Effects of rhamnolipids and shear on initial attachment of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas aeruginosa</Emphasis> PAO1 in glass flow chambers

Background, aim, and scope  

Solid surfaces in contact with water have been found to be biofouled due to the attachment of various organisms. For better understanding of the biofilm formation, the important initial stage of bacterial attachment was investigated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 as a model microorganism. Effects of the biosurfactant rhamnolipids and the shear conditions were particularly examined.     

Wet air oxidation and catalytic wet air oxidation for dyes degradation

Background, aim, and scope  

Textile industry produces wastewater which contributes to water pollution since it utilizes a lot of chemicals. Preliminary studies show that the wastewater from textile industries contains grease, wax, surfactant, and dyes. The objective of this study was to determine the treatment efficiency of the nickel catalysts supported on hydrotalcites in three-dye model compounds and two types of wastewater.     

A concurrent neuro-fuzzy inference system for screening the ecological risk in rivers

Purpose  

A conceptual model to assess water quality in river basins was developed here. The model was based on ecological risk assessment principles, and incorporated a novel ranking and scoring system, based on self-organizing maps, to account for the likely ecological hazards posed by the presence of chemical substances in freshwater. This approach was used to study the chemical pollution in the Ebro River basin (Spain), whose currently applied environmental indices must be revised in terms of scientific accuracy.     

Modeling and optimization of trihalomethanes formation potential of surface water (a drinking water source) using Box–Behnken design

Purpose  

The present research aims to investigate the individual and interactive effects of chlorine dose/dissolved organic carbon ratio, pH, temperature, bromide concentration, and reaction time on trihalomethanes (THMs) formation in surface water (a drinking water source) during disinfection by chlorination in a prototype laboratory-scale simulation and to develop a model for the prediction and optimization of THMs levels in chlorinated water for their effective control.     

A sorption kinetics model for arsenic adsorption to magnetite nanoparticles

Introduction  

Arsenic is a well known water contaminant that causes toxicological and carcinogenic effects. In this work magnetite nanoparticles were examined as possible arsenic sorbents. The objective of this work was to develop a sorption kinetics model, which could be used to predict the amount of arsenic adsorbed by magnetite nanoparticles in the presence of naturally occurring species using a first-order rate equation, modified to include adsorption, described by a Langmuir isotherm.     

Predicting regional space–time variation of PM2.5 with land-use regression model and MODIS data

Purpose  

Existing land-use regression (LUR) models use land use/cover, population, and traffic information to predict long-term intra-urban variation of air pollution. These models are limited to explaining spatial variation of air pollutants, and few of them are capable of addressing temporal variability. This article proposes a space–time LUR model at a regional scale by incorporating aerosol optical depth (AOD) data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS).     

Fractionation and bioavailability of Cu in soil remediated by EDTA leaching and processed by earthworms (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lumbricus terrestris</Emphasis> L.)

Background, aim, and scope  

Soil remediation with ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) leaching is capable of removing only part of the total metal concentration in the soil, mostly the labile, bioavailable metal species (metal bioavailability stripping). However, reintroduction of remediated soil in the environment exposes the soil to various environmental factors, which could potentially shift nonlabile residual metals back to labile bioavailable forms. We studied the effect of autochthonous earthworm species as model biotic environmental factor on the fractionation and bioavailability of Cu residual in soil after remediation.     

Development of a model to select plants with optimum metal phytoextraction potential

Purpose  

The aim of the present study is to propose a nonlinear model which provides an indicator for the maximum phytoextraction of metals to help in the decision-making process. Research into different species and strategies plays an important role in the application of phytoextraction techniques to the remediation of contaminated soil. Also, the convenience of species according to their biomass and pollutant accumulation capacities has gained important space in discussions regarding remediation strategies, whether to choose species with low accumulation capacities and high biomass or high accumulation capacities with low biomass.     

Spatial distribution and speciation of mercury and methyl mercury in the surface water of East River (Dongjiang) tributary of Pearl River Delta, South China

Purpose  

The distribution and speciation of mercury in surface water of East River, Guangdong province, China were investigated.     

Genetic ecotoxicology of asbestos pollution in the house mouse <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mus musculus domesticus</Emphasis>

Purpose  

We tested the genetic diversity in wild mice (Mus musculus domesticus) inhabiting the asbestos-polluted area as a model for the long-term mutagenic effect of asbestos. Hazardous effects of deposited asbestos persist in the environment because of low rate of fiber disintegration. The upper layers of the soil in the vicinity of a former asbestos factory are nearly “saturated” with asbestos fibers and dust. Natural populations of mice dwell in this area and are constantly exposed to asbestos fibers.     

Characteristics of exhaust gas,liquid products,and residues of printed circuit boards using the pyrolysis process

Introduction  

The pyrolytic method was employed to recycle metals and brominated compounds blended into printed circuit boards (PCBs).     

Differences between carbon dioxide levels over suburban and rural sites in Northern Spain

Purpose  

A comparison between suburban and rural atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations in Northern Spain is made.     

Natural radionuclides in trees grown on a uranium mill tailings waste pile

Objective  

The purpose of the study was to investigate natural radionuclide uptake and allocation by trees.     

Column with CNT/magnesium oxide composite for lead(II) removal from water

Background  

In this study, manganese dioxide-coated multiwall carbon nanotube (MnO₂/CNT) nanocomposite has been successfully synthesized.     

Photochemical transformation of the thyroid hormone levothyroxine in aqueous solution

Purpose  

The direct aqueous photolysis of the thyroid hormone levothyroxine (T₄) has been studied.     

Investigations on the leaching behaviour of irrigated construction elements

Objective  

In this paper, results regarding the leaching of trace elements out of mineral building materials under irrigation are presented.     

Wavelet transform-based artificial neural networks (WT-ANN) in PM10 pollution level estimation, based on circular variables

Introduction  

In this paper, a novel method in the estimation and prediction of PM₁₀ is introduced using wavelet transform-based artificial neural networks (WT-ANN).     

Effect of Pb toxicity on leaf growth, antioxidant enzyme activities, and photosynthesis in cuttings and seedlings of Jatropha curcas L

Background  

Cuttings and seedlings of Jatropha curcas L. were exposed to different regimes of lead (Pb) stress as Pb(NO₃)₂ at 0 (CK), 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 mM kg⁻¹ soil.     

Uranium biosorption by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Padina</Emphasis> sp. algae biomass: kinetics and thermodynamics

Introduction  

Kinetic, thermodynamic, and equilibrium isotherms of the biosorption of uranium ions onto Padina sp., a brown algae biomass, in a batch system have been studied.     

Biodegradability and ecotoxicitiy of tramadol, ranitidine, and their photoderivatives in the aquatic environment

Purpose  

This study was designed to assess the fate and the overall potential impacts of the widely prescribed drugs ranitidine and tramadol after their introduction into the aquatic environment.