herein, we establish a biochar accelerated Fenton (BA-Fenton) process to decontaminate water from roxarsone (ROX). In comparison with Fe2+/H2O2 process (10 μΜ/0.2 mM), the incorporation of 0.5 g L-1 biochar promoted ROX degradation from 48.2% to 98.2% and total arsenic elimination from 67.6% to 97.3%, respectively. In BA-Fenton process, •OH as the dominant reactive oxygen species (ROS), exhibited a cumulative concentration of 0.42 mM, three times higher than that in classical Fenton process. Crucially, the presence of biochar in Fenton process significantly enhanced the stability of arsenic-iron sludge, whereas the secondary leaching of total arsenic decreased from 433.8 μg-As L-1 to 13.9 μg-As L-1, meeting the prescribed environmental quality standards for surface water in China (50 μg-As L-1, GB 3838-2002). Mechanistic studies unveiled ROX remediation mechanism by BA-Fenton process, highlighting the dual functionality of biochar. On one hand, biochar efficiently reduced Fe3+ to Fe2+ with a rate constant of 0.225 min-1, overcoming the rate-determining step of classical Fenton process for •OH production, consequently promoting the transformation of ROX to As(V). On the other hand, molecular spectroscopy analysis elucidated that in-situ formed As(V) was adsorbed by ferric hydroxides with the formation of arsenic-iron sludge. Subsequently, biochar immobilized arsenic-iron sludge through hydrogen bonds, electrostatic attraction and surface complexation. Furthermore, real water studies demonstrated the effective remediation of organoarsenics by BA-Fenton process in tap water, lake water and chicken manure leachate. This “Two Birds with One Stone” strategy with low-cost, environmental-friendly and sustainable biochar holds great promise for the ultimate disposal of industrial wastewater containing organoarsenics.

Domestic wastewater treatment by Pistia stratiotes in constructed wetland

The objective of the study was to evaluate the performance of Pistia stratiotes for treatment of domestic wastewater in a free surface water flow constructed wetland. The objective of the study was to evaluate contaminants removal efficiency of the constructed wetland vegetated with P. stratiotes in treatment of domestic wastewater against Hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 10, 20 and 30 days was investigated. This asks for newer and efficient low-cost nature-based water treatment system which along with cost takes into consideration the sustainability of the ecosystem. Five constructed wetland setups improved the wastewater quality and purify it significantly by reducing the TDS by 83%, TSS by 82%, BOD by 82%, COD by 81%, Chloride by 80%, Sulfate by 77%, NH3 by 84% and Total Oil and Grease by 74%. There was an increase in pH of about 11.9%. Color and odor of wastewater was also improved significantly and effectively. It was observed that 30 days’ HRT was optimum for the treatment of domestic wastewater. The final effluent was found to be suitable as per national environmental quality standards and recycled for watering plants and crop irrigation but not for drinking purposes. The treatment in constructed wetland system was found to be economical, as the cost of construction only was involved and operational and maintenance cost very minimal. Even this research was conducted on the sole purpose of commuting the efficiency of pollutant removal in short span time.

Assessing the hepatotoxicity of phosphogypsum leachate in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

The improper disposal of large amounts of phosphogypsum generated during the production process of the phosphorus chemical industry (PCI) still exists. The leachate formed by phosphogypsum stockpiles could pose a threat to the ecological environment and human health. Nevertheless, information regarding the harmful effects of phosphogypsum leachate on organisms is still limited. Herein, the physicochemical characteristics of phosphogypsum leachate were analyzed, and its toxicity effect on zebrafish (Danio rerio), particularly in terms of hepatotoxicity and potential mechanisms, were evaluated. The results indicated that P, NH3-N, TN, F−, As, Cd, Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, Mn, and Hg of phosphogypsum leachate exceeded the V class of surface water environmental quality standards (GB 3838–2002) to varying degrees. Acute toxicity test showed that the 96 h LC50 values of phosphogypsum leachate to zebrafish was 2.08 %. Under exposure to phosphogypsum leachate, zebrafish exhibited concentration-dependent liver damage, characterized by vacuolization and infiltration of inflammatory cells. The increased in Malondialdehyde (MDA) content and altered activities of antioxidant enzymes in the liver indicated the induction of oxidative stress and oxidative damage. The expression of apoptosis-related genes (P53, PUMA, Caspase3, Bcl-2, and Bax) were up-regulated at low dosage group and down-regulated at medium and high dosage groups, suggesting the occurrence of hepatocyte apoptosis or necrosis. Additionally, phosphogypsum leachate influenced the composition of the zebrafish gut microbiota by reducing the relative abundance of Bacteroidota, Aeromonas, Flavobacterium, Vibrio, and increasing that of Rhodobacter and Pirellula. Correlation analysis revealed that gut microbiota dysbiosis was associated with phosphogypsum leachate-induced hepatotoxicity. Altogether, exposure to phosphogypsum leachate caused liver damage in zebrafish, likely through oxidative stress and apoptosis, with the intestinal flora also playing a significant role. These findings contribute to understanding the ecological toxicity of phosphogypsum leachate and promote the sustainable development of PCI.

Dramatic improvement of aerosol pollution status over the East Asian ocean: from the establishment of Japanese environmental quality standard for PM2.5 in 2009 to its achievement in 2021

Abstract The severe aerosol pollution in East Asia has been a focus of much research. In Japan, the environmental quality standard (EQS) for PM2.5 was established in 2009 (daily average, 35 μg/m3; annual average, 15 μg/m3), and its achievement rate was below 50% during the early 2010s. Then, the PM2.5 concentration gradually decreased, the achievement rate improved, and the EQS for PM2.5 was finally achieved (100%) in fiscal year (FY) 2021. Because transboundary aerosol pollution is an important factor in Japanese air quality, here we analyzed the long-term dataset of the satellite-measured fine-mode aerosol optical depth (AODf) over the East Asian ocean to reveal the changes in the transboundary aerosol over East Asia. Overall, a decrease in AODf was seen over the entire East Asian ocean during the period analyzed. A gradual declining trend in AODf was measured (−4% to −5%/year over the adjacent ocean around Japan) and corresponded well to the trend in PM2.5 concentration observed in Japan (−5.3%/year) during FY2010–FY2021. Due to the domestic contribution in Japan, the negative trend was slightly greater for Japanese PM2.5 concentration than for AODf over the adjacent ocean around Japan, and we concluded that the main reason for the dramatic air quality improvement in PM2.5 in Japan was driven by the improvement of transboundary aerosol pollution over East Asia. In addition, the 12-year analysis period (FY2010 to FY2021) was divided into three parts: stagnation (FY2010 to FY2014), in which PM2.5 and AODf remained the same as they were in FY2010; improvement (FY2015 to FY2018), in which PM2.5 and AODf declined dramatically; and achievement (FY2019 to FY2021), in which PM2.5 and AODf declined further.

Simultaneous voltammetric detection of benzene, naphthalene and anthracene from water using boron-doped diamond electrode

In this study, a simple, fast and sensitive voltammetric detection using boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode was proposed for simultaneous quantification of benzene (BZ), naphthalene (NF) and anthracene (AC) from priority organic pollutants class in real tap water. The electrochemical behaviors of individual and simultaneous BZ, NF and AC studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) on BDD electrode showed a large separation between their oxidation potential, which allowed the development of simple simultaneous detection method. Differential-pulse voltammetry (DPV) technique operated at step potential of 5 mV and modulation amplitude of 200 mV enabled to reach the lowest limits of detection of 0.40 μM for BZ, 0.04 μM for NF and 0.70 nM for AC, which is appropriate for water quality control related to their environmental quality standards. No significant influence of chloride ions was found and the method was validated in real tap water and surface water spiked with known concentrations of BZ, NF and AC, which proved the practical utility of the method for water quality control.

Environmental retrieval during COVID-19 lockdown in the megacity Karachi, Pakistan

The global devastating effect of COVID-19 has also wrapped up the mega city of Pakistan-Karachi. The study was conducted to reveal the effects of limited anthropogenic activities, in terms of national lockdown, on the environmental pollution in Karachi. No study has been conducted to monitor the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on levels of PM2.5 and noise in Karachi so far. The levels of PM2.5 and noise were monitored before and during the imposition of the COVID-19 lockdown with the help of a particulate monitor and environmental meter, respectively. The monitoring was conducted for 12 hours at 25 locations. The spatial distribution of mean PM2.5 and noise levels were represented by thematic maps. Statistical evaluation revealed a significant decrease in PM2.5 and noise pollution by 53.55% and 24.98%, respectively. The percentage of locations where the mean PM2.5 level was surpassing the Sindh environmental quality standards before the lockdown had dropped from 56% to 8% during the lockdown. Similarly, the percentage of locations where the mean value of noise exceeded the standard values before lockdown had descended from 96% to 24 % for residential areas; 72% to 12% for commercial areas; and 44% to 0% for industrial areas, during lockdown.

Modeling pesticides and ecotoxicological risk assessment in an intermittent river using SWAT

The present work aimed to predict the fate of two pesticides, copper (Cu) and glyphosate in a Mediterranean basin with an intermittent river and to assess the ecotoxicological risk related to their presence in water bodies coupling field measurements of streamflow and pesticide concentrations, and an eco-hydrological model. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was calibrated and, subsequently used to assess predicted environmental concentrations of pesticides in surface waters. The ecotoxicological risk related to the presence of Cu and glyphosate in surface water was assessed at the reach scale by using the Toxicity to Exposure Ratio approach (TER). Measurements of glyphosate concentrations (< 0.5 μg l−1) exceeded the maximum European threshold of environmental quality standards for pesticides (EQS) of 0.1 μg l−1. High concentrations of glyphosate were predicted in the wet season and in September, when glyphosate is mostly used in vineyards and olive grove productions. Acute risk (TER < 100) associated with the presence of glyphosate was detected for several reaches. High concentrations of Cu (< 6.5 μg l−1), mainly used as a fungicide in vineyards, were predicted in several river reaches. The results of the ecotoxicological risk assessment revealed that November and January were the critical months during which most of the river reaches showed a chronic risk associated with the presence of Cu.

Challenges Encountered by the SLP Beneficiaries in the Operations of the Marinated Boneless Milkfish Business

This study explores and develops an in-depth understanding of challenges encountered by the SLP beneficiaries towards business operations regarding food waste management, policy implementation, business marketing, records management, and supply chain. The output of this study will serve as the basis for further training enhancement programs. A qualitative study using the case study method was conducted in the municipality of Candijay, Bohol. Selected members of Mauswagong Pundok sa Pantawid SLP Association who were officers undergo an exploratory interview in the first phase as a basis for the structured interview guide for phase two interview. The findings have highlighted the interplay of various factors that influence the success and sustainability of this venture, encompassing food waste management, policy implementation, business marketing, records management, and supply chain management. The challenges encountered by SLP beneficiaries in the operations of the Marinated Boneless Milkfish business are multifaceted and interconnected. Addressing these challenges requires a collaborative effort from various stakeholders, including government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the beneficiaries themselves. The theoretical contribution and originality of this research lie in its holistic examination of the challenges encountered by beneficiaries of the Marinated Boneless Milkfish business, considering the intersection of various elements. This research uniquely integrates these factors into a comprehensive analysis. This approach allows for a more nuanced understanding of how these challenges are interrelated and how addressing them collectively can lead to a more sustainable and prosperous business model. The findings of this research have significant implications for practitioners and policymakers. Clear and supportive policies regarding environmental regulations, quality standards, and fisheries management are vital to creating a conducive business environment. For practitioners, there is an urgent need to address food waste management by exploring innovative sourcing and preservation techniques, and potentially partnering with organizations to reduce waste. Keywords: Business Management, Challenges Encountered, Qualitative Research, Thematic Analysis

Assessment of legacy and emerging PFAS in the Oder River: Occurrence, distribution, and sources

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the occurrence and distribution of emerging contaminants, poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), in the Polish Oder River, aiming to uncover new insights into their environmental impact. The research aimed to identify potential sources of PFAS, assess water quality levels, and verify compliance with European Union environmental quality standards. The concentrations of 25 PFAS (20 legacy and 5 emerging) in 20 samples from intakes upstream and downstream of urban areas were analyzed using novel, developed in these studies, environmental analytical procedures involving solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The presence of 14 PFAS was confirmed, and the concentration of Σ14PFAS ranged from 7.6 to 68.0 ng/L. The main components were short-chain analogs. PFBA was the most abundant, accounting for about one-third of all PFAS detected. An exception was observed in the waters of the Gliwice Canal, where ADONA represented half of the detected Σ14PFAS. Alternative PFOS replacements were found in all samples. In 11 of 20 water samples, environmental quality standards for PFOS exceeded the limit of 0.65 ng/L. In 5 of 9 cases, the ability of urban areas to increase PFAS levels in the river was determined. 9.5%–54.4% share of alternative PFAS in relation to the sum of the targeted PFAS showing their increasing use as substitutes for phased-out PFOS. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify potential sources of PFAS. Analysis revealed that PFAS in the Oder River most likely originated from domestic and agricultural wastewater, as well as chemical industry discharges. However, the occurrence of PFAS in the Oder River is low and comparable to other recent European studies. These findings provide valuable insights for environmental management to mitigate the risks associated with PFAS pollution in Polish rivers. Moreover, the developed analytical procedure provides a valuable tool that can be successfully applied by other researchers to monitor PFAS in rivers around the world.

PENGELOLAAN KUALITAS AIR ASAM TAMBANG SETTLING POND PADA KEGIATAN PERTAMBANGAN BATUBARA DI KABUPATEN TANAH LAUT

Management of acid mine drainage is necessary to ensure that the seetlingpond outlet meets the required environmental quality standards. This research was conducted at the seetlingpond location of PT. Jorong Barutama Greston. The aim of this research is to analyze the relationship between the seetlingpond inlet discharge and the use of lime using manual and automatic methods with the outlet parameter sizes being pH Fe, Mn and Cd. Data collection was carried out for approximately 1 year. Observations were taken on a monthly average, both discharge, amount of lime and results of chemical analysis of water quality. The results showed that the method of using lime automatically produces a significant linear relationship between the amount of discharge and the use of lime, while the use of lime manually does not occur consistently between the amount of discharge and the amount of lime so that the use, for the results of water quality analysis either manually or using a lime mixing machine, both produce water quality output that meets environmental quality standards based on the standards of South Kalimantan Governor Regulation No. 36 of 2008.