The relevance of James Lovelock’s research and philosophy to environmental science and academia

James E. Lovelock, famed for his Gaia hypothesis, which views the Earth as a living integrated and interconnected self-regulating system whose equilibrium comes about from complex energy-based interactions and feedback loops, ultimately sustaining life, passed away at the end of July, 2022 at the age of 103. Not only are the adaptive mechanisms of Gaia central to the conversation of environmental homeostasis, they lie at the heart of climate change and global warming. Lovelock is also remembered as the co-inventor of the electron capture detector that eventually allowed for the sensitive detection of chlorofluorocarbons and pesticides. Finally, Lovelock’s free-spirited nature and research independence allow academia to rethink current research’s modus operandi.     

Volatilization of heavy metals during incineration of municipal solid wastes

Incineration experiments with MSW, which had been impregnated with heavy metals, were presented to obtain information on the volatilization behavior of the elements cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) under different conditions. Experiments were carried out in a bubbling fluid bed system connected to a customized inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy(ICP-OES) for analyzing metals in the flue gas. The results indicated that the combustion temperature, the gas atmosphere, and the chlorine content in the flue gas could affect the volatilization behavior of heavy metals. In the fluidized bed combustion, a large surface area was provided by the bed sand particles, and they may act as absorbents for the gaseous ash-forming compound. Comparer with the metals Cd and Pb, the vaporization of Zn was low. The formation of stable compounds such as ZnO.Al2O3 could greatly decrease the metals volatilization. The presence of chlorine would enhance the volatilization of heavy metals by increasing the formation of metal chlorides. However, when the oxygen content was high, the chlorinating reaction was kinetically hindered, which heavy metals release would be delayed.     

Cadmium uptake by different rice genotypes that produce white or dark grains

IntroductionCadmium(Cd)isanon essentialtracemetalthathasadverseeffectsonplants,animalsandhumans.EnvironmentalcontaminationwithCdduetoanthropogenicactivities,suchasmining,industry,agricultureandwastedisposalhasbeenincreasingsincethebeginningofthe 2 0thcentury (Alloway,1995) .ResearchoncontrollingCdpollutionassociatedwithassessingandmanagingacuteinjurytohumanhealththroughoccupationalexposureanddisposalofCdfromindustrialpointsourcestolocalpopulationsthroughseveralpathwayshasmadeconsiderableadva…     

Aerobic dechlorination of cis- and trans-dichloroethenes by some indigenous bacteria isolated from contaminated sites in Africa

IntroductionChlorinatedethenesareamongthemostcommoncontaminantsobservedingroundwatersystems (Bouwer,1994;McCarty,1994) .Thesecompoundsvaryinnumberofchlorinesubstituents,fromthemostchlorinated,terachloroethene (PCE ) ,tothemonochlorinatedvinylchloride (VC …     

Neutron activation analysis of ceramic tiles and its component and radon exhalation rate

IntroductionCeramic,consistofearthymaterialslikeclaykaolin ,limestoneandsandglass .Ceramicmaterialsarenonmetalic ,inorganiccompoundsprimaryoxides ,alsocarbides ,nitridesandsilicides .Twotypesofbondingmechanismsoccurinceramicmaterial ,ionicandcovalent.Theo…     

Biodegradation of mixture of VOC's in a biofilter

Volatile organic compounds(VOC‘s) in air have become major concern in recent years. Biodegradation of a mixture of ethanol and methanol vapor was evaluated in a laboratory biofilter with a bed of compost and polystyrene particles using an acclimated mixed culture. The continuous performance of the biofilter was studied with different proportion of ethanol and methanol at different initial concentration and flow rates. The result showed significant removal for both ethanol and methanol, which were composition dependent.The presence of either compound in the mixture inhibited the biodegradation of the other.     

Preparation and catalytic properties of ZrO2-Al2O3 composite oxide supported nickel catalysts for methane reforming with carbon dioxide

ZrO2-Al2O3 composite oxides and supported Ni catalysts were prepared, and characterized by N2 adsorption/desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. The catalytic performance and carbon deposition was also investigated. This mesoporous composite oxide is shown to be a promising catalyst support. An increase in the catalytic activity and stability of methane and carbon dioxide reforming reaction was resulted from the zirconia addition, especially at 5wt% ZrO2 content. The Ni catalyst supported ZrO2-Al2O3 has a strong resistance to sintering and the carbon deposition in a relatively long-term reaction.     

Hydrochar and synthetic natural gas co-production for a full circular economy implementation via hydrothermal carbonization and methanation:An economic approach

Herein we study the economic performance of hydrochar and synthetic natural gas coproduction from olive tree pruning. The process entails a combination of hydrothermal carbonization and methanation. In a previous work, we evidenced that standalone hydrochar production via HTC results unprofitable. Hence, we propose a step forward on the process design by implementing a methanation, adding value to the gas effluent in an attempt to boost the overall process techno-economic aspects. Three differen...     

Multiple interface coupling on natural tourmaline enables high-efficiency removal of antibiotic:Superior property and mechanism

Reasonably designing highly active, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective catalysts for efficient elimination of pollutants from water is desirable but challenging. Herein, an efficient heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalyst tourmaline(TM)/tungsten oxide(WO3-x)(named TW10) containing tungsten/boron/iron(W/B/Fe) synergistic active centers and 90% of cheap natural tourmaline(TM) mineral rich in Fe and B elements. The TW10 catalyst can quickly activate peroxymonosulfate(PMS) to generate massive...     

High CO2 permeation using a new Ce0.85Gd0.15O2-δ-LaNiO3 composite ceramic–carbonate dual-phase membrane

This work shows the synthesis,characterization and evaluation of dense-ceramic membranes made of Ce_0.85Gd_0.15O_2-δ-LaNiO₃(CG-LN) composites,where the fluorite-perovskite ratio (CG:LN) was varied as follows:75:25,80:20 and 85:15 wt.%.Supports were initially characterized by XRD,SEM and electrical conductivity (using vacuum and oxygen atmospheres),to determine the composition,microstructural and ionic-electronic conductivity properties.Later,supports were...