Greatest Environmental Challenges Research Articles

ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT AND MATERIAL COMPOSITION COMPARISON OF SINGLE-USE AND REUSABLE DUODENOSCOPES.

Infection outbreaks associated with contaminated reusable duodenoscopes (RDs) have induced the development of novel single-use duodenoscopes (SDs). This study aims to analyse the material composition and life cycle assessment (LCA) of RDs and SDs to assess the sustainability of global and partial SD implementation. A single-centre study evaluated material composition analysis and LCA of one RD and two SDs from different manufacturers (A, B). Material composition analysis was performed to evaluate the thermochemical properties of the duodenoscope components. Carbon footprint was calculated using environmental software. We compared the sustainability strategies of universal use of RDs, frequent use of RDs with occasional SDs, and universal use of SDs over the lifetime of one RD. RDs were substantially heavier (3489 g) than SD-A (943 g) and SD-B (715.5 g). RDs were mainly metallic alloys (95%), whereas SDs were mainly plastic polymers and resins (70-81%). The LCA demonstrated the sustainability of RDs, with a lifecycle carbon footprint 62-82 times lower compared to the universal use of SDs (151.7 vs. 10512-12640 kg CO2-eq) and 10 times lower compared to the occasional use of SDs (151.7 vs. 1417.3-1676.6 kg CO2-eq). Differences were observed between SD-A and SD-B (7.9 vs. 6.6 kg CO2-eq per endoscope). End-of-life incineration emissions for SDs were the most environmental contributors. Widespread adoption of SD has greater environmental challenges; it requires a balance between infection control and environmental responsibility. Carbon footprint labelling can help healthcare institutions make sustainable choices and promote environmentally responsible healthcare practices.

Paper sludge saccharification for batch and fed-batch production of bacterial cellulose decorated with magnetite for dye decolorization by experimental design

Cellulosic wastes represent a great environmental challenge, with potential conversion to product-added value through microbial fermentation. Currently, bacterial cellulose (BC) is considered a promising natural polymer for multiple applications. However, the high production cost challenges its wide application. Hence, the current study evaluated the applicability of paper sludge as a cost-effective medium for both cellulases and BC production. The local isolate Streptomyces rochei revealed the highest cellulase production titer (about 3 U/mL) at optimized conditions. For BC production, batch and fed-batch fermentation strategies were evaluated using enzymatically hydrolyzed paper sludge. The results asserted the advantage of fed-batch fermentation for advanced BC production (3.10 g/L) over batch fermentation (1.06 g/L) under the same cultivation conditions. The developed BC membranes were characterized through different instrumental analyses, which revealed an increase in fiber diameters and crystallinity under fed-batch fermentation. Furthermore, BC/magnetite (BC/Fe3O4) nanocomposite was developed by an in-situ approach. The newly developed composite was evaluated for dye removal applications, using methyl orange (MO) as a model. The dye removal conditions were optimized through Box Behnken design (BBD), which indicated maximal MO removal (83.5%) at pH 3.0 and BC/Fe3O4 concentration of 0.1 mg/dL after 60 min. Therefore, the current study asserts the good applicability of enzymatically hydrolyzed paper sludge as a medium for cost-effective BC production and the high capacity of BC/magnetite nanocomposite for MO decolorization. The study paves the way for the cost-effective implementation of BC/magnetite nanocomposite for dye removal.Graphical

Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Chromium Reducing Haloalkaliphilic Bacteria from Alkaline Lonar Lake

Heavy metals generated mainly through many anthropogenic processes, and some natural processes have been a great environmental challenge and continued to be the concern of many researchers and environmental scientists. This is mainly due to their highest toxicity even at a minimum concentration as they are nonbiodegradable and can persist in the aquatic and terrestrial environments for long periods. Chromium ions, especially hexavalent ions (Cr(VI)) generated through the different industrial process such as tanneries, metallurgical, petroleum, refractory, oil well drilling, electroplating, mining, textile, pulp and paper industries, are among toxic heavy metal ions, which pose toxic effects to human, plants, microorganisms, and aquatic lives.The present study deals with isolation and molecular characterization of bacteria from alkaline lonar crater, having ability to survive and remediate the chromium. In the present study, 26 bacterial isolates were obtained from twelve samples of water, matt and sediment collected from Lonar Lake. Among these isolates, a well characterized isolate ASJ 21 was subjected for molecular characterization on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing, isolate ASJ 21 was identified as Lysinibacillus mangiferihumi. The chromium remediation ability of Lysinibacillus mangiferihumi was studied spectrophotometrically by using Di-phenyl carbazide assay and the study revealed that the isolate Lysinibacillus mangiferihumi reduced 88% of chromium and rate reduction of chromium was found to be 0.916 µg/mL after 96h of incubation period, showing the ability of microorganisms to tolerate the chromium concentration at alkaline pH and potential to remediate and detoxify hexavalent Chromium (VI) to trivalent Chromium (III) as well.

Data sharing in agricultural supply chains: Using semantics to enable sustainable food systems

The agrifood system faces a great many economic, social and environmental challenges. One of the biggest practical challenges has been to achieve greater data sharing throughout the agrifood system and the supply chain, both to inform other stakeholders about a product and equally to incentivise greater environmental sustainability. In this paper, a data sharing architecture is described built on three principles (a) reuse of existing semantic standards; (b) integration with legacy systems; and (c) a distributed architecture where stakeholders control access to their own data. The system has been developed based on the requirements of commercial users and is designed to allow queries across a federated network of agrifood stakeholders. The Ploutos semantic model is built on an integration of existing ontologies. The Ploutos architecture is built on a discovery directory and interoperability enablers, which use graph query patterns to traverse the network and collect the requisite data to be shared. The system is exemplified in the context of a pilot involving commercial stakeholders in the processed fruit sector. The data sharing approach is highly extensible with considerable potential for capturing sustainability related data.

Misrelating values and empirical matters in conservation: A problem and solutions

We uncover a largely unnoticed and unaddressed problem in conservation research: arguments built within studies are sometimes defective in more fundamental and specific ways than appreciated, because they misrelate values and empirical matters. We call this the unraveled rope problem because just as strands of rope must be properly and intricately wound with each other so the rope supports its load, empirical aspects and value aspects of an argument must be related intricately and properly if the argument is to objectively support its conclusion. By characterizing this problem with precision, our study differs from but complements existing studies of value issues in conservation science, in two ways. First, it focuses on key relationships between empirical issues and value issues, relations that have sometimes been obscured by focusing on these issues more independently of each other. Second, it focuses on these relationships within arguments and deploys a method of argument analysis and evaluation honed in other fields but under-utilized in conservation science. By combining our study's novel features, we detail six families of argument defect that exemplify the unraveled rope problem within existing literature. These defects sometimes manifest within basic research stages, rather than just in more applied downstream stages where roles for values are already obvious to many. As scientific reasoning and communication become increasingly important for addressing society's greatest environmental challenges, overcoming the unraveled rope problem will be essential to the success and integrity of conservation research. Therefore, we also outline potential solutions, preventative measures, and useful further work for conservation researchers.

Stretchable, recyclable thermosets via photopolymerization and 3D printing of hemiacetal ester-based resins.

Achieving a circular plastics economy is one of our greatest environmental challenges, yet conventional mechanical recycling remains inadequate for thermoplastics and incompatible with thermosets. The next generation of plastic materials will be designed with the capacity for degradation and recycling at end-of-use. To address this opportunity in the burgeoning technologies of 3D printing and photolithography, we report a modular system for the production of degradable and recyclable thermosets via photopolymerization. The polyurethane backbone imparts robust, elastic, and tunable mechanical properties, while the use of hemiacetal ester linkages allows for facile degradation under mild acid. The synthetic design based on hemiacetal esters enables simple purification to regenerate a functional polyurethane diol.

Integrated modeling to assess the impact of climate change on the groundwater and surface water in the South Aral Sea area

The recession of the South Aral Sea over the last few decades has become a great environmental challenge in Central Asia. Due to declining inflow and irrigation exhaustion, the Amu Darya River vanishes before reaching the South Aral Sea. Therefore, groundwater (GW) has become the vital water source for the South Aral Sea surface water and the local ecosystem. To develop feasible adaptation strategies for water resource management, it is necessary to quantify the GW flux into the South Aral Sea under ongoing climate change. Based on numerical models (MODFLOW and SWAT) and with the support of observed data, remote sensing data, reanalysis data, and the output of Global Circulation Models (GCMs) of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6), the hydraulic connection between a shallow aquifer and the lake was investigated and projected for future change. The GW model was calibrated by one in-situ GW well and six Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) derived GW heads. The root mean square error (RMSE) of the GW flow field simulation (MODFLOW) was lower than 0.21 m from 2005 to 2016. Under three shared socioeconomic pathways (sustainable pathway, medium pathway, and fossil-fueled development), the GCMs indicate that the evapotranspiration (ET) experiences the greatest change, and will potentially rise to 602.6 mm/yr by 2100 in fossil-fueled development. While the precipitation and the runoff of the Amu Darya River will both rise slightly, and with the range of 146.4–163.3 mm/yr and 107.8–118.4 m3/s from 2021 to 2100 separately, and the increase is mainly during winter. With climate change signals forcing on the historical hydrometeorological data, the simulation result revealed that the GW contributes to more than 78 % of the total influx of water into the lake during 2021–2100, and the predicted GW flux into the lake will slightly rise over time. However, the ET will also increase due to rising temperatures and may gradually outpace the recharge growth. The simulation results indicate that the South Aral Sea may maintain a surface area of 4.47×103km2 in fossil-fueled development, which means it will continue to shrink if there is no human intervention. Therefore, a set of sustainable water resource management methods is urgently needed to preserve the ecological environment of the South Aral Sea and prevent ecological disasters.

Evaluating the Presence of Marine Litter in Cetaceans Stranded in the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean Sea).

Simple SummaryThe presence of plastic in oceans is extremely concerning as it poses a potential threat to marine organisms; for instance, they could become entangled in the plastic or they could ingest it. The objective of this work is to provide evidence, for the first time, of the impact that plastic debris has on stranded cetaceans in the Balearic Islands, in terms of ingestion and entanglement. We examined the occurrence of marine debris in the gastrointestinal tracts of 30 cetaceans, from five different species, that were found stranded around the Balearic Sea: Stenella coeruleoalba, Tursiops truncatus, Grampus griseus, Balaenoptera physalus, and Physeter macrocephalus. Three specimens (10% of the sample) were found to have ingested plastic items, including fishing nets, plastic bags, and strapping lines. The species affected were T. truncatus, and P. macrocephalus. Moreover, a total of seven cases of entanglement were recorded during the study, affecting four different species (S. coeruleoalba, T. truncatus, P. macrocephalus, and Megaptera novaeangliae), and all of them were entangled in discarded fishing nets. When possible, plastics were characterised by size, shape, colour, and polymer type. We concluded that the occurrence of marine debris observed in this work confirms the impact of plastic pollution on cetaceans in the Balearic Sea for the first time.The global distribution and presence of plastic, at all levels of the water column, has made plastic debris one of today’s greatest environmental challenges. The ingestion and entanglement of plastic-containing marine debris has been documented in more than 60% of all cetacean species. In light of the increasing pressure on cetaceans, and the diversity of factors that they face, the aim of this work is to provide evidence of the impact of plastic debris on stranded cetaceans, in terms of ingestion and entanglement, in the Balearic Islands for the first-time. Detailed examinations, necropsies, and plastic debris analysis were performed on 30 of the 108 cetaceans stranded between 2019 and 2022. Specimens belonging to five different species, Stenella coeruleoalba, Tursiops truncatus, Grampus griseus, Balaenoptera physalus, and Physeter macrocephalus, were evaluated. Ten percent of the cetaceans (N = 3) presented plastic debris in their stomach, with one case of obstruction and perforation. Fishery gear fragments (ropes and nets) were found in two adults of T. truncatus, whereas packaging debris (plastic bag, packing straps, and plastic sheets) were found in a juvenile P. macrocephalus. Plastic items analysed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) reported three polymer types: polypropylene, polyamide, and high-density polypropylene. A total of seven cases of entanglement were recorded during the study, affecting four different species (S. coeruleoalba, T. truncatus, P. macrocephalus, and Megaptera novaeangliae). Only two individuals were freed from the nets, although one died after a week, whereas the rest were already found dead. In conclusion, data collected in the present study provided evidence of plastic ingestion and entanglement in cetaceans of the Balearic Islands for the first-time, thus highlighting the need for the regular examination of stranded cetaceans (as they are top predators) in future research to better understand the effects of these pollutants.

Switchable deep eutectic solvents as efficient and sustainable recycling media for carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite waste

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite (CFRP) waste has posed a great environmental challenge due to the unavailability of efficient and environmentally benign recycling processes, and otherwise valuable CFRP components (i.e., carbon fibers and epoxy resin) are ending up as waste. Therefore, CFRP waste recycling, which is both environmentally friendly and economically wise, is urgently needed. Herein, effective recovery of both valuable long carbon fibers and epoxy resin from CFRPs has been realized by a novel recycling route with a mixture of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) with switchable-hydrophilicity and metal salt catalysts (e.g., ZnCl2, FeCl2, and FeCl3). Complete epoxy resin matrix decomposition was achieved under ordinary pressure and mild temperature (180 °C for 1.5 h) in hydrophobic DESs composed of thymol and decanoic acid ([Thy][C10] (1:1)) with ZnCl2 catalyst (3.3 wt%). The [Thy][C10] DES efficiently swelled densely cross-linked epoxy resin, facilitating the diffusion of the catalytic Zn2+ ions into the polymer matrix for achieving cleavage of the C–N bonds and C–O–C bonds of the epoxy resin. The recovered long carbon fibers retained 94.5% of their original strength, which was ascribed to the superior swelling features, hydrogen bonding ability, and highly active Zn2+ ions of the ZnCl2/[Thy][C10] system. The reusable ZnCl2/DES media offer a novel platform for the recycling of CFRPs by using a sustainable concept and facilitate the recycling of CFRP waste on a large-scale implementation.

Detecting nestedness in city parks for urban biodiversity conservation

AbstractUrbanization has been a global phenomenon producing great environmental and ecological challenges including species composition shifts in urban areas. To evaluate the interaction networks of the inhabitant metacommunities in urban parks, we applied the nestedness analysis using ecological survey data of birds, reptiles, frogs, and butterflies among 16 parks in Taipei City of Taiwan and identified critical environmental factors for biodiversity conservation. Results found significant nestedness of the metacommunities among these parks, which indicated strong interaction networks and the importance of urban parks for sustaining these metacommunities. In addition, various types of land use had different effects on the species incidence of birds, reptiles, frogs, and butterflies. It demonstrates that landscape design should consider the taxonomic differences in the development of conservation guidelines. Results also showed that the area of parks and the area of woodlot in the park were critical elements for the nested structure. Nonetheless, abundant bird generalists were found to be highly related to the area of buildings within parks, distance to forests, rivers, and the neighbouring parks. Moreover, exotic species were found to affect the interaction networks of native species. However, based on the current information, we cannot confirm the actual effects of the exotic species on the native assemblages. Reptiles and frogs appeared to be more easily threatened by land development and habitat fragmentation due to their lower vagility. In this regard, we suggest that conservation action should focus on preserving green space with large areas and constructing green corridors, creating crucial elements, and increasing the vertical complexity in the parks for species with various vagilities. We believe these strategies can help reduce the impact of urbanization to retain healthy interactions and connections of metacommunities among habitats for effective biodiversity conservation in urban areas.

Phenology Patterns and Postfire Vegetation Regeneration in the Chiquitania Region of Bolivia Using Sentinel-2

The natural regeneration of ecosystems impacted by fires is a high priority in Bolivia, and represents one of the country’s greatest environmental challenges. With the abundance of spatial data and access to improved technologies, it is critical to provide an effective method of analysis to evaluate changes in land use in the face of the global need to understand the dynamics of vegetation in regeneration processes. In this context, we evaluated the dynamics of natural regeneration through phenological patterns by measuring the maximal and minimal spectral thresholds at four fire-impacted sites in Chiquitania in 2019 and 2020, and compared them with unburned areas using harmonic fitted values of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR). We used two-way ANOVA test to evaluate the significant differences in the values of the profiles of NDVI and NBR indices. We quantified severity at the four study sites using the dNBR obtained from the difference between pre- and postfire NBR. Additionally, we selected 66 sampling sites to apply the Composite Burn Index (CBI) methodology. Our results indicate that NBR is the most reliable index for interannual comparisons and determining changes in the phenological pattern, which allow for the detection of postfire regeneration. Fire severity levels based on dNBR and CBI indices are reliable methodologies that allow for determining the severity and dynamics of changes in postfire regeneration levels in forested and nonforested areas.

Building a methodological framework and toolkit for news media dataset tracking of conflict and cooperation dynamics on transboundary rivers

Abstract. The management of transboundary rivers will be one of the great political and environmental challenges of the 21st century if knowledge of conflict and cooperation is not fully developed. Transboundary river conflict and cooperation are critical for the sustainable development of river basins, regional security, and stability and have significant scientific and practical implications. The construction of a dataset of transboundary water events – individual conflictive or cooperative interaction between riparian regions – provides an important data support and a factual basis for the study of transboundary rivers. However, the most representative research, the Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database, is built by means of manual reading for information extraction, is, thus, difficult for fast updating, and also does not cover the global changes in the past decade. This research aims to build a methodological framework for news media datasets to track conflict and cooperation dynamics on transboundary rivers, provide a mass of relevant data for the research of transboundary rivers on the globe, prepare a potent research toolkit, lay a solid foundation for further data mining research, and better suit the big data age. In order to test the effectiveness of the methodological framework and toolkit for dataset construction, this research analyses the spatial coverage, both in terms of continental and national, temporal coverage from 1953 to 2019, and content coverage and conducts relevance screening of the articles in the four representative river basins in the datasets. The results show that the datasets built by this framework can capture comprehensive content of transboundary water conflict and cooperation in both spatial and temporal coverage with acceptable data quality.

Carbon Sequestration in Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) Plantations under the EU Afforestation Program in Southern Spain Using Low-Density Aerial Laser Scanning (ALS) Data

Climate change is one of the environmental issues of global dominance and public opinion, becoming the greatest environmental challenge and of interest to researchers. In this context, planting trees on marginal agricultural land is considered a favourable measure to alleviate climate change, as they act as carbon sinks. Aerial laser scanning (ALS) data is an emerging technology for quantitative measures of C stocks. In this study, an estimation was made of the gains of C in biomass and soil in carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) plantations established on agricultural land in southern Spain. The average above-ground biomass (AGB) corresponded to 85.5% of the total biomass (average 34.01 kg tree−1), and the root biomass (BGB) was 14.5% (6.96 kg tree−1), with a BGB/AGB ratio of 0.20. The total SOC stock in the top 20 cm of the soil (SOC-S20) was 60.70 Mg C ha−1 underneath the tree crown and 43.63 Mg C ha−1 on the non-cover (implantation) area for the C. siliqua plantations. The allometric equations correlating the biomass fractions with the dbh and Ht as independent variables showed an adequate fit for the foliage (Wf, R2adj = 0.70), whereas the fits were weaker for the rest of the fractions (R2adj < 0.60). The individual trees were detected using colour orthophotography and the tree height was estimated from 140 crowns previously delineated using the 95th percentile ALS-metric. The precision of the adjusted models was verified by plotting the correlation between the LiDAR-predicted height (HL) and the field data (R2adj = 0.80; RMSE = 0.53 m). Following the selection of the independent variable data, a linear regression model was selected for dbh estimation (R2adj = 0.64), and a potential regression model was selected for the SOC (R2adj = 0.81). Using the segmentation process, a total of 8324 trees were outlined in the study area, with an average height of 3.81 m. The biomass C stock, comprising both above- and below-ground biomass, was 4.30 Mg C ha−1 (50.67 kg tree−1), and the SOC20-S was 37.45 Mg C ha−1. The carbon accumulation rate in the biomass was 1.94 kg C tree−1 yr−1 for the plantation period. The total C stock (W-S and SOC20-S) reached 41.75 Mg ha−1 and a total of 4091.5 Mg C for the whole plantation. Gleaned from the synergy of tree cartography and these models, the distribution maps with foreseen values of average C stocks in the planted area illustrate a mosaic of C stock patterns in the carob tree plantation.

Metal Matrix Composites Development and The Potential of Sugarcane Bagasse and Coir Fibre: A Review

Sugarcane bagasse (SB) and Coir fibre (CF) are two cellulose fibres/agricultural waste products found to constitute great environmental challenges, this has initiated a need to study them for probable potentialities as alternative use in the field of material science and engineering development apart from their localized usage. Consequently, this paper intends at reviewing these two agricultural waste material compositions characteristically to identify their potential development as renewable composite materials. Sugarcane bagasse has a chemical composition within the range of 88.13%, while Coir fibre varies from 25% - 76% of silica content depending on the type of treatment. This is a good quality material for composite production. The compatibility of these cellulose reinforcing agents and their adhesive matrix can be linked to their high cellulose, lignin, and other fibre contents and these can be explored in developing a multiphased system with different properties from the original components while retaining the qualities of the material among other potentials. These two agricultural by-products are good sources of fuel for electricity generation and agents of pozzolanic and polymerization with polypropylene for flame retardation. To conclude, therefore, SB and CF are decent resources for composites production and renewable energy, with excellent biodegradable characteristics consequently controlling environmental degradation.

El estudio de la ciudad informal a partir de las fuentes disponibles: el caso de las urbanizaciones ilegales en Andalucía.

The phenomenon of illegal urbanisations continues to be one of the great environmental and territorial challenges to be overcome in Andalusia. In spite of this, the process of fully understanding this phenomenon is significantly hindered by the scarcity of easily accessible sources that allow the scientific community to study and analyse them. This article focuses on highlighting, firstly, the scarcity of existing sources for the study of illegal urbanisations on intermediate scales; and, secondly, when they exist, their limitations to allow a diachronic analysis of the process. In addition, the possibilities offered by other cartographic sources available in the region are explored. The results point to the need for the regional administration to update the inventories in order to know the current situation of the process, as well as the limitations and potential of the Spatial Reference Data for this purpose.

Desertification, environmental, climatic change and role of trees, shrubs and green areas

Background: Desertification exacerbated and raised by climate change and represents one of the greatest environmental challenges of our times. Also, Desertification and climate change are an old phenomenon has not been a threat to life people, in the past so as to provide the natural ecological balance back then, but because of the range of the factors, we will recall it. The desertification and climate changes has started to worsen and its negative effects have increased at all levels, Economic, social and development. Trees, woody shrubs and ornamental plants represent an ever-important group in that they are the raw source for many important industries such as the manufacture of wood, food and medicine, health care (alternative medicine) and as windbreaks, and they play an important role in improving the environment, especially in light of the current climate changes. Main body: During recent years, the interest in planting woody trees and ornamental plants has increased, and its role has remained confined to a narrow range. It's important and fundamental role as a primary locomotive in combating desertification, sand encroachment and sand dunes, resisting successive climate changes, improving the environment and protecting it from pollution, as well as its prominent role in addressing the big problems that result from The movement of sand dunes and their threat to industrial and residential facilities, roads, farms,.... etc. Conclusion: The role of plants, trees, green areas are combating desertification and climate change, these trees does not depend on protecting farms only, but extending them to protecting urban communities and new cities from sand, which may lead to completely covering homes and establishments, but also to destroy the entire infrastructure (roads, tunnels, electricity, irrigation lines, railways ... It also plays a role in protecting the beaches and coastal areas from the high waves.

Integral diagnosis on the use of sustainable water treatment technologies

The water sector problems are framed by the low rate of adoption of technological innovation, in addition to the great environmental challenges. In Colombia, due to its topography, the provision of the aqueduct and sewerage service is difficult, causing the association of small rural communities to try to supply their need for drinking water for daily activities in a handcrafted way, this added to the increase of the limitations of the different natural resources, it becomes a challenge to guarantee the fundamental right to water and sanitation. This article, based on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals: "Health and well-being", "Clean water and sanitation", "Sustainable cities and communities, and "Responsible consumption and production" presents the results of a research carried out to validate sustainable technologies for safe water treatment systems in communities. Data were collected for a qualitative analysis through interviews applied to representative actors of the sector: water quality laboratories, aqueducts, and utility companies. The study provides information on the different needs identified for each segment, and provides information on the decisions companies make regarding investment in sustainable technologies, highlighting the existing gap in the water sector in innovation management, it presents a diagnosis on the uses of technologies on the water treatment market.

Superhydrophilic and Photothermal Fe-TCPP Nanofibrous Membrane for Efficient Oil-in-Water Nanoemulsion Separation.

Separation and purification of surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water nanoemulsions is a great environmental challenge. Membrane-based separation strategies are more effective over conventional methods in the treatment of nanoemulsion waste water. In this paper, we construct a superhydrophilic membrane by coating a thin photothermal-responsive iron tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (Fe-TCPP) nanofibrous metal organic framework (MOF) selective layer on a macroporous polyethersulfone membrane. The as-prepared membrane exhibits high separation performance of oil-in-water nanoemulsions with permeance of 46.4 L·m-2·h-1·bar-1 and separation efficiency of 99%. It also demonstrates nice anti-oil/ionic-fouling property, good recyclability, and desirable stability. The high separation performance is accredited to the superhydrophilicity, highly charged surface, and nanometer pore sizes of the Fe-TCPP nanofibrous membrane. Due to the unique photothermal property of Fe-TCPP nanofibers, the permeance can be enhanced more than 50% by visible light without deteriorating the rejection. This photo-stimuli MOF-based thin-layer membrane offers great potential for the generation of point-of-use water treatment devices.

Institutional Issues around Agricultural Land-Use Control for Groundwater Conservation—A Long-Term Perspective

Key aspects of policy development and implementation for the control of agricultural land use to conserve groundwater are overviewed. This is one of today’s greatest environmental challenges and one on which only limited progress has been made internationally. For this purpose, the objectives of agricultural land-use control in defined areas are either to reduce diffuse pollution of groundwater and/or to regulate excessive abstraction for crop irrigation to sustain groundwater resources. Progress on both of these fronts has been assessed from the published work, and the lessons learnt are summarised for global application.

Plastic pollution: When do we know enough?

Plastic pollution is one of today’s great environmental challenges. Research addressing the issue of plastic pollution is growing, improving our predictions of risk, and informing the development of long-term solutions and mitigations. Nonetheless, sufficient evidence already exists to show that immediate and widespread action must be taken to reduce plastic release to the environment, and thus limit future harm. Given the cross-sector and multi-stakeholder approach that will be required to address plastic pollution, it is essential that contrasting opinions and misconceptions are tackled with respect to the status of knowledge, relative importance of plastics as an environmental stressor, and measures to reduce or mitigate harm from plastics in the environment. This perspective article lays out some key considerations and recommendations for moving forward with respect to both research and action.