Influence of catalysts on bio-oil yield and quality: a review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The catalytic production of bio-oil can potentially solve the impending fossil fuel depletion crisis. Two practical problems related to bio-oil are...     

Pollutants and sperm quality: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Male fertility and semen quality have declined over recent decades. Among other causes, exposure to environmental and occupational pollution has been...     

Nitrogen nutrition in cotton and control strategies for greenhouse gas emissions: a review

Cotton (Gossypium hirustum L.) is grown globally as a major source of natural fiber. Nitrogen (N) management is cumbersome in cotton production systems; it has more impacts on yield, maturity, and lint quality of a cotton crop than other primary plant nutrient. Application and production of N fertilizers consume large amounts of energy, and excess application can cause environmental concerns, i.e., nitrate in ground water, and the production of nitrous oxide a highly potent greenhouse gas (GHG) to the atmosphere, which is a global concern. Therefore, improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of cotton plant is critical in this context. Slow-release fertilizers (e.g., polymer-coated urea) have the potential to increase cotton yield and reduce environmental pollution due to more efficient use of nutrients. Limited literature is available on the mitigation of GHG emissions for cotton production. Therefore, this review focuses on the role of N fertilization, in cotton growth and GHG emission management strategies, and will assess, justify, and organize the researchable priorities. Nitrate and ammonium nitrogen are essential nutrients for successful crop production. Ammonia (NH₃) is a central intermediate in plant N metabolism. NH₃ is assimilated in cotton by the mediation of glutamine synthetase, glutamine (z-) oxoglutarate amino-transferase enzyme systems in two steps: the first step requires adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to add NH₃ to glutamate to form glutamine (Gln), and the second step transfers the NH₃ from glutamine (Gln) to α-ketoglutarate to form two glutamates. Once NH₃ has been incorporated into glutamate, it can be transferred to other carbon skeletons by various transaminases to form additional amino acids. The glutamate and glutamine formed can rapidly be used for the synthesis of low-molecular-weight organic N compounds (LMWONCs) such as amides, amino acids, ureides, amines, and peptides that are further synthesized into high-molecular-weight organic N compounds (HMWONCs) such as proteins and nucleic acids.     

House fly (Musca domestica): a review of control strategies for a challenging pest

Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), commonly called the house fly, is a major domestic, medical and veterinary pest that causes irritation, spoils food and acts as a vector for many pathogenic organisms. In this paper, the social and health problems related to housefly are introduced with the associated need to control its population. Physical and chemical methods of house fly control are briefly discussed. The main focus of this review is on the biological control methods for house fly control, that comprise botanical, fungal, bacterial and parasitoid agents. Although several biocontrol agents are still in the nascent stage, some of them (especially fungal and parasitoid agents) have shown reliable field performance and seem to be suitable candidates for commercialization. However, the majority of these laboratory and field studies have been conducted in the temperate region. It remains to be seen whether the application of biocontrol agents would be feasible in tropical environments. The integrated pest management practices, which can provide more reliable field performance, have also been discussed. A multi-dimensional approach that exerts control on all the life stages of house fly, but simultaneously preserves the fly's natural enemies could be an ecologically sustainable way of maintaining the fly populations below maximally acceptable limits.     

Sampling technologies and air pollution control devices for gaseous and particulate arsenic: a review

Direct measurement of arsenic release requires a good sampling and analysis procedure in order to capture and detect the total amount of metals emitted. The literature is extensively reviewed in order to evaluate the efficiency of full field-scale and laboratory scale techniques for capturing particulate and gaseous emissions of arsenic from the thermo-chemical treatment of different sources of arsenic. Furthermore, trace arsenic concentrations in ambient air, national standard sampling methods and arsenic analysis methods are considered. Besides sampling techniques, the use of sorbents is also reviewed with respect to both approaches (1) to prevent the metals from exiting with the flue gas and (2) to react or combine with the metals in order to be collected in air pollution control systems. The most important conclusion is that submicron arsenic fumes are difficult to control in conventional air pollution control devices. Complete capture of the arsenic species requires a combination of particle control and vapour control devices.     

House fly (Musca domestica): A review of control strategies for a challenging pest

Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), commonly called the house fly, is a major domestic, medical and veterinary pest that causes irritation, spoils food and acts as a vector for many pathogenic organisms. In this paper, the social and health problems related to housefly are introduced with the associated need to control its population. Physical and chemical methods of house fly control are briefly discussed. The main focus of this review is on the biological control methods for house fly control, that comprise botanical, fungal, bacterial and parasitoid agents. Although several biocontrol agents are still in the nascent stage, some of them (especially fungal and parasitoid agents) have shown reliable field performance and seem to be suitable candidates for commercialization. However, the majority of these laboratory and field studies have been conducted in the temperate region. It remains to be seen whether the application of biocontrol agents would be feasible in tropical environments. The integrated pest management practices, which can provide more reliable field performance, have also been discussed. A multi-dimensional approach that exerts control on all the life stages of house fly, but simultaneously preserves the fly's natural enemies could be an ecologically sustainable way of maintaining the fly populations below maximally acceptable limits.     

基于指标规范值的环境质量的指数幂乘积指数公式

传统的环境质量指数幂乘积指数的分级标准值随指标不同和指标数目不同而不同,因而综合指数的分级标准值不能规范和统一.在适当设定指标参照值和指标值的规范变换式基础上,使同类环境不同指标的同级标准的规范值差异尽可能小,而不同标准的指标规范值差异尽可能大,从而可以认为,用规范值表示的同类环境的各指标皆等效于某个规范指标,因而同类环境的任意m项指标的指数幂乘积综合指数可以有共同的分级标准值,使基于指标规范值的环境质量指数幂乘积指数公式具有普适性、可比性和通用性.     

Neuro-fuzzy and neural network systems for air quality control

In order to define efficient air quality plans, Regional Authorities need suitable tools to evaluate both the impact of emission reduction strategies on pollution indexes and the costs of such emission reductions. The air quality control can be formalized as a two-objective nonlinear mathematical problem, integrating source–receptor models and the estimate of emission reduction costs. Both aspects present several complex elements. In particular the source–receptor models cannot be implemented through deterministic modelling systems, that would bring to a computationally unfeasible mathematical problem. In this paper we suggest to identify source–receptor statistical models (neural network and neuro-fuzzy) processing the simulations of a deterministic multi-phase modelling system (GAMES). The methodology has been applied to ozone and PM10 concentrations in Northern Italy. The results show that, despite a large advantage in terms of computational costs, the selected source–receptor models are able to accurately reproduce the simulation of the 3D modelling system.     

A systematic review on cigarette butt management as a hazardous waste and prevalent litter: control and recycling

Annually, over 5.5 trillion cigarettes are produced worldwide, and it is estimated that 4.5 trillion cigarette butts (CBs) are still being littered in the world. The dispersal of the CBs has caused this hazardous waste to be considered as one of the most important litters and environmental risks all over the world. This systematic study with the search protocol definition and keyword identification was developed to find the CBs control and recycling methods by searching in five scientific databases. Founded articles were monitored and finally, 35 related articles were selected and studied by the authors. The results of this study showed that CBs recycling methods have been tested in 10 specific categories all over the world. The CBs have been applied without any pre-processing methods in the bricks and asphalt production. However, other applications of the CBs such as the absorbent material production, vector control, and use as a biofilm carrier in wastewater treatment need various processing methods. The researchers also presented models and suggestions such as taxes, penalties, and public education for the control of CBs littering. Despite the innovative methods applied for the CBs recycling in previous studies, CBs have not received much attention in terms of pollutant control and environmental issues in recycling processes.

     

A review on the application of microbial toxicity tests for deriving sediment quality guidelines

The results of microbial toxicity tests are needed for the risk assessment of polluted sediments. In comparison with animals the anaerobic microorganisms are more tolerant to natural sediment conditions whereas they are more sensitive for a number of specific pollutants. Microbial toxicity tests from a literature search were classified in seven categories. Category A, B and C use polluted sediments and are applied for sediment monitoring. In category D, a pure chemical is added and the organisms and the test conditions were derived from sediment. Therefore this category can be used for setting sediment quality guidelines which protect sediment functions for the toxic effects of chemicals. In category E, organisms from a polluted site are separated from the sediment and are tested with pure chemicals. Organisms from a more polluted site can be more tolerant to a local pollutant. This is called pollution-induced community tolerance and can be used as evidence for the occurrence of toxic effects in a specific sediment. In category F pure chemicals are tested with a pure culture of microorganisms under sediment conditions. The results of category F tests can be combined with single species tests with animals and plants to obtain sediment quality guidelines sufficient for species protection. This can be compared with the sediment quality guidelines which protect sediment functions. When one of these quality guidelines is exceeded for a compound at a specific location a category E test can be used to determine whether the compound shows toxic effects in that sediment.     

Approaches to prevent and control Campylobacter spp. colonization in broiler chickens: a review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Campylobacter, Gram-negative bacteria, is the most common cause of acute bacterial enteritis in human beings, both in developing and developed...     

Monitoring and control methods of harmful algal blooms in Chinese freshwater system: a review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a worldwide problem with substantial adverse effects on the aquatic environment as well as human health, which have...     

The Need for a More Robust Ozone Air Quality Standard

The present National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone has many statistical problems, including use of extreme values which have inherent large fluctuations, a compliance test that can gradually lower the target of the design value below the standard level, and inconsistencies between the number-of-exceedances criterion and the design value. The above problems can be avoided or minimized by using a more robust statistic, such as the 95th percentile, and applying a statistical compliance test, without sacrificing the stringency of the standard. Analysis of EPA’s ozone data shows that the annual 95th percentiles and their three-year means have less variability than the annual second highest values and the fourth highest values in three years, respectively. A t test for the mean of the annual 95th percentiles is proposed for compliance testing not only to preserve the averaging concept of the present standard, but also to take account of ozone concentration fluctuations in order to increase the stability of the compliance status of a site or a Metropolitan Statistical Area. A procedure is provided to adjust the level of the 95th-percentile standard so that the stringency of the present standard is preserved.     

Graphene-based photocatalytic nanocomposites used to treat pharmaceutical and personal care product wastewater: A review

Photocatalytic technology has been widely studied by researchers in the field of environmental purification. This technology can not only completely convert organic pollutants into small molecules of CO₂ and H₂O through redox reactions but also remove metal ions and other inorganic substances from water. This article reviews the research progress of graphene-based photocatalytic nanocomposites in the treatment of wastewater. First, we elucidate the basic principles of photocatalysis, the types of graphene-based nanocomposites, and the role of graphene in photocatalysis (e.g., graphene can accelerate the separation of photon-hole pairs and increase the intensity and range of light absorption). Second, the preparation, characterization, and application of composites in wastewater are introduced. We also discuss the kinetic model of the photocatalytic degradation of pollutants. Finally, the enhancement mechanism of graphene in terms of photocatalysis is not completely clear, and graphene-based photocatalysts with high catalytic efficiency, low cost, and large-scale production have not yet appeared, so there is an urgent need for more extensive and in-depth research.