Like many scientists, I have always had interests far different from those of my professional life. Among them has been the challenges of dealing with the array of problems humanity faces, including how to exploit the earth's bounty without damaging it and how to deal with the conflicts between nations, for which extraordinarily destructive weapons stand at the ready. At issue are not just …
Managing risks and promoting sustainability are imperative for the international community to build a sustainable society on our planet. To prompt changes in our behaviours and business models and to facilitate the socio-economic transformation necessary for a sustainable world, we must empower people who can take the lead in supporting the transition to a system that is more environmentally so…
The handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect our Waters (the Handbook) to provide users with a comprehensive resource to develop more effective watershed plans as a means to improve and protect the nation’s water quality. The Handbook also provides guidance on how to incorporate the nine minimum elements from the Clean Water Act section 319 Nonpoint Source Program’s fu…
The Great Plains is an important center of agricultural production for both the United States and worldwide grain export. However, it is also a region that has numerous challenges to the sustainability of agricultural production, including soil losses from erosion, low precipitation in the west, intense thunderstorms, and declining aquifer levels that threaten availability of water for irrigat…
This report presents the findings of the Committee on Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change, one of four concurrent panel efforts within the America’s Climate Choices committee study. It was our assignment to identify the opportunities and challenges associated with adaptation, to identify and evaluate the available options and lessons learned within the United States and elsewhere, and t…
The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP), a partnership among the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the six watershed states, and the District of Columbia, is working at federal, state, and local levels to restore the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. In 1987, the CBP partners committed to reduce “controllable” phosphorus and nitrogen loadings to the Bay’s main stem by 40 percent by 2000. The CBP’s…
Climate is changing, forced out of the range of the last million years by levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases not seen in Earth’s atmosphere for a very long time. Lacking action by the world’s nations, it is clear that the planet will be warmer, sea level will rise, and patterns of rainfall will change. But the future is also partly uncertain—there is considerable uncertai…
Abstract. Current European waste policy does not mainly aim to treat waste streams but rather place in the foreground of interest the complete supply chain of a product. Waste prevention and re-use do have the highest priority and they take effect before the end-of-life phase of a product or a material is reached. Recycling only takes the third place whereas recovery and disposal represent the…
The body of science reviewed by the Panel on Advancing the Science of Climate Change makes a compelling case that climate change is occurring and suggests that it threatens not just the environment and ecosystems of the world but the well-being of people today and in future generations. Climate change is thus a sustainability challenge. We hope that, for those who are skeptical or uncertain…
The human-mediated introduction of species to regions of the world they could never reach by natural means has had great impacts on the environment, the economy, and society. In the ocean, these invasions have long been mediated by the uptake and subsequent release of ballast water in ocean-going vessels. Increasing world trade and a concomitantly growing global shipping fleet composed of …
Abstract: Discarded cigarette butts are a form of non-biodegradable litter. Carried as runoff from streets to drains, to rivers, and ultimately to the ocean and its beaches, cigarette filters are the single most collected item in international beach cleanups each year. They are an environmental blight on streets, sidewalks, and other open areas. Rather than being a protective health device, c…
Abstract. Ion exchange adsorbents based on cellulosic fabric wastes carrying sulfonic acid and amine functional groups were synthesized by radiation-induced graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) with subsequent chemical modification of the epoxy groups of poly-GMA graft chains with sodium sulfite/H2SO4 and triethylamine, respectively. The conversion of epoxy groups into the fu…
Abstract. Copolymer hydrogels composed of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was prepared by using electron beam irradiation as crosslinking agent. The copolymers were characterized by FTIR and the physical properties such as gelation. The thermal behavior and swelling properties of the prepared hydrogels were investigated as a function of PVA/CMC composition. The f…
Abstract. Arsenic concentrations above acceptable standards for drinkingwater have been detected in many countries and this should therefore is a global issue. The presence of arsenic in subsurface aquifers and drinking water systems is a potentially serious human health hazard. The current population growth in Pakistan and other developing countries will have direct bearing on the water se…
Abstract. This study investigated the emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from two fluidized bed incinerators (FLBI A and FLBI B) and one fixed bed incinerator (FIBI) disposing biological sludge generated from the petrochemical industries in Taiwan. The results of 21 individual PAHs (including low (LM-PAHs), middle (MM-PAHs) and high molecular weight PAHs (HM-PAHs)) were re…
Abstract. A bacterial strain C2A1 isolated from soil was found highly effective in degrading chlorpyrifos and its first hydrolysis metabolite 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP). On the basis of morphology, physiological characteristics, biochemical tests and 16S rRNA sequence analysis, strain C2A1 was identified as Bacillus pumilus. Role of strain C2A1 in the degradation of chlorpyrifos was …
Abstract. An air pollution modeling study was conducted to investigate the odorous effects of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions from a sanitary landfill area on ambient air quality. The atmospheric dispersion of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and 22 VOCs was modeled. Industrial Source Complex v3 Short Term (ISCST3) model was used to estimate hourly concentrations of odorous VOCs over the n…
Abstract. In sludge treatment, drying sludge using typical technology with highwater content to awater content of approximately 10% is always difficult because of adhesive characteristics of sludge. Many methods have been applied, including direct and indirect heat drying, but these approaches of reducing water content to below 40% after drying is very inefficient in energy utilization of d…
Abstract. This paper reports results of laboratory studies on two pretreatmentmethods, struvite precipitation using aeration with H3PO4 and Fenton oxidation. These methods utilized specific properties of the leachate: high magnesium content (172mgL−1) for struvite precipitation and a high iron concentration (56mgL−1) for Fenton treatment. Struvite precipitation (H3PO4, 700mgL−1) remov…
Abstract. Stricter environmental regulations demand safer treatment and disposal of incinerator fly ashes. So far no sound technology or a process is available for a sustainable and ecological treatment of the waste incineration ashes, and only partial treatment is practised for temporary and short-term solutions. New processes and technology need to be developed for comprehensive utilizati…
Abstract. Electric arc filter dust (EAF dust) is a waste by-product which occurs in the production of steel. Instead of being disposed of, it can be used in cement composites for civil engineering, and for balances in washing machines. To estimate the environmental impact of the use of EAF dust in cement composites leachability tests based on diffusion were performed using water and salt wa…
Abstract. Nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are important species present in the environment, which results in alteration of the chemistry of atmosphere. On the global scale natural emissions of NMHCs and VOCs exceed anthropogenic emissions, although anthropogenic sources usually dominate within urban areas. Among the natural sources, vegetation is the do…
Abstract. Research on the recycling of waste printed circuit boards (PCB) is at the forefront of environmental pollution prevention and resource recycling. To effectively crush waste PCB and to solve the problem of secondary pollution from fugitive odors and dust created during the crushing process, a wet impacting crusher was employed to achieve comminution liberation of the PCB in a water …
Abstract. Synthetic dyes are amajor part of our life. Products ranging fromclothes to leather accessories to furniture all depend on extensive use of organic dyes. An unfortunate side effect of extensive use of these chemicals is that huge amounts of these potentially carcinogenic compounds enter our water supplies. Various advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) including the use of high-energ…
Abstract. The presence of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils poses a potential threat to human health if exposure levels are too high. Nevertheless, the removal of these contaminants presents a challenge to scientists and engineers. The high hydrophobic nature of PAHs enables their strong sorption onto soil or sediments. Thus, the use of surfactants could favour t…
Abstract. A simple and reliable method based upon impregnation of Cyanex302 on octadecyl bonded silica membrane disk has been developed for separation and atomic absorption spectrometric determination of nickel. The influence of various parameters like aqueous phase pH, flow rate and volume of eluent were investigated systematically to optimize the conditions for quantitative sorption and d…
Abstract. The accumulation of nitrate in closed marine systems presents a problem for both the marine life and the environment. The present study, proposes the application of the ion exchange membrane bioreactor (IEMB) concept for removing nitrate frommarine systems, suchas aquaculture tanks or marine aquariums. The results obtained demonstrate that the IEMB was able to remove naturally acc…
Abstract. The aim of thiswork is to determine the potential of application of banana peel as a biosorbent for removing phenolic compounds fromolive millwastewaters. The effect of adsorbent dosage, pH and contact time were investigated. The results showed that the increase in the banana peel dosage from 10 to 30 g/L significantly increased the phenolic compounds adsorption rates from 60 to 88…
Abstract. The dispersion of fire-induced buoyancy driven plume in and above an idealized street canyon of 18m (width)×18m (height)×40m (length) with a wind flow perpendicular to its axis was investigated by Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), Large Eddy Simulation (LES). Former studies, such as that by Oka [T.R. Oke, Street design and urban canopy layer climate, Energy Build. 11 (1988) 103–1…
Abstract. Medical waste constitutes one of the waste streams that should be dealt with special priority due to its potential negative impact on public health and on the environment. Incineration is a process that is widely used for the treatment of medical waste. However, self-supporting combustion of medical waste cannot avoid releasing many hazardous pollutants into our environment. The m…
Abstract. The removal efficiency of sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system with synthetic industrial estatewastewater (SIEWW) containing Ni2+ or Pb2+ was increased with the increase of mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS). But, the sludge volume index (SVI) of the systemwas increased up to higher than 100 mL/g under MLSS of up to 4000 mg/L. Also, the effluent NO3− was decreased with the in…
Abstract. The understanding of the gaseous adsorption process and the parameters of volatile organic compounds such as organic solvents or fuels onto soils is very important in the analysis of the transport or fate of these chemicals in soils. Batch adsorption experiments with six different treatments were conducted to determine the adsorption of isohexane, a gaseous aliphatic, onto volcani…
Abstract. A mixture of 70% (w/w) pine biomass and 30% (w/w) plastics (mixture of polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene) was subjected to pyrolysis at 400 ◦C, for 15 min, with an initial pressure of 40MPa. Part of the solid residue produced was subjected to extraction with dichloromethane (DCM). The extracted residue (residue A) and raw residue (residue B) were analyzed by weight lo…
Abstract. A comprehensive analysis of Turkish antibiotic data was conducted to evaluate potential environmental risks associated with antibiotic consumption in Turkey for year 2007. Antibioticswere defined for systemic use or group J01 of the WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system. Total emissions and prescriptions for each ATC group were classified separately into …
Abstract. Vegetated riparian zones adjacent to rivers and streams, can greatly mitigate nutrients, sediment from surface through deposition, absorption and denitrification, yet, human activities primarily land use practices have dramatically reduced the capacity. In this study, 42 sampling sites were selected in the riverine network throughout the upper Han River basin (approximately 95,200 k…
Abstract. The main purpose of this work was the investigation of the immobilization of chromium ion present in the ash from the incineration of chromium-tanned leather shavings (ACS) by means of vitrified ceramic bodies. To achieve the immobilization samples were initially produced adding soda-lime glass to ACS. After that, new formulations were produced with the addition of pure oxides, Ti…
Abstract. The uptake and persistence behaviour of the insecticide imidacloprid in tomato plants treated by (i) foliar spray application and (ii) soil irrigation was studied using two plant uptake models. In addition to a pesticide deposition model, a dynamic root uptake and translocation model was developed, and both models predict residual concentrations of pesticides in or on fruits. The …
Abstract. The present study presents the toxicity data of benzoic acid and its derivatives on Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, in terms of EC50 and NOEC values. Median effective concentrations (EC50) range from 0.55 to 270.7 mg/L (based on final yield) and 1.93 to 726.3 mg/L (based on algal growth rate). No-observedeffect concentration (NOEC) is within the range of
Abstract. The interaction between ammonium nitrate based industrial explosives and pyrite-rich minerals in mining operations can lead to the occurrence of spontaneous explosion of the explosives. In an effort to provide a scientific basis for safe applications of industrial explosives in reactive mining grounds containing pyrite, ammonium nitrate decomposition, with and without the presence …
Abstract. Quantum chemical calculations are used to compute the heats of formation (HOFs) for 24 nitroester (NE) energetic compounds in which only 5 nitroester energetic compounds have the available experimental heats of formation. The heats of formation of the five compounds are calculated from isodesmic reactions by employing the hybrid density functional theory (DFT) (B3LYP, B3PW91, and …
Abstract. Radioactive particlemovement analysis in any environment gives valuable information about the effects of the concerned environment on the particle and the transportation phenomenon. In this study, the spatiotemporal point cumulative semivariogram (STPCSV) approach is proposed for the analysis of the spatiotemporal changes in the radioactive particle movement within a surface water b…
Abstract. Extensive use of pharmaceuticals and growth hormone in farm animal and live stocks has resulted in their frequent detection in soils, groundwater, and wastewater. The fate and transport of these compounds are strongly affected by their sorptive behavior to the soil minerals and humic materials. In this research, we conducted the sorption of tetracycline (TC), a common antibiotic, …
Abstract. Sulfur dioxide and other sulfur compounds are generated as primary pollutants from the major industries such as sulfuric acid plants, cupper smelters, catalytic cracking units, etc. and cause acid rain. To remove the SO2 from waste flue gas a three-stage counter-current multi-stage fluidized bed adsorber was developed as desulfurization equipment and operated in continuous bubbling…
Abstract. The use of cheap, high efficiency and ecofriendly adsorbent has been studied as an alternative source of activated carbon for the removal of dyes from wastewater. This study investigates the use of activated carbons prepared from pomegranate peel for the removal of direct blue dye from aqueous solution. A series of experiments were conducted in a batch system to assess the effect o…
Abstract. Sludge, a solid waste recovered from wastewater of semiconductor-industries composes of agglomerates of nano-particles like SiO2 and CaF2. This sludge deflocculates in acidic and alkaline aqueous solutions into nano-particles smaller than 100 nm. Thus, this sludge is potentially hazardous to water resources when improperly dumped. It can cause considerable air-pollution when fed i…
Abstract. Industrial valorisation of lowcost and renewable biomass as rawprecursor of activated carbon for environmental applications is an interesting alternative to costly commercial activated carbons. In this study, the possible use of Mediterranean, Posidonia oceanica fibrous biomass, as a precursor for chars and physically activated carbons, is investigated. Firstly, the rawmarine materia…
Abstract. Photocatalytic inactivation of Bacillus anthracis was studied by using titania nanomaterials and UVA light. Experimental data clearly indicated that, time of exposure, quantity of catalyst, intensity of light, particle size and Sunlight affected the inactivation. It also demonstrated the pseudo-first order behavior of inactivation kinetics and pointed out the enhanced rate of inacti…
Abstract. This study aims to characterize the physical distribution of heavy metals in kaolin soil and the chemical and structural changes in kaolinite minerals that result from electrokinetic remediation. Three benchscale electrokinetic experiments were conducted on kaolin that was spiked with Cr(VI) alone, Ni (II) alone, and a combination of Cr(VI), Ni(II) and Cd(II) under a constant elec…
Abstract. Hydroxylamine (HA) and hydroxylamine nitrate (HAN) have been involved independently in several tragic accidents, which incurred numerous fatalities and injuries. Following these incidents, adiabatic calorimetry and computational chemistry research was conducted on those compounds, suggesting potential reaction pathways of their decomposition, but the mechanism of their unstable be…
Abstract. Acid mine drainage (AMD) is often accompanied with elevated concentrations of arsenic, in the forms of arsenite, As(III), and/or arsenate, As(V), due to the high affinity of arsenic for sulfide mineral ores. This review summarizes the major geochemical processes controlling the release, speciation, fate, and distribution of inorganic arsenic in mine drainage and natural systems. A…