New Biopolymer Nanocomposite of Starch-Graft Polystyrene/Montmorillonite Clay Prepared Through Emulsion Polymerization Method

Starch-g-polystyrene (Starch-g-PS)/Montmorillonite nanocomposites were prepared via free-radical graft copolymerization of styrene and starch in the presence of montmorillonite clay, by emulsion polymerization method using potassium persulfate (KPS) as an initiator/catalyst and sodium dodecylbenzensulfonate (SDBS) as an emulsifier. The nanocomposites with different clay content 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10 weight percent of starch were prepared and the changes in layer-stacked structures of the clay particles in the resulted nanocomposite compounds were examined by using of X-ray diffraction and FT-IR spectroscopy. Finally the thermal degradation behavior and morphology of nanocomposites were studied using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and SEM, respectively.     

PAH removal using soil and sediment washing at a contaminated harbor site

In tests conducted for the Canadian government on sediment from Thunder Bay Harbour, Ontario, the BioGenesis washing process was demonstrated to be effective in remediating contaminated harbor sediments. Removal efficiencies for 16 polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in concentrations exceeding 4,000 parts per million averaged 90 to 95 percent in pilot tests. These results are significant because, until now, washing processes have not proven effective in cleaning the small-size particles of silt and clay that make up most underwater sediments. In Thunder Bay, 81 percent of the particles were less than 38 microns (medium silt) in size. The tests on Thunder Bay sediment were conducted under the auspices of the Contaminated Sediment Treatment Technology Program of Environment Canada's Wastewater Technology Centre. Thunder Bay Harbour is one of 43 “areas of concern” identified by the International Joint Commission of Great Lakes Water Quality.     

A numerical study of soil cover performance

In the investigation of soil cover design options for final decommissioning of reactive mine waste, it is often necessary to analyze or predict the anticipated cover performance as a function of the cost of implementation, which is governed by the type, number and thickness of the layers in the cover system. An example of such investigation is presented in this study where one-dimensional evaporation from hypothetical moisture-retaining cover systems is simulated to assess the influence of several cover properties and hydrogeologic parameters on performance. The commercially available transient flow model, SoilCover, was used to compute suction and water content profiles for different cover design scenarios. The predicted water content profile and porosity of layers were then used to estimate the oxygen diffusion coefficients of the various layers. The oxygen diffusion coefficients were used to estimate oxygen flux through the cover systems. The oxygen flux was, in turn, related to the maximum acid flux. The studied cover and hydrogeologic parameters included soil type, thickness of barriers, and water table elevation. Two types of infiltration and oxygen barrier and two types of capillary layer with different thicknesses were studied. The water table was either kept constant at the base of the waste (tailings) or dropped by 0.5, 1, 2, and 3m over 120 days. The results showed that the relationship between water table depression and the thickness of capillary layers, on one hand, and desaturation of the infiltration and oxygen barrier, on the other, is not linear. Relationships between oxygen flux and barrier thickness and between cost increase and performance improvement of the studied cover systems are presented. Finally, a method that outlines steps for site-specific and economically feasible design of multi-layer cover systems is introduced.     

Implementing single- and multi-year sensitivity analyses to propose several feasible solutions for meeting the electricity demand in large-scale tourism sectors applying renewable systems

Environment, Development and Sustainability - The tourism sectors consume a high amount of electrical power, which in most cases is supplied by the electrical grid and diesel generator. As a...     

Simultaneous Cr (VI) reduction and diazinon oxidation with organometallic sludge formation under photolysis: kinetics,degradation pathways,and mechanism

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this study, simultaneous removal of an organic matter (diazinon, DIZ) and an inorganic substance (chromium, Cr) was used. Breaking down of organic...     

Simultaneous effect of shift work on blood pressure and lipid profile: a path analysis

The aim of this study was to assess the direct and indirect effects of shift work (SW) on the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and lipid profile of male workers. For this purpose, a cross-sectional study was conducted involving 6539 male workers of Esfahan Mobarakeh Steel Company. From all of the participants, 3065 (46.8%) were day workers and the remainder were shift workers. The results of path analysis revealed that the most effective variables on SBP were body mass index, fasting blood sugar, triglycerides and SW with a total effect of 0.241, 0.095, 0.064 and 0.056, respectively.     

Assessment of mobile and potential mobile trace elements extractability in calcareous soils using different extracting agents

• DTPA and NH₄OAc, HNO₃ and EDTA, and MgCl₂ and NH₄NO₃ had similar behavior. • In NH₄OAc, DTPA, and EDTA, the possibility of re-adsorption of trace elements is low. • CaCl₂ may be more suitable than other extracts in calcareous soils. Understanding trace elements mobility in soils, extracting agents, and their relationships with soil components, are essential for predicting their movement in soil profile and availability to plants. A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate extractability of cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) from calcareous soils utilizing various extracting agents to be specific CaCl₂, DTPA, EDTA, HNO₃, MgCl₂, NaNO₃, NH₄NO₃, and NH₄OAc. Cluster analysis indicated that DTPA and NH₄OAc, HNO₃ and EDTA, and MgCl₂ and NH₄NO₃ extracting agents yielded comparative values, whereas NaNO₃ and CaCl₂ have shown different behavior than other extracting agents for all studied trace elements. The speciation of extracted trace elements in solutions indicated that in the CaCl₂, NaNO₃, NH₄NO₃, and MgCl₂ extracting agents most extracted Cd, Co, Ni, Zn, and part of Cu were as free ions and may be re-adsorbed on soils, leading to lower extractability, whereas, in the case of HNO₃ extracting agent, the likelihood of re-adsorption of trace elements may be little. The results of speciation of trace elements using NH₄OAc, DTPA, and EDTA extracting agents showed that Me-(Acetate)₃^–, Me-(Acetate)₂(aq), Me(DTPA)³⁻, Me(EDTA)²⁻, and MeH(EDTA)^– complexes dominated in solutions indicating that the extracted trace elements may not be re-adsorbed on soils, leading to higher extractability. The results of this study are useful for short and long-term evaluations of trace elements mobility and further environmental impacts.     

The effect of EDDS and citrate on the uptake of lead in hydroponically grown Matthiola flavida

Root and shoot lead concentrations and the impact of chelating agents on these were investigated in two populations of the novel metallophyte Matthiola flavida. Plants were exposed in hydroponics to Pb(NO₃)₂, supplied alone, or in combination with citric acid, or EDDS. When supplied at concentrations expected to bind about 95% of the Pb in a solution containing 1-μM Pb (1000 μM citrate or 3.1 μM EDDS, respectively), the root and shoot Pb concentrations were dramatically lowered, in comparison with a 1-μM free ionic Pb control exposure. A 1-mM EDDS + 1-μM Pb treatment decreased the plants’ Pb concentrations further, even to undetectable levels in one population. At 100 μM Pb in a 1-mM EDDS-amended solution the Pb concentration increased strongly in shoots, but barely in roots, in comparison with the 1-μM Pb + 1-mM EDDS treatment, without causing toxicity symptoms. Further increments of the Pb concentration in the 1-mM EDDS-amended solution, i.e. to 800 and 990 μM, caused Pb hyperaccumulation, both in roots and in shoots, associated with a complete arrest of root growth and foliar necrosis. M. flavida seemed to be devoid of constitutive mechanisms for uptake of Pb-citrate or Pb-EDDS complexes. Hyperaccumulation of Pb-EDDS occurred only at high exposure levels. Pb-EDDS was toxic, but is much less so than free Pb. Free EDDS did not seem to be toxic at the concentrations tested.     

Groundwater depth and elevation interpolation by kriging methods in Mohr Basin of Fars province in Iran

Prediction of groundwater depth and elevation is important in quantitative water management especially in arid areas. There are several basins in southwest of Iran, in Zagross Mountain, in which the water wells are distributed along a narrow elliptic ring band around the region. To find the most applicable interpolation method, both of the groundwater depth and elevation are predicted by different kriging methods. It is found that the groundwater elevation and depth can be predicted by different methods. Furthermore, it is found that the methods in which the trend is eliminated predicted the groundwater elevation and depth in central part of the region is with less standard error. Furthermore, the methods with no trend elimination, predicted the groundwater depths with less error near the water wells. Dividing the area to hydro-geologically homogeneous sub-areas improved the interpolation precision.