Household waste behaviours among a community sample in Iran: An application of the theory of planned behaviour

Understanding the factors influencing recycling behaviour can lead to better and more effective recycling programs in a community. The goal of this study was to examine factors associated with household waste behaviours in the context of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) among a community sample of Iranians that included data collection at time 1 and at follow-up one year later at time 2. Study participants were sampled from households under the coverage of eight urban health centers in the city of Qazvin. Of 2000 invited households, 1782 agreed to participate in the study. A self-reported questionnaire was used for assessing socio-demographic factors and the TPB constructs (i.e. attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and intention). Furthermore, questions regarding moral obligation, self-identity, action planning, and past recycling behaviour were asked, creating an extended TPB. At time 2, participants were asked to complete a follow-up questionnaire on self-reported recycling behaviours. All TPB constructs had positive and significant correlations with each other. Recycling behaviour at time 1 (past behaviour) significantly related to household waste behaviour at time 2. The extended TPB explained 47% of the variance in household waste behaviour at time 2. Attitude, perceived behavioural control, intention, moral obligation, self-identity, action planning, and past recycling behaviour were significant predictors of household waste behaviour at time 2 in all models. The fact that the expanded TPB constructs significantly predicted household waste behaviours holds great promise for developing effective public campaigns and behaviour-changing interventions in a region where overall rates of household waste reduction behaviours are low. Our results indicate that educational materials which target moral obligation and action planning may be particularly effective.     

Selection and performance estimation of Green Lean Six Sigma Projects: a hybrid approach of technology readiness level,data envelopment analysis,and ANFIS

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Nowadays budget and schedule constraints have forced organizations to select six sigma projects based on pre-defined success criteria. Also,...     

Elevated blood lead levels and cytogenetic markers in buccal epithelial cells of painters in India

Background, aim, and scope  

Lead, a major contaminant, is highly used in paint manufacturing due to its anticorrosive properties. Recent reports indicated high lead content among Indian paints used for commercial purposes. Painters are continuously exposed to these lead containing paints during painting of both commercial as well as residential buildings. Lead is well-known for its genotoxicty in occupational workers; however, in Indian painters the genotoxic effects of lead have not been reported to date. Therefore we aimed to study the genotoxic end points in painters due to their long-term exposure to these high lead-containing Indian paints.     

Studies on factors affecting survival of nile fish in the Sudan. III. The effect of oxygen

Tilapia nilotica L. were exposed to different levels of ambient oxygen concentrations for 24 h periods. Nitrogen was bubbled through the water to reduced the oxygen concentration to the respective test level. When testing concentrations of oxygen between 2.5 and 0.4 ppm over 24 h periods of exposure, the median tolerance limits (TLM) over 24 h were attained at 1.41 ppm of oxygen.     

Management of landfill leachate in Iran: valorization,characteristics, and environmental approaches

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The quantity and quality of leachate generated in a landfill are very important when it comes to waste management. Sanitary landfill is still being considered as...     

Effects of aging process on adsorption–desorption and bioavailability of fomesafen in an agricultural soil amended with rice hull biochar

Biochar has been introduced as an acceptable soil amendment due to its environmental benefits such as sequestering soil contaminants. However, the aging process in biochar amended soil probably decreases the adsorption capacity of biochar through changing its physico-chemical properties. Adsorption, leaching and bioavailability of fomesafen to corn in a Chinese soil amended by rice hull biochar after 0, 30, 90 and 180 days were investigated.Results showed that the addition of 0.5%–2% fresh biochar significantly increases the adsorption of fomesafen 4–26 times compare to unamended soil due to higher SSA of biochar. Biochar amendment also decreases fomesafen concentration in soil pore water by5%–23% resulting lower risk of the herbicide for cultivated plants. However, the aging process decreased the adsorption capacity of biochar since the adsorption coefficient values which was 1.9–12.4 in 0.5%–2% fresh biochar amended soil, declined to 1.36–4.16, 1.13–2.78 and 0.95–2.31 in 1, 3 and 6-month aged treatments, respectively. Consequently, higher desorption, leaching and bioavailable fraction of fomesafen belonged to 6-month aged treatment. Nevertheless, rice hull biochar was effective for sequestering fomesafen as the adsorption capacity of biochar amended soil after 6 months of aging was still 2.5–5 times higher compared to that of unamended soil.     

An overview on the enhanced gas condensate recovery with novel and green methods

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A consideration of the negative environmental aspects of fossil fuels has made natural gas the best choice to meet the human demand for energy. The...     

Health risk assessment of inhalation exposure to dry fogging of hydrogen peroxide in a dental clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - After the outbreak of COVID-19, many dental clinics use dry fogging of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to disinfect the air and surfaces. Inhalation of...     

Synthesizing of magnesium and nickel nanoparticles from spent methane dry reforming catalyst using sol–gel method: process flow diagram development

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - This study aims to recover Ni and Mg from spent catalysts of dry methane reforming. Huge amounts of spent catalyst are produced every year....     

Urease production using corn steep liquor as a low-cost nutrient source by Sporosarcina pasteurii: biocementation and process optimization via artificial intelligence approaches

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - To commercialize the biocementation through microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP), the current study aimed at replacing the costly standard...