Natural Degradation Research Articles

Factors of Degradation, Transformation, and Distribution of Medicinal Substances in the Water–Bottom Sediment System

English-language scientific publications on the natural degradation and transformation of medicinal substances in the aquatic environment under the effect of various factors are reviewed. The medicines that are most common in water are listed. The main source of pollution is shown to be poorly treated municipal sewage. The factors that affect the fate of substances in the medium and are considered in the article are the dilution or concentration due to changes in the hydrological regime or the conditions of the use of medicines, water pH, wind-wave roiling, photodegradation, bioaccumulation, etc. The analysis of foreign studies of drug contamination was used to make conclusions about the prospects of the development of these areas for use in Russian studies.

Land Degradation and its Management in the Highlands Ethiopia a Review

Land is important component which provides us ecosystem service. However, currently human beings are facing major problems due to natural resources degradation. It is clear that, soil erosion is a more serious problem to developing countries including Ethiopia because their economies dependence on primary economic activities specially agriculture which totally depend on soil. Ethiopian highlands land degradation occurs in the form of soil erosion, nutrient depletion and deforestation. The present review focuses on the purpose of this paper is to review the nature and severity of land degradation, causes and effects of land degradation, measures and experiences in land management as well as to identify the gaps and constraints that fostered the problem of land degradation in the highlands of Ethiopia. The review also provides some opportunities for the adoption and scale up of appropriate technologies in land management.

Can poverty alleviation policy enhance ecosystem service value? Evidence from poverty-stricken regions in China

Existing literature indicates that poverty-stricken regions often exhibit characteristics such as poor resource endowment and weak environmental carrying capacity, which can lead to excessive exploitation of natural resources and degradation of the ecological environment in pursuit of economic development. However, previous research has primarily focused on the economic benefits of development in impoverished areas, overlooking the importance of ecosystem services. This study aims to fill this research gap by examining the impact of China's Poverty Alleviation Policy on ecosystem service values in 51 impoverished counties from 2011 to 2019. Our analysis reveals that the Poverty Alleviation Policy effectively enhances ecosystem service values in poverty-stricken areas, and the fiscal pressure faced by local governments significantly influences the policy's effectiveness in boosting ecosystem service values. Notably, we also find that environmental management policies demonstrate a greater capacity to enhance ecosystem service values in poverty-stricken regions compared to industrial development-led poverty-reduction policies.

Highly conductive Ti3C2 MXene reinforced g-C3N4 heterojunction photocatalytic for the degradation of ciprofloxacin: Mechanism insight

The extensive use of ciprofloxacin (CIP) poses a great threat to aquatic ecosystem, due to its potentially serious inhibitory effect on the microbial activity and low natural degradation rate. Photocatalytic degradation has emerged as a feasible method for treating CIP pollution. In this study, Ti3C2 reinforced g-C3N4 heterojunction material (MX/CN) was prepared using solvent drying method. The heterojunction composite accelerated the electron transfer rate, and the resulting MX/CN exhibited superior photocatalytic activity against CIP under visible light driving. The MX/CN sample achieved higher CIP photocatalytic removal rate of 97.8 %, 1.23 times higher than CN. Moreover, 6 %-MX/CN showed the best photocatalytic activity at pH = 7 when the initial concentration of CIP was 10 mg/L. Under neutral condition, the presence of Cl−, NO3−, and HCO3− reduced the degradation of CIP, where the addition of HCO3– caused a competed redox reaction with •OH in the system, resulting in a reduction of the CIP degradation efficiency to 30.9 %. The photocatalytic mechanism involving MX/CN was proposed according to the trapping experiments of active species, which confirmed that •O2− was the primary active component in photocatalytic degradation of CIP and h+ and •OH also played significant roles. Finally, cycling experiments using MX/CN showed that the CIP degradation efficiency maintained more than 90 % after five cycles.

Measurement and evaluation of urban growth and urban sprawl: Tekirdağ Example

With the increasing population, today's cities are undergoing rapid change and transformation. Increased human activities in cities result in numerous negative outcomes, such as the decline in biodiversity, increased environmental pollution, and the disruption of ecosystem cycles, ultimately leading to the degradation of nature. Especially, the uncontrolled growth and expansion of cities in response to increasing needs and demands can result in inappropriate land use, putting natural resources under pressure and leading to their loss. Indeed, especially in cities that are experiencing rapid population growth, this situation is more evident. In this context, urban sprawl, which indicates urban spread, has many negative effects if not managed correctly. In this study, it is aimed to evaluate urban growth and detect urban sprawl in three districts of Tekirdağ province, namely Süleymanpaşa, Çorlu, and Çerkezköy, which have been receiving rapid immigration and thus have seen a significant increase in their populations. In line with this, using the high-resolution data from the Urban Atlas, the land use situation for the years 2012 and 2018 has been presented. The results have shown an increase in artificial areas and a decrease in agricultural lands for all districts. For the detection of urban sprawl, the Normalized Urban Atlas Sprawl Indicator (NUASI) developed by Petrescu (2019) has been utilized. According to the NUASI findings, the urban sprawl trend in the Süleymanpaşa, Çorlu, and Çerkezköy have been determined as -1.90%, 0.70%, and 0.96%, respectively. This result indicates that Çerkezköy is the district with the highest urban sprawl development. Recommendations for spatial planning have been provided within the scope of the study.

Experimental evaluation of corrosion inhibitors for completion fluids in the petroleum production systems

Corrosion is the natural and continuous degradation of materials caused by either chemical, mechanical, or electrochemical reactions. Corrosion inhibitors may be added to the completion fluids to address corrosion problems efficiently. It is critical to add corrosion inhibitors in completion fluids, specifically under high-temperature conditions, since the corrosion rate is higher when the temperature is high. This corrosion process limits the life of the drill tools or the oil and gas well and causes formation damage. This research studied corrosion and corrosion inhibition treatments for five completion fluids, namely potassium chloride, sodium chloride, sodium bromide, calcium chloride, and calcium bromide. Phosphate and sulfite-based corrosion inhibitors were individually added to the completion fluids, and their corrosion properties were studied to tackle the corrosion issue. In addition, a mixture of phosphate-based and sulfite-based corrosion inhibitors in completion fluids was studied. Additionally, the experimental results recommend using divalent brines as they were identified as a better medium for lowering corrosion rate and conditions than the monovalent brines. A novel aspect of this study is that the materials leveraged for conducting experiments are also used in actual petroleum production field operations. The experiments demonstrate that the corrosion rate can be efficiently controlled at high temperatures in deeper wells.

Damage monitoring of SiC/SiC turbine blisk under overspeed rotation testing using X-ray computed tomography and natural frequency

In this paper, the SiC/SiC turbine blisk was fabricated and tested to rupture under overspeed rotation. Under the overspeed rotation testing, the natural frequency of 24 blades and disk were tested using the force hammer−sound pressure sensor method, and the internal defects and damages inside the SiC/SiC turbine blisk were observed and analyzed under the computed tomography and digital imaging system. After overspeed rotation rupture, the fracture surface of the blisk was observed under the scanning electronic microscope, and a large number of fibers’ pullout was observed. Relationships between the rotation speed, internal damage evolution, and the natural frequency degradation in the blisk were established. After 98,000 R.P.M. rotating speed experiment, the natural frequencies of the blade and the disk decreased obviously. The frequency of more than half of blades decreased by 1.5−2.0%, with 13 blades in total; 17% of blades decreased by 1.0−1.5%, with 4 blades in total. The natural frequency of the disk also decreased with the increase of the rotating speed, and the natural frequency of the first three order decreased from 1.0 to 1.5%.

The political economy of net-zero transitions: Policy drivers, barriers, and justice benefits to decarbonization in eight carbon-neutral countries

This study examines the political economy of decarbonization in eight countries over the period 2000 to 2021/2022 that have already achieved a national net-zero transition. These countries are Bhutan, Suriname, Panama, Guyana, Comoros, Gabon, Madagascar, and Niue. It utilizes an analytical method of a rich, interdisciplinary and systematized literature review integrated with thematic analysis. For each of these countries, the study examines the drivers and political motivation behind net-zero progress, including the timeline of events; the barriers and challenges that had to be overcome; and the benefits of decarbonization and its impacts on equity and justice. The main objectives of the study are to broaden the evidence base on low-carbon transitions beyond often and even overstudied countries that are Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democracies, or WEIRD countries, and to offer new empirical data on the strategy of energy policies in the real world, examining the first eight countries to achieve net-zero success in the modern era. It finds that all eight countries used a similar mix of nine policy interventions involving land use, renewable energy, and waste management. Common barriers included vulnerability to the effects of extreme climate events either in the form of natural disasters (i.e. landslides and floodings) or ecosystems degradation (i.e. ocean acidification, coastal erosion and forests loss). Despite these barriers, achieving net-zero emissions positively impacted marginalized communities by providing a more equitable distribution of climate benefits, mitigating adverse health effects and reducing social inequalities, particularly in low-income areas.

The behavior of potentially toxic elements in the technogenic soil-plant system: A study of Salicornia europaea L. from sites affected by the soda industry

Soils created or significantly transformed by human activity are called technogenic soils. They have specific morphological, physical, chemical, and biological characteristics resulting from introducing technogenic materials that are often not inert to the environment. Very little research is still conducted in technogenic or post-technogenic areas based on analyzing environmental samples (plants and soils). Experimental, model-based studies dominate and often have limited reference to actual environmental conditions. That is why this study was carried out in areas affected by waste from the soda industry referring to the living labs concept. We tested the hypothesis that the impact of highly saline industrial waste has contributed to the formation of a specific pattern of relocation and accumulation of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the plant-soil system. We applied halophyte Salicornia europaea as a model plant and analyzed the chemical properties of soil and plant materials collected from five study sites. Our results demonstrate that the highest bioconcentration factors for shoots or roots were observed in cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn), with a value of more than 1. Translocation factors for all metals were less than 1 meaning more parts of PTEs were accumulated in the roots. The lowest storage factors were related to Ba, Cd, Cu, and Zn, indicating more amounts of these metals were transferred to the shoots. We revealed that S. europaea could be used for phytoremediation of soils contaminated by PTEs adopting phytostabilization for Ba, Co, Ni, and lead (Pb), and phytoextraction for Cd, Cu, and Zn. In this way, our findings can have a significant contribution to achieving one of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda (goal no. 15), focusing, among others, on halting and reversing land and natural habitat degradation and stopping biodiversity loss.

Photocatalytic Hydrolysis-A Sustainable Option for the Chemical Upcycling of Polylactic Acid.

Plastic waste is a critical global issue, yet current strategies to avoid committing plastic waste to landfills include incineration, gasification, or pyrolysis high carbon emitting and energy consuming approaches. However, plastic waste can become a resource instead of a problem if high value products, such as fine chemicals and liquid fuel molecules, can be liberated from controlled its decomposition. This letter presents proof of concept on a low-cost, low energy approach to controlled decomposition of plastic, photocatalytic hydrolysis. This approach integrates photolysis and hydrolysis, both slow natural decomposition processes, with a photocatalytic process. The photocatalyst, α-Fe2O3, is embedded into a polylactic acid (PLA) plastic matrix. The photocatalyst/plastic composite is then immersed in water and subjected to low-energy (25 W) UV light for 90 h. The monomer lactide is produced as the major product. α-Fe2O3 (6.9 wt %) was found to accelerate the PLA degradation pathway, achieving 32% solid transformation into liquid phase products, in comparison to PLA on its own, which was found to not decompose, using the same conditions. This highlights a low energy route toward plastic waste upgrade and valorization that is less carbon intensive than pyrolysis and faster than natural degradation. By directly comparing a 25 W (0.025 kWh) UV bulb with a 13 kWh furnace, the photocatalytic reaction would directly consume 520× less energy than a conventional thermochemical pathway. Furthermore, this technology can be extended and applied to other plastics, and other photocatalysts can be used.

Strategic environmental assessment in Palu Central Sulawesi reflecting water provision profile based on ecosystem services

Reconciling development activities with Natural resources conservation has become one of the essential elements in the search for sustainable development. The degradation of Natural resources attributed to human activities through development increase rapidly. This trend is exacerbated by policies encouraging land conversion and natural resource overexploitation, as well as a need for more information about the value of natural resource conservation. Consequently, it can alter the ecosystem and change the natural resources and their functions. Protecting natural resources begins with policymaking, followed by development plans and programs. In this study, describe how the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is a safeguarding tool for controlling natural resource loss in Palu City, Central Sulawesi. Natural resources are one of the vital aspects to be considered in SEA. Development in the central city, opening the land for agriculture on a large scale (plantation), and mining were the main issues that contributed to high risk to the natural resources. Regional development plans and programs assess by predicting, evaluating, and mitigating the environmental impact produced by the development. Our study found that the involvement of multi-stakeholders, Government, legislative, universities, social communities, and nongovernmental organizations successfully collected strategic development goal issues related to natural resources conditions in Palu, Central Sulawesi. Assessment of the plans and programs of development that will contribute to the mitigation of natural resource degradation and decide alternative recommendations for regional development plans and programs. This study demonstrates the integration of SEA in controlling natural resource degradation due to development.

Scaled experimental study on the initial oil thickness effect on the combustion characteristic of the typical transformer insulating oil

Compared with mineral oil, plant insulation oil has a higher flash point, excellent natural degradation ability, and higher electrical insulation. It is expected to become the main component of transformer insulation oil, but the fire safety of this oil needs to be further analyzed and improved. In this paper, a cone calorimeter was used to test the combustion of typical plant insulating oil (camellia seed oil, soybean oil) and mineral oil (25# mineral oil) under different radiant heat flows and initial oil thickness. The combustion parameters such as ignition time, heat release rate, and carbon generation rate were measured. The combustion characteristics of 25# mineral oil were greatly affected by radiative heat flow and oil thickness. The peak heat release rate and carbon generation rate of mineral oil under high heat flow (50 kW/m2) were significantly higher than those under low heat flow (25 kW/m2) and increased with the increase of initial oil thickness. Plant insulating oil (camellia seed oil and soybean oil) had similar laws, but the peak value of the heat release rate and carbon generation rate of soybean oil were relatively small. Petrella fire risk assessment method showed that the fire risk ranking in descending order was mineral oil, camellia seed oil, and soybean oil, which provided a reference for the further popularization and application of plant insulation oil transformer.

Assessing the role of community participation in integrated watershed management in Dandi Lake watershed Dandi district, West Showa, Oromia, Ethiopia

Integrated watershed management is the method of overseeing human exercises and characteristic assets on a water shed basis, taking into consideration social and financial concerns. It is an ever-evolving hone including the administration of arrive, water, biota, and other assets and it requires involvement of strong institutions at the grass root level. Most watershed projects were not successful due to a lack of effective community participation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the contribution of community participation in integrated watershed management schemes in the Dandi lake watershed (Ethiopia) for long-term water resource conservation initiatives and short-term livelihood activities that enables the communities of the study area to meet their needs. Questionnaires, FGD, key informant interviews, personal observation were used as data collection tools. The collected data were organized and categorized according to the intended objectives and analyzed in qualitative and quantitative methods. The result of the study showed that role of community participation in participatory watershed management was examined by involvement in different management phases, 65.1% were involved only in the implementation stage, only 27.6% of respondents confirmed as they involve in all stages, 5.9 and 1.3% of sampled respondents witnessed as they are only involved in planning and mapping stage of watershed management. This study revealed that community participation in water shade management was hindered due to shortage of resources, interest, and previous experience, as well as peer pressure. In the meantime some successful efforts have been made on different land uses meant to reduce natural resource degradation and food security problems. These efforts include, contribution of delivered extension service, infrastructure provision and maintenance. The study also realized and proved the existence of unused development potential to improve the livelihood situation of the watershed community. This study came up with a good managerial implication, typically, it enhances Community engagement status by increasing its visibility and understanding of issues and empowers communities to have a say in decisions that affect their lives, cities and neighborhoods. The watershed management guidelines have to be clear to the community.

Design and Evaluation of Natural Degradation Behavior of Poly (lactic acid)/Organo-Modified-Ni-Zn-Al-Layered Double Hydroxides Nanocomposites Film

Design and Evaluation of Natural Degradation Behavior of Poly (lactic acid)/Organo-Modified-Ni-Zn-Al-Layered Double Hydroxides Nanocomposites Film

A coupled flow and transport model for simulation of multi-species reactive transport in unconfined aquifer using meshless local Petrov Galerkin (MLPG) method.

An understanding of natural degradation of multiple reactive contaminants in the aquifers is essential before designing the monitoring or remediation programs for polluted aquifers. Since such reactive contaminants are ubiquitous, a number of research works has been performed in the past three decades for the modelling of multi-species reactive transport (MSRT) phenomenon. The widely used finite difference method (FDM) and finite element method (FEM)-based models suffer a drawback of relying on a grid/mesh, which makes the solution unstable. Addressing such difficulties, the latest research on the MSRT models is directed towards the meshless methods. In this study, the meshless local Petrov Galerkin (MLPG) method-based multi-species reactive transport model (MLPG-MSRT) is presented, with an objective to create a robust simulation tool for the prediction of fate of multiple contaminants of the first-order reaction network. The developed model is validated for reversible as well as irreversible reaction networks with the available analytical solutions. Also, the MLPG model for unconfined aquifer flow (UF) is developed, validated, and coupled with the MLPG-MSRT model. The MLPG-UF-MSRT model results are further compared with the established FDM-based MODFLOW-RT3D model solutions for a rectangular and a real field type study. The results showed that the proposed model can simulate MSRT as accurately as the FDM-based models with an additional advantage of simplicity and stability, and thus, is more efficient for complex field problems.

Breakdown of polyethylene therepthalate microplastics under saltwater conditions using engineered Vibrio natriegens

AbstractPoly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is a highly recyclable plastic that has been extensively used and manufactured. Like other plastics, PET resists natural degradation, thus accumulating in the environment. Several recycling strategies have been applied to PET, but these tend to result in downcycled products that eventually end up in landfills. This accumulation of landfilled PET waste contributes to the formation of microplastics, which pose a serious threat to marine life and ecosystems, and potentially to human health. To address this issue, our project leveraged synthetic biology to develop a whole‐cell biocatalyst capable of depolymerizing PET in seawater environments by using the fast‐growing, nonpathogenic, moderate halophile Vibrio natriegens. By leveraging a two‐enzyme system—comprising a chimera of IsPETase and IsMHETase from Ideonella sakaiensis—displayed on V. natriegens, we constructed whole‐cell catalysts that depolymerize PET and convert it into its monomers in salt‐containing media and at a temperature of 30°C.

Degradation of cochlear Connexin26 accelerate the development of age-related hearing loss.

The GJB2 gene, encoding Connexin26 (Cx26), is one of the most common causes of inherited deafness. Clinically, mutations in GJB2 cause congenital deafness or late-onset progressive hearing loss. Recently, it has been reported that Cx26 haploid deficiency accelerates the development of age-related hearing loss (ARHL). However, the roles of cochlear Cx26 in the hearing function of aged animals remain unclear. In this study, we revealed that the Cx26 expression was significantly reduced in the cochleae of aged mice, and further explored the underlying molecular mechanism for Cx26 degradation. Immunofluorescence co-localization results showed that Cx26 was internalized and degraded by lysosomes, which might be one of the important ways for Cx26 degradation in the cochlea of aged mice. Currently, whether the degradation of Cx26 in the cochlea leads directly to ARHL, as well as the mechanism of Cx26 degradation-related hearing loss are still unclear. To address these questions, we generated mice with Cx26 knockout in the adult cochlea as a model for the natural degradation of Cx26. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) results showed that Cx26 knockout mice exhibited high-frequency hearing loss, which gradually progressed over time. Pathological examination also revealed the degeneration of hair cells and spiral ganglions, which is similar to the phenotype of ARHL. In summary, our findings suggest that degradation of Cx26 in the cochlea accelerates the occurrence of ARHL, which may be a novel mechanism of ARHL.

USING REMOTE SENSING TO DETECT FOREST COVER CHANGE IN SAM HOUSTON NATIONAL FOREST, TEXAS

Abstract. The Sam Houston National Forest is a large, forested area in Texas that has experienced significant land-use changes over the past few decades. The study area replicates plentiful climatic, physiographic, and edaphic differences in the country and this forest faces a serious problem of degradation and disturbance of different nature. In this study, we utilized remote sensing technology specifically Landsat 4 ETM and Landsat 8 from USGS Earth Explorer with spatial resolution 30 m, to analyze forest cover change in Sam Houston National Forest from 2001 to 2020. We also employed the Hansen Global Forest Cover Data from the Google Earth Engine Catalogue to assess the forest cover loss and gain within the study period. Also, the i-Tree software was used to estimate carbon sequestration in the forest and assess the potential benefits of forest management practices. Results of the study showed that the Sam Houston National Forest has experienced a net loss of forest cover over the past few decades, primarily due to agricultural expansion and urbanization. However, the forest has also shown signs of regrowth and recovery in certain areas, highlighting the potential for effective forest management practices to promote carbon sequestration and conservation. Overall, our study highlights the importance of remote sensing technology for understanding forest cover change and its implications for carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation.

FROM TRADITIONAL TO MODERN FORMS OF CRISES – A BRIEF ANALYSIS OF HUMAN CRISES

This article presents the variety of types of crises in human society. The reader is briefly introduced to the essence and content of the concept of crisis, as well as the concept of the human security, which emphasizes that in addition to traditional security threats, the world nowadays faces a number of modern forms of global threats. The crises caused by military conflicts; crimes against humanity; usage of weapons of mass destruction; terrorism and organized crime; natural crises and environmental degradation; economic crises and poverty; social crises; health and infectious disease crises; crises caused by globalization and by a change in the value system and morality of people; political and governance crises are presented in more detail in order to fully achieve the informative goal of the article.

Prolonged survival time of Daphnia magna exposed to polylactic acid breakdown nanoplastics.

Polylactic acid nanoparticles (PLA NPs) according to food and drug administration are biodegradable and biocompatible polymers that have received a lot of attention due to their natural degradation mechanism. Although there is already available information concerning the effects of PLA microplastic to aquatic organisms, the knowledge about PLA NPs is still vague. In the present study, we analyzed the chemical composition of engineered PLA NPs, daily used PLA items and their breakdown products. We show that PLA breakdown products are oxidized and may contain aldehydes and/or ketones. The breakdown produces nanosized particles, nanoplastics, and possibly other small molecules as lactide or cyclic oligomers. Further, we show that all PLA breakdown nanoplastics extended the survival rate in Daphnia magna in an acute toxicity assay, however, only PLA plastic cup breakdown nanoplastics showed a significant difference compared to a control group.