The impact trilemma of energy prices,taxation, and population on industrial and residential greenhouse gas emissions in Europe

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - As a major source of pollution and the cause of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions are attracting the attention of scholars, policymakers, and...     

Predictive modelling of piezometric head and seepage discharge in earth dam using soft computational models

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Predictions of pore pressure and seepage discharge are the most important parameters in the design of earth dams and assessing their safety during the...     

Risk assessment of heavy metal(loid)s via Spinacia oleracea ingestion after sewage water irrigation practices in Vehari District

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The use of sewage water as an irrigation source can be beneficial in agricultural practices, however, it may result in human health risks due to the...     

The COVID-19 puzzle: a global nightmare

Environment, Development and Sustainability - In December 2019, WHO was informed with several unknown pneumonia cases and later it was found as highly contagious, transmittable and pathogenic viral...     

Assessment of Ecological Quality of the Tajan River in Iran Using a Multimetric Macroinvertebrate Index and Species Traits

The objectives of this study were to assess the biological water of the Iranian Tajan River using different metrics, i.e., a Multimetric Macroinvertebrate Index (MMI) and a traits-based method. Twenty-eight physico-chemical parameters, 10 habitat factors, and abundance of macroinvertebrates were obtained for 17 sites. The Shahid-Rajaie dam divides the Tajan River into an up- and downstream part, with different land uses. Eighteen metrics were used to represent four components of ecosystem quality, including tolerance (Hilsenhoff, SIGNAL), diversity (Margalef, Shannon–Wiener, Simpson, and Evenness), abundance (total number of taxa, individuals, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera, EPT, and Insects), and composition of assemblages (% Ephemeroptera, % Plecoptera, % Trichoptera, and % EPT Taxa). The integrated MMI was calculated by averaging the obtained scores of all indices. In the next step, we gathered information on 22 biological traits of macroinvertebrates to evaluate whether (group of) traits could be identified that are indicative for specific or general stress. Result showed a decrease in MMI from upstream (very good water quality) to downstream (bad) due to human activities. Industrial activities like pulping and papermaking operations or sand mining in the downstream part had more effects than agriculture and fish ponds in the upstream part. A redundancy analysis biplot showed the variation between the modalities of trait of macroinvertebrates and their correlation with physico-chemical parameters in Tajan River. The findings show that traits can be indicative for different kind of stress but that more effort has to be put in gathering data sets to disentangle the effect of habitat quality, pollution, and the physico-chemical properties of high- versus lowland rivers.     

Enhanced catalytic complete oxidation of 1,2-dichloroethane over mesoporous transition metal-doped γ-Al2O3

High-surface-area mesoprous powders of γ-Al₂O₃ doped with Cu^2 +, Cr^3 +, and V^3 + ions were prepared via a modified sol–gel method and were investigated as catalysts for the oxidation of chlorinated organic compounds. The composites retained high surface areas and pore volumes comparable with those of undoped γ-Al₂O₃ and the presence of the transition metal ions enhanced their surface acidic properties. The catalytic activity of the prepared catalysts in the oxidation of 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) was studied in the temperature range of 250–400°C. The catalytic activity and product selectivity were strongly dependent on the presence and the type of dopant ion. While Cu^2 +- and Cr^3 +-containing catalysts showed 100% conversion at 300°C and 350°C, V^3 +-containing catalyst showed considerably lower conversion. Furthermore, while the major products of the reactions over γ-alumina were vinyl chloride (C₂H₃Cl) and hydrogen chloride (HCl) at all temperatures, Cu- and Cr-doped catalysts showed significantly stronger capability for deep oxidation to CO₂.     

Total mercury and methylmercury concentrations in native and invasive fish species in Shadegan International Wetland,Iran, and health risk assessment

Human exposure to mercury (Hg) mainly occurs through consumption of aquatics, especially fish. In aquatic systems, the bioaccumulation of Hg across trophic levels could be altered by invasive species through changing community composition. The present study is aimed at measuring total mercury (T-Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in non-native (redbelly tilapia (Tilapia zillii)) and native (Benni (Mesopotamichthys sharpeyi) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio)) fish species throughout Shadegan International Wetland and comparing health risk of their mercury contents to the local population. The concentrations were measured using a direct mercury analyzer (DMA 80). The average values of T-Hg and MeHg for native fishes were 19.8 and 10.49 μg/kg. These concentrations for the invasive fish were 28 and 14.62 μg/kg respectively. Despite having less length and weight than the native fish species, tilapia showed significantly higher T-Hg content, yet the lowest concentration of MeHg was observed in common carp with larger body length and weight. Concerning mercury health risk to consumers, tilapia demonstrated the highest estimated weekly intake (EWI) and percentages of tolerable weekly intake (%TWI) for both T-Hg and MeHg, while the highest hazard quotient (HQ) values were obtained for tilapia and Benni. Taken together, the mercury concentrations in the two native and non-native fishes were acceptable according to the international safety guidelines although the local people shall be warned for consumption of tilapia. Furthermore, the low calculated value of tissue residue criterion (TRC) for the wetland fishes sounds a warning.     

Composting of municipal solid waste by different methods improved the growth of vegetables and reduced the health risks of cadmium and lead

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Reutilization of putrescible municipal solid wastes (MSW) in agriculture can provide valuable plant nutrients. However, it may pose serious...