Zingiber officinale ethanolic extract attenuates oxidative stress,steroidogenic gene expression alterations,and testicular histopathology induced by sodium arsenite in male rats

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Arsenic (As) indelibly exists in the environment and may reach to a food chain. Flavors and herbs are recognized sources of natural antioxidants that...     

Immunohistochemical,histopathological, and biochemical studies of the NF-ҡB P65 marker in rat ovaries experimentally intoxicated by cadmium and the protective effect of the purslane plant extract

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The aim of this study is to describe the existence of the inflammatory marker nuclear factor kappa light chain B lymphocyte protein (NF-?B P65)...     

Sulfonated graphene nanomaterials for membrane antifouling,pollutant removal,and production of chemicals from biomass: a review

Water pollution and the unsustainable use of fossil fuel derivatives require advanced catalytic methods to clean waters and to produce fine chemicals from modern biomass. Classical homogeneous catalysts such as sulfuric, phosphoric, and hydrochloric acid are highly corrosive and non-recyclable, whereas heterogeneous catalysts appear promising for lignocellulosic waste depolymerization, pollutant degradation, and membrane antifouling. Here, we review the use of sulfonated graphene and sulfonated graphene oxide nanomaterials for improving membranes, pollutant adsorption and degradation, depolymerization of lignocellulosic waste, liquefaction of biomass, and production of fine chemicals. We also discuss the economy of oil production from biomass. Sulfonated graphene and sulfonated graphene oxide display an unusual large theoretical specific surface area of 2630 m²/g, allowing the reactants to easily enter the internal surface of graphene nanosheets and to reach active acid sites. Sulfonated graphene oxide is hydrophobic and has hydrophilic groups, such as hydroxyl, carboxyl, and epoxy, thus creating cavities on the graphene nanosheet’s surface. The adsorption capacity approached 2.3–2.4 mmol per gram for naphthalene and 1-naphthol. Concerning membranes, we observe an improvement of hydrophilicity, salt rejection, water flux, antifouling properties, and pollutant removal. The nanomaterials can be reused several times without losing catalytic activity due to the high stability originating from the stable carbon–sulfur bond between graphene and the sulfonic group.

     

Ingestion and egestion of microplastic by aquatic insects in Egypt wastewater

Microplastics (MPs) are frequently regarded as environmental and biota contaminants. Yet, research on the accumulation of MPs in living entities, particularly aquatic insects that serve as food resources in the aquatic food chain, is limited. This study to investigate the accumulation of MPs in aquatic insects from water and sediment in an Egyptian wastewater basin. Four typical freshwater insect groups were used. The highest MP load per gram wet weight was reported by collector-gatherers (Chironomus sp. and Hydrophilus sp.), followed by collector-filterers (Culex sp.) with the second highest MP load. However, Predators (Aeshna sp.) had the lowest values. Also, the present results showed a reduction in the number of MPs in all insect taxa tested after a 24 h depuration time, with differences in the observed egestion ability. The mean number of MPs per individual significantly reduced after 24 h in both Chironomus sp. and Culex sp. larvae, where 53% and 40% of MPs particles were ejected from them, respectively. However, the ability of MP egestion decreases in Aeshna sp. nymph (25%), and the lowest proportion of ejection was observed in Hydrophilus sp. adults (9%). Polyethylene terephthalate fibers were the most abundant type of MP in both sediment and water, followed by fragments (polyethylene and polypropylene). Yet, only polyester fibers were detected in the various insect species. The average length of fibers in the various insects was somewhat shorter than in the surrounding environment. The current study reveals that MP ingestion by aquatic insects is not always related to levels of pollution in the environment, since other factors such as feeding strategies may play a role in MP ingestion. Based on these observations, further studies should be carried out on studies on toxicological impacts of MPs on freshwater/aquatic biota.     

Potential of Eucalyptus globulus for the phytoremediation of metals in a Moroccan iron mine soil—a case study

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The contamination left by abandoned mines demands sustainable mitigation measures. Hence, the aim of this study was to examine the phytoremediator...     

Towards saving freshwater: halophytes as unconventional feedstuffs in livestock feed: a review

Water represents 71% of all earth area and about 97% of this water is salty water. So, only 3% of the overall world water quantity is freshwater. Human can benefit only from 1% of this water and the remaining 2% freeze at both poles of earth. Therefore, it is important to preserve the freshwater through increasing the plants consuming salty water. The future prosperity of feed resources in arid and semi-arid countries depends on economic use of alternative resources that have been marginalized for long periods of time, such as halophytic plants, which are one such potential future resource. Halophyte plants can grow in high salinity water and soil and to some extent during drought. The growth of these plants depends on the contact of the salted water with plant roots as in semi-desert saline water, mangrove swamps, marshes, and seashores. Halophyte plants need high levels of sodium chloride in the soil water for growth, and the soil water must also contain high levels of salts, as sodium hydroxide or magnesium sulfate. There are many uses for halophyte plants, including feed for animals, vegetables, drugs, sand dune stabilizers, wind shelter, soil cover, wetland cultivation, laundry detergents, and paper production. This paper will focus on the use of halophytes as a feed additive for animals. In spite of the good nutritional value of halophytes, some anti-nutritional factors as nitrates, nitrite complexes, tannins, glycosides, phenolic compounds, saponins, oxalates, and alkaloids may be present in some of them. The presence of such anti-nutritional agents makes halophytes unpalatable to animals, which tends to reduce feed intake and nutrient use. Therefore, the negative effects of these plants on animal performance are the only objection against using halophytes in animal feed diets. This review article highlights the beneficial impact of considering halophytes in animal feeding on saving freshwater and illustrates its nutritive value for livestock from different aspects.     

Groundwater Modeling in Agricultural Watershed under Different Recharge and Discharge Scenarios for Quaternary Aquifer Eastern Nile Delta,Egypt

Different scenarios of recharge and discharge were assessed for sustainable management of groundwater in Quaternary aquifer east of Nile Delta. MODFLOW was utilized to investigate the effect of land use change and damming construction in the upstream of the Nile River on the current and short-term groundwater management strategies. The interpretive transient simulation was performed between 2004 and 2016 after steady-state calibration in 2004, and transient state from 2004 to 2013 with different irrigation recharges associated with land use change in this period. Sensitivity analysis was performed for hydraulic conductivities, recharge, and conductance parameters. The predictive transient simulation was run till 2023 under three scenarios of increasing pumping rates by 15, 30, and 50% for agriculture expansion and specified head reduction of Port Said Canal by 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 m associated with the reduction of Nile water levels after Grand Ethiopian Residence Dam, GERD operation in 2017. Results from the in- and out-flow budgets showed that groundwater aquifer is stable at the current rate of pumping till 2023. Groundwater heads decreased by 0.2 and 0.42 m in the southern section, and a slight increase in the northern part was noticed for the first and second scenarios, respectively. When additional pumping stress is applied (50% increase), groundwater head dropped by 0.66 m, and the storage is no longer able to maintain the aquifer capacity after 2020 (worst-case scenario).     

Improved desalination by polyamide membranes containing hydrophilic glutamine and glycine

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Water desalination and recycling of wastewater is a key challenge to meet water shortage issues. Thin film composite polyamide membranes are widely used for...     

Adsorption-desorption and leaching potential of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid in acidic Malaysian soil amended with cow dung and rice husk ash

This study investigates adsorption-desorption and the leaching potential of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in control and amended—addition of cow dung or rice husk ash—acidic Malaysian soil with high oxide mineral content. The addition of cow dung or rice husk ash increased the adsorptive removal of AMPA. The isotherm data of glyphosate and AMPA best fitted the Freundlich model. The constant K_f for glyphosate was high in the control soil (544.873 mg g^?1) followed by soil with cow dung (482.451 mg g^?1) then soil with rice husk ash (418.539 mg g^?1). However, for AMPA, soil with cow dung was high (166.636 mg g^?1) followed by soil with rice husk ash (137.570 mg g^?1) then the control soil (48.446 mg g^?1). The 1/n values for both glyphosate and AMPA adsorptions were <?1 indicating their strong affinity for adsorbents. Desorption of both glyphosate and AMPA occurred only in the control soil. The compounds were not detected in soils with added cow dung or rice husk ash. The addition of cow dung or rice husk ash increased glyphosate mobility. However, ground water ubiquity scores for both control and amended soils were <?2.8. This indicated glyphosate is a transitional herbicide; therefore, its leaching potential in the soil is low, despite the addition of cow dung or rice husk ash. Addition of these wastes decreased the mobility and leaching potential of AMPA. The addition of cow dung or rice husk ash could be beneficial in increasing adsorption and enhancing degradation of these compounds.     

Injection-Molded Bioblends from Lignin and Biodegradable Polymers: Processing and Performance Evaluation

This paper investigates the effects of the incorporation of lignin and small quantities of epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) as an impact modifying agent on blends of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL). The addition of lignin resulted in a slight improvement of flexural strength and modulus of the ternary blending system. Incorporation of ENR into the blend resulted in an increase in notched Izod impact strength from 40 to 135% depending on the concentration of ENR. The addition of lignin into the blend resulted in an improvement of thermal stability of the ternary blend system. Morphological analysis showed a good dispersion of PHBV phases and lignin within the PCL matrix. Rheological characterization revealed that the presence of lignin resulted in increased storage modulus of the bioblend.