Presence Of Various Pollutants Research Articles

EFFICIENCY OF "BRITA" HOME WATER FILTER FOR WATER PURIFICATION

<p><span lang="EN">Maintaining the quality of drinking water is the basis for the prevention and control of waterborne diseases. Due to the possibility of the presence of various pollutants in water, drinking water preparation at the point of its use is growing rapidly.</span> <span lang="EN">All this leads to the intensive production of household water purification systems for preparing drinking water or correcting tap water composition if there is any doubt about its quality. </span><span lang="EN">The goal of this work is to estimate the efficiency of a home water filter for water purification, the “Brita system”, as well as its capacity, during practical use for different types of water (drinking water and spring water). Filtration of water through the "Brita" filter results in quite uneven values of the tested water quality parameters, although these same values are quite uniform in unfiltered samples.</span> <span lang="EN">This is precisely why it happens that certain quality parameters do not meet the values given by Regulation (pH value, concentration of ammonium ion and orthophosphate ion) at the beginning of the filter use. The occasional appearance of nitrite ion depends on the dynamics of filter use. Therefore, it is recommended to use the "Brita" filter continuously after its activation. The removal efficiency of iron (60-90 %) and aluminum (> 90 %) from water is very effective even after 100 dm<sup>3</sup> is passed through the filter.</span> <span lang="EN">Due to the active carbon granules present in the</span><span lang="EN"> f</span><span lang="EN">ilter, </span><span lang="EN">the removal of trihalomethanes is also very successful.</span></p>

Инактивация ксенобиотиков: некоторых азокрасителей, нитропроизводных фенола и тетрациклинов

The problem of environmental pollution by human waste products is currently critically relevant. Organic fragments undergo degradation slowly and as a result accumulate in ecosystems. Many studies confirm the presence of various pollutants in rivers, soils, atmosphere. Despite a large body of work on the search for methods of inactivation and purification of such pollutants, there is no universal method, applicable to various classes of xenobiotics. The purpose of this work has been to study the destructive processes of model systems of xenobiotics of various nature. UV irradiation has been used as a method of destruction. The destruction of model substances has been studied in the work: two dyes, two pharmaceuticals and two nitro derivatives of phenol. Destructive processes of model systems of various pollutants have been studied. It is shown that many substrates undergo photodestruction within the first hour. Kinetic characteristics of these processes are calculated. The results obtained indicate that UV irradiation can be considered as a promising method of inactivation of various pollutants.

Assessment of biomass-derived carbon dots as highly sensitive and selective templates for the sensing of hazardous ions.

Access to safe drinking water and a hygienic living environment are the basic necessities that encourage healthy living. However, the presence of various pollutants (especially toxic heavy metal ions) at high concentrations in water renders water unfit for drinking and domestic use. The presence of high concentrations of heavy-metal ions (e.g., Pb2+, Hg2+, Cr6+, Cd2+, or Cu2+) greater than their permissible limits adversely affects human health, and increases the risk of cancer of the kidneys, liver, skin, and central nervous system. Therefore, their detection in water is crucial. Due to the various benefits of "green"-synthesized carbon-dots (C-dots) over other materials, these materials are potential candidates for sensing of toxic heavy-metal ions in water sources. C-dots are very small carbon-based nanomaterials that show chemical stability, magnificent biocompatibility, excitation wavelength-dependent photoluminescence (PL), water solubility, simple preparation strategies, photoinduced electron transfer, and the opportunity for functionalization. A new family of C-dots called "carbon quantum dots" (CQDs) are fluorescent zero-dimensional carbon nanoparticles of size < 10 nm. The green synthesis of C-dots has numerous advantages over conventional chemical routes, such as utilization of inexpensive and non-poisonous materials, straightforward operations, rapid reactions, and renewable precursors. Natural sources, such as biomass and biomass wastes, are broadly accepted as green precursors for fabricating C-dots because these sources are economical, ecological, and readily/extensively accessible. Two main methods are available for C-dots production: top-down and bottom-up. Herein, this review article discusses the recent advancements in the green fabrication of C-dots: photostability; surface structure and functionalization; potential applications for the sensing of hazardous anions and toxic heavy-metal ions; binding of toxic ions with C-dots; probable mechanistic routes of PL-based sensing of toxic heavy-metal ions. The green production of C-dots and their promising applications in the sensing of hazardous ions discussed herein provides deep insights into the safety of human health and the environment. Nonetheless, this review article provides a resource for the conversion of low-value biomass and biomass waste into valuable materials (i.e., C-dots) for promising sensing applications.

Landfill leachate post-treatment by the photoelectro-peroxone process using a baffled reactor

As cities develop and the population grows, municipal waste management has become increasingly important. Sanitary landfilling is one of the most prevalent waste management methods, which produces leachate. Due to the presence of various pollutants in leachate, its leakage into water bodies and soil will cause many serious problems, such as public health threats and carcinogenesis. One of the novel advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for treating leachate is the photoelectro-peroxone (PEP), a combination of ozonation, electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide, and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation processes. This study aimed to post-treatment of leachate using the PEP process on a laboratory scale with an up-down, and vice versa, baffled reactor for the first time. Based on the obtained results, the ozonation rate of 0.82 gr/hr.L, the electric current intensity of 0.75 A, initial pH of 8.6 (natural leachate pH), UV radiation power of 24 W, and the anode-to-cathode surface ratio of 1:1 with a total area of 37.8 cm2 for each anode and cathode were chosen as the optimal conditions. After 240 min under these conditions, COD, TOC, and color removal efficiencies of 68.8 %, 61.4 %, and 100 % were obtained, respectively. Furthermore, the control experiments showed that the PEP process had a significantly synergistic effect on degrading contaminants in the leachate, improving its efficiency over the electro-peroxone (EP), UV/O3, and sole ozonation processes.

STUDY OF THE PROCESSES OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT FOR REUSE IN THE PULP AND PAPER INDUSTRY

Nowadays, more than 80% of cardboard and paper products of Ukrainian mills are made from waste paper – secondary fibers that differ in their chemical and physical properties from primary cellulosic fibers. Characteristic feature of secondary fibers is the presence of a large number of small fibers, which negatively affects the quality of finished products, mass retention on the grid during the formation of paper or cardboard, which leads to pollution of wastewaters. Despite its environmental friendliness and economy, waste paper is also characterized by the presence of various pollutants, the formation of which is associated with the process of paper formation, storage of finished products, and their use. As a result of the preparation of the mass from secondary fibers, there is a transition of pollutants from the waste paper to the wastewater in the form of colloidally dispersed and soluble substances, which lead to the pollution of circulating water. Purification of water and its reuse in technological processes is an important task of paper industry mills. The results show that more than 90% of the secondary fibers have a length that does not exceed 1 mm, while in the primary cellulose fiber from coniferous wood about 53% of the fibers have a length of more than 1 mm. The high content of short fibers in the paper mass affects the processes of paper formation, worsening them, and a decrease in the retention of the fiber on the grid of the paper or cardboard machine is observed, causing the pollution of wastewater. The results of the study of coagulation of industrial wastewater with the content of suspended solids 1520 and 3200 mg/dm3 from the production of cardboard from recycling paper show that the best coagulants are A1(OH)C12 and A12(OH)5C1. The maximum efficiency of water purification of only 92.5% was achieved at the suspended solids content of 1520 mg/dm3, while for wastewater with a suspended solids concentration of 3200 mg/dm3 98.0% was obtained. To develop a scheme for deep purification of wastewaters, it is important to understand which components are removed from water more easily and which are more difficult during coagulation. For this purpose, studies on coagulation of model suspensions of starches, bentonite and kaolin using inorganic coagulants were conducted. It was established that coagulation of native corn starch suspension with inorganic coagulants is effective. However, in the case of using modified starches, the removal of cationic starches is reduced. The efficiency of water purification in the removal of bentonite by sedimentation-filtration with the use of coagulants is quite high. The degree of purification reaches 80.8-98.1%. The filtering stage allows the degree of purification to be further increased. Research on the processes of purification of model kaolin suspensions shows that mechanical and physico-chemical methods are ineffective in removing this mineral filler.

Biodegradation of Textile Effluent using Plants and Algae

Increasing globalization causes different environmental pollution. Out of pollution caused by various industries such as textile, dyeing and printing, paper, pulp, plastics, food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Textile effluent causes one of the major environmental problems. The effluent from textile industries poses a threat to the environment, due to the presence of various pollutants. Different types of dyes used in the textile industry usually have a synthetic origin and complex aromatic molecular structures which make them more stable and more difficult to degrade. The complex textile effluent can be biodegraded by algae (bioremediation) and various plants (phyto remediation) reduce the complex pollutants into detoxified smaller compounds.

Adsorptive remediation of organic pollutant and arsenic (V) ions from water using Fe3O4-MnO2 nanocomposite

The presence of various pollutants in water poses a threat to human health. In this study, we focused on the removal of organic pollutant methylene blue (MB) and As(V) from the water by using Fe3O4-MnO 2 nanocomposite. The surface area of the as-prepared nanocomposite was found to be 237.39 m2/g. The nanocomposite was further characterized by using analytical techniques like powder XRD, SEM, VSM and transmission electron microscope. The results of the transmission electron microscope (TEM) showed Fe3O4 cores coated by a MnO 2 shell. VSM analysis showed that the Fe3O4-MnO 2 nanocomposite has ferromagnetic behavior. The efficiency of Fe3O4-MnO 2 nanocomposite for the removal of methylene blue (MB) and As(V) from the water was studied by varying the pollutant concentration and contact time. The results showed a maximum adsorption capacity of 146.1 mg/g for MB and 16.6 mg/g for As(V). The sorption equilibrium data fitted to Langmuir adsorption model for both MB and As(V) adsorption. The nanocomposite was magnetically separable and tested for five consecutive adsorption–desorption cycles. The Fe3O4-MnO 2 nanocomposite retained 70% of its adsorption capacity over five consecutive cycles of regeneration for MB as well as As(V). The result obtained suggest that Fe3O4-MnO 2 nanocomposite can be a promising adsorbent for the removal of methylene blue and As(V) present in water.

UAV/UGV System for meso-macro pollutants identification in the beach environment

Direct and indirect pressure of anthropic activities in the immediate vicinity of the coastal strip increase the potential for environmental pollution. Given the extension of the areas, detailed investigations and early warning might result difficult, therefore scientific research and technological innovation in recent years is developing, more efficient and faster methodologies for the early identification of possible pollution situations that are dangerous for the entire ecosystem.We present the results of a research project that aims to develop an integrated system consisting of an air vehicle (UAV - Unmanned Air Vehicle) and ground vehicle (UGV – Unmanned Ground Vehicle), equipped with a variety of sensors, that is able to rapidly detect the presence of various pollutants along the coastal strip. The system was developed within a PhD research project in Geosciences of the 33rd PON cycle of the University of Bari.All phases of field experimentation of the methodology were carried out in three coastal areas and in particular in the Regional Park of the Coastal Dunes of Ostuni (BR), in the WWF Oasis Bosco Pantano di Policoro (MT) and on the coastal strip between Portsall and Lampaul-Ploudalmezeau in the Brittany region (France).The ground vehicle designed, prototyped and tested, represents one of the most important products of the research project.

Decontamination of dense nonaqueous-phase liquids in groundwater using pump-and-treat and in situ chemical oxidation processes: a field test.

Groundwater remediation is difficult because of the complexity of the treatment area and the presence of various pollutants, and it is difficult to achieve using a single process. A combined pump-and-treat (P&T) and in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) system was used to remove dense nonaqueous-phase liquids (DNAPLs) from groundwater at the field scale in this study. The underground water pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen concentration, and SO42− concentration were used as indirect evidence of in situ chemical reactions. Groundwater remediation using the P&T-ISCO process using 1.5% sodium persulfate and 0.03% sodium hydroxide had a remarkable effect on DNAPLs, and the DNAPL diffusion distance was much higher under pumping conditions than under natural conditions. During groundwater remediation, the pollutant concentration positively correlated with the pH, electrical conductivity, and dissolved oxygen concentration and negatively correlated with the SO42− concentration. In summary, P&T-ISCO can effectively accelerate DNAPL degradation to give efficient groundwater remediation.

Surface Water Quality Assessment Using Remote Sensing, Gis and Artificial Intelligence

The deterioration of surface water quality occurs due to the presence of various types of pollutants from human activities such as agriculture, industry, construction, deforestation, etc. Thus, the presence of various pollutants in water bodies can lead to deterioration of both surface water quality and aquatic life. Conventional surface water quality assessment methods are widely performed using laboratory analysis, which are labour intensive, costly, and time consuming. Moreover, these methods can only provide individual concentration of surface water quality parameters (SWQPs), measured at monitoring stations and shown in a discrete point format, which are difficult for decision-makers to understand without providing the overall patterns of surface water quality. To such problem, Remote Sensing has been a blessing because of its low cost, spatial continuity and temporal consistency. The relationship between SWQPs and satellite data is complex to be modelled accurately by using regression-based methods. Therefore, our study attempts to develop an artificial intelligence modelling method for mapping concentrations of both optical and non-optical SWQPs.&#x0D; This study aims to develop techniques for estimating the concentration of both optical and non-optical SWQPs from Satellite Imagery (Landsat8) which supports coastal studies and mapping the complex relationship between satellite multi-spectral signature and concentration of SWQPs. It will also focus on classifying the most significant SWQPs that contribute to both spatial and temporal surface water quality. In contrast to traditionally performed surface water quality assessment methods, this research project will be focused on identifying such parameters incorporating the new and evolving machine intelligence that is Artificial Intelligence (AI). Significant number of samples have to be collected along with the GPS data which is used to model the relationship. In this context, a remote-sensing framework based on the back-propagation neural network (BPNN) will be developed to quantify concentrations of different SWQPs from the Landsat8 satellite imagery. The study area chosen for this research is Bijayapur River of distance approximately 10 km flowing above, through and down the Pokhara city. The sole purpose of this research is to examine the water quality before it flows through the city and analysing after it passes through the city.

The ameliorative effects of exogenously applied proline on physiological and biochemical parameters of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crop under copper stress condition

ABSTRACTThe presence of significant amount of heavy metals in rivers and canals due to mixing of untreated industrial effluents is a common phenomenon, especially in developing countries. The agricultural crops are influenced by the presence of various pollutants in the sewage, being applied for irrigation purpose. The effluents containing copper affect the growth and development of crop species, thereby, ought to be mitigated by foliar spray of osmoprotectants, e.g. proline. A pot culture experiment was conducted at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-Pakistan during the crop season 2015–2016. The treatments consisted of (a) three wheat varieties (Punjab-96, MH-97, FSD-83), (b) two levels of copper (0, 400 µM) applied through rooting medium, and (c) two levels of proline (0, 80 mM) applied through foliar application. The treatments were arranged in a completely randomized design with four replications. The results showed that application of 400 µM copper caused a reduction in biomass accumulation, chlorophyll (‘a’ and ‘b’) contents, and eventually yield (100-grain weight). There were also significant decreases in gas exchange parameters (stomatal conductance, internal CO2 concentration), photosynthetic rate, water-use-efficiency, and transpiration rate in response to copper stress. Metal toxicity caused the maximum reduction in productivity of PSII, electron transport rate, and photochemical quenching, while higher values of non-photochemical quenching were recorded in the wheat varieties. The activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase), as well as quantities of proline, protein and calcium contents were accelerated in response to copper stress. The uptake of calcium, magnesium, and potassium constituents by plants was reduced, while assimilation of calcium was increased in plants under copper stress. However, the occurrence of negative effects on these parameters due to copper stress was mitigated by foliar spray of proline at the rate of 80 mM solution. The exogenous application of proline at the rate of 80 mM resulted in the reduction of generation of reactive oxygen species and enhanced accumulation of proline and protein contents in wheat varieties under copper stress environment.

Хроматография в контроле качества и безопасности строительных материалов

The analysis of published papers, regulatory documents and original articles on issues of Analytics and quality control and safety of construction materials. It is shown that the analysis of building materials for the presence of various pollutants, organic and inorganic ingredients for practical and scientific purposes, the most commonly used chromatography methods are used to determine a wide range of toxicants and other components. Based on the analysis of published data evaluated the contents of key toxicants in a variety of materials and construction facilities. Discussed problems of analytical control in the material science. The features and possibilities of application of different variants of chromatography in assessing the quality and safety of products for the construction industry. Allocate three blocks of problems in analytical quality control and safety of building materials. It is the establishment of ecological safety; definition of the technical properties that ensure the safe operation of materials, products and structures; detection and identification of counterfeit brand-name products. Key words : ecotoxicants, polymers, building materials, gas-liquid chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/analitika.2016.20.4.008 1 O.B. Rudakov, 1 E.A. Khorokhordina, 2 E.N. Groshev, 1 А .M. Khorokhordin 1 Voronezh State Technical University, ul. 20-letiia Oktiabria, 84, Voronezh, 394006, Russian Federation 2 Voronezh Institute of state fire service of EMERCOM of Russia, ul. Krasnoznamennaia, 231, Voronezh, 394052, Russian Federation

Environmental conditions and childhood asthma in Lisbon. An exploratory analysis for autumn thunderstorm

Asthma attacks triggered by thunderstorms have been described inseveralcountries. The rises in pollen concentrations, attributed to atmospheric electricaldischarges, were considered the leading cause of these outbreaks. The presence of variouspollutants as well as certain weather conditions may contribute synergistically to theonsetof exacerbations in patients with a previous diagnosis of asthma. This study aims toinvestigate whether atmospheric electrical discharges exert any influence on the numberof emergency admissions due to childhood asthma, in autumn, in Lisbon. The investigationwill examine whether there are isolated or combined effects of meteorological variables,pollutantand pollen concentrations that favour an increase in the number of exacerbationsof asthma symptoms. For this purpose we compared the number of asthmaadmissions in periodswith and without thunderstorms in a Lisbon paediatric emergencyservice. Increasingpollen concentrations attributed to thunderstorms reported in the literaturewere not found in Lisbon in the days analysed. There was also an absence of relationshipbetween admissions for asthma and air pollution. Associations between hospitalisationsdue to asthmacrisis and atmospheric variables were documented. In Lisbon, no influence of atmosphericelectrical discharges in the variation of the number of emergencyadmissions due to childhood asthma was verified in the studied period (autumn).On the contrary, it was verified that a decrease in minimum temperature positively reinforcesthese admissions.

Effect of xylanase on ozone bleaching kinetics and properties ofEucalyptus kraft pulp

Environmental pressure has led the pulp and paper industry to develop new technologies in order to reduce or suppress the presence of various pollutants in effluents from bleaching plants. One of the choices for this purpose is enzyme-based biotechnology. This study deals with the effect of using a xylanase-based enzymatic pretreatment, in a TCF (Totally Chlorine Free) sequence, on the properties of the resulting paper pulps. The hexenuronic acid content in the pulp and the physical properties of the paper were also studied. The performance of the xylanase was analysed through kinetic studies on ozone bleaching. The enzymatic pretreatment results in easier bleaching and delignification of the pulp, causing a bleach-boosting effect. The decreased consumption of reagent is related to a decreased content of hexenuronic groups. The physical properties of the treated pulp are similar to those of untreated pulps. Cellulose degradation, delignification and chromophores' removal show first-order kinetics. Enzyme pretreatment leads to differences between the kinetic constants of cellulose degradation and chromophores' removal, due to an increased accessibility to bleaching agents. The xylanase treatment leads to a lower floor kappa number (IK∞) during the ozone stage. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry

Vehicular emissions and air quality assessment in roadway tunnels: the Salim Slam tunnel

Vehicle emissions constitute a serious environmental concern particularly in confined spaces such as tunnels and underground parking garages. These emissions are characterized with the presence of various pollutants, which, at high concentrations, can cause adverse health effects. This paper presents an assessment of vehicle-induced emissions and air quality in a heavily traveled tunnel located in urban metropolitan Beirut. For this purpose, common modeling theories were reviewed, relevant air quality standards were defined, existing conditions were characterized, an air-sampling program was implemented, and mathematical modeling to simulate field measurements was conducted. Impact significance was evaluated by comparing measured and simulated pollutant concentrations with air quality standards. Model simulations were also used to evaluate vehicle-induced pollutant emission factors. Finally, mitigation measures are proposed to insure proper air quality management inside the tunnel.