Developing the first halophytic turfgrasses for the urban landscape from native Arabian desert grass

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Climate change is occurring and is influencing biological systems through augmented temperatures, more inconstant precipitation, and rising CO2 in the...     

Monitoring the impact of urban effluents on mineral contents of water and sediments of four sites of the river Ravi, Lahore

We assessed the impact of urban effluents on the concentrations of selected minerals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Zn, Mn, Ni, and Hg) in river Ravi before and after its passage through Lahore city. Water and sediment samples were collected from three lowly to highly polluted downstream sites (Shahdera (B), Sunder (C), and Balloki (D)) alongside the least polluted upstream site (Siphon (A)) during high and low river flow seasons. All the mineral concentrations increased up to site C but stabilized at site D, showing some recovery as compared to the third sampling site. The trend of mean mineral concentration was significantly higher during the low than the high flow season at all the sites. The mean Hg concentrations approached 0.14 and 0.12 mg/l at site A which increased (%) up to 107 and 25 % at site B, 1,700 and 1,317 % at site C, and 1,185 and 1,177 % at site D during low and high river flows, respectively. All mineral concentrations were much higher in the sediment than the water samples. Mean Cd (917 %), Cr (461 %), Cu (300 %), Fe (254 %), Pb (179 %), Zn (170 %), Mn (723 %), Ni (853 %), and Hg (1,699 %) concentrations were higher in riverbed sediments sampled from site C in comparison with the sample collected at site A during low flow season. The domestic and industrial discharges from Lahore city have created undesirable water qualities during the low river flow season. As majority of the mineral levels in the river Ravi were higher than the permissible and safe levels, this is of immediate concern for riverine fish consumers and the users of water for recreation and even irrigation. The use of these waters may pose health risks, and therefore, urgent intervention strategies are needed to minimize river water pollution and its impact on fish-consuming communities of this study area and beyond.     

A comprehensive review of hydrophobic silica and composite aerogels: synthesis,properties and recent progress towards environmental remediation and biomedical applications

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The hydrophobicity of silica and composite aerogels has enabled them to acquire applications in a variety of fields. With remarkable structural,...     

Nanoparticles functionalized ceramic membranes: fabrication,surface modification,and performance

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Membrane technologies are used intensively for desalination and wastewater treatment. Water filtration using ceramic membranes exhibited high...     

不同降水下覆盖与缓释肥减量对油菜土壤微生物群落结构的影响

为探讨沟垄集雨、秸秆覆盖和减量缓释肥集成技术对油菜土壤微生物群落结构的影响,在大田定位试验条件下,设置3种栽培方式（秸秆覆盖、沟垄集雨、传统平作）和4种施肥水平（习惯施肥、缓释肥减量20%、缓释肥减量40%、不施肥）,比较分析2016~2017年（多雨年份）和2017~2018年（季节性干旱年份）这2种不同降水年型下油菜土壤微生物群落结构对集成技术的响应.结果表明,不同降雨条件下,秸秆覆盖+缓释肥减量20%（J80）与沟垄覆盖+缓释肥减量20%（M80）较习惯栽培（PC）更利于土壤微生物生长.在多雨年型和季节性干旱年型下,J80与M80能平均分别提高微生物量碳9.94%和10.32%;提高土壤微生物量氮2.38%和1.19%.多雨年型下,土壤微生物磷酸脂肪酸（PLFA）总量较干旱年型降低30.75%,覆盖能有效提高土壤PLFA质量摩尔浓度.多雨年型下土壤细菌、真菌PLFA质量摩尔浓度较干旱年型平均减少33.67%和53.21%;而放线菌PLFA增加13.04%.微生物群落对异常降水具有敏感响应.多雨气候会造成细菌/真菌升高;干旱气候则会增加直链饱和脂肪酸/直链单不饱和脂肪酸及直链单不饱和脂肪酸/环丙烷脂肪酸.通过秸秆覆盖与缓释肥的集成技术,能稳定异常降水下的土壤微环境,缓解水分和养分胁迫,为油菜稳产和可持续发展提供有效途径.     

Separation and remediation of environmental pollutants using metal–organic framework-based tailored materials

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a polymer hybrid family of compounds comprising metal ions that have been deliberately incorporated in...     

Exploring the potential effect of Achnatherum splendens L.–derived biochar treated with phosphoric acid on bioavailability of cadmium and wheat growth in contaminated soil

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Biochar remediation efficiency could be enhanced through numerous treatments such as acids treatment. Still, there has little work done on...     

Effects of Dimensionality of Space on the Presence/Absence of Multiple Species

Environmental Modeling & Assessment - A key problem in ecology is to predict the presence/absence of species across a geographical region. Addressing this problem in a multi-species community...     

Green synthesis and characterization of metal ions-mixed titania for application in dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

The objective of the present study is to synthesize various metal ions mixed TiO₂ nanoparticles using a continuous hydrothermal synthesis pilot reactor for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). In the pilot plant, aqueous solutions of the metal salts are mixed with a flow of supercritical water (450?°C and 24.1?MPa) in a confined jet mixer for continuous synthesis of metal ions-mixed nano-titania. Characterization of the particles was made using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller technique for specific surface area, powder X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy for identification and crystallite size, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for surface analysis and infrared spectroscopy for distinct group identification. Following the already existing procedures and using the titanates synthesized, dye-sensitized cells of 1?cm² area were assembled and their photovoltaic parameters were evaluated under standard test conditions. The power conversion efficiencies (η %) for 40?mol % Zn²⁺, 5?mol % Zr⁴⁺ and 10?mol % Zn⁴⁺ titania were obtained to be 4.8, 4.95 and 4.9, respectively. The promising efficiency results from a greener and large-scale production of nano-titania is a step forward towards commercializing DSC technology.     

Influence of hydrological runoff and catchment characteristics on accumulation floatable litter load in gross pollutant trap (GPT)

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The accumulation of floatable litter load captured in gross pollutant trap (GPT) due to the hydrological runoff has become challenging due to rapid...