Effect of using limestone fines on the chemical shrinkage of pastes and mortars

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The main aim of this study is to examine the effect of incorporating limestone fine (LF) on chemical shrinkage of pastes and mortars. For this...     

Morphological,physiological, and genotoxic effects of heavy metal bioaccumulation in Prosopis laevigata reveal its potential for phytoremediation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Mining industry generates large volumes of waste known as mine tailings, which contain heavy metals (HMs) that generate a risk to environmental...     

Changes in precipitation chemistry in Lithuania for 1981-2004

This paper considers the spatial and temporal variability in concentrations of the potentially acidifying ions in precipitation in Lithuania during the 1981-2004 period. Chemical analysis of precipitation included measurements of pH, conductivity, sulfate (SO4(2-)), nitrate (NO3-), chloride (Cl-), ammonium (NH4+), sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), and calcium (Ca2+). Temporal trends in the potentially acidifying ion concentrations in precipitation and wet deposition were evaluated using the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test and Sen's slope estimator. A statistically significant decline was observed in non-sea salt sulfate (nssSO4(2-)) and hydrogen (H+) ions concentrations (82% and 79%, respectively) and wet depositions (88% and 74%, respectively). Temporal trends both in concentration and wet deposition of nitrate and ammonium were not as pronounced as trends in sulfate concentration. Analysis of air mass backward trajectories was applied to reveal the influence of air mass originating in different regions on wet deposition of acidifying species in Lithuania. Sector analysis clearly showed that wet deposition of sulfur and nitrogen in Lithuania is to a large extent anthropogenic and the main source regions of acidifying species contributing to wet deposition in Lithuania are in South and Central Europe.     

Single drop microextraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for the determination of diflufenican, mepanipyrim, fipronil, and pretilachlor in water samples

An analytical method for the determination of diflufenican, mepanipyrim, pretilachlor, and fipronil in water samples was developed using single drop microextraction in the direct immersion mode and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. A factorial fractionated design of type 2^6–1 at two levels was performed, to study the influence of experimental variables such as ionic strength, pH, agitation speed, extraction time, drop volume, and sample volume. To establish the optimal conditions for the variables that were significant, a Doehlert design was performed. The optimum conditions of extraction were 1 μL of heptane immersed in 4.0 mL of sample with continuous agitation at 500 rpm for 30 min at room temperature. The developed method proved to have good linearity for the range studied. The detection limits were 0.07 μg L^?1 for diflufenican, 0.03 μg L^?1 for mepanipyrim, 0.08 μg L^?1 for pretilachlor, and 1.39 μg L^?1 for fipronil. The method was validated on river water samples, showing the absence of matrix effect and recoveries ranged from 90.1 to 107.8 %. The results show that the method developed is accurate, sensitive, rapid, simple, and low cost, so it is recommended for application in the analysis of these different classes of pesticides in water samples.     

The relationship between population and the environment and its impact on sustainable development in Egypt using a multi-equation model

The relationship between population and the environment is a significant issue due to its impact on chances for achieving sustainable development, especially in developing countries. Previous studies on this relationship have primarily focused on the impact of population growth on the environment, while the impact of the environment on population has received less attention, where most of these studies have used single-equation models (SEM) in their analysis. In order to capture the interrelationship between population growth and the environment, and both its direct and indirect effects on the potential for achieving sustainable development, SEM may not be appropriate. This paper takes a step forward in providing such empirical evidence, by developing a multi-equation model based on the recursive equation system in order to empirically examine the relationship between population growth and the environment in terms of air pollution represented by increased CO₂ emissions, health level represented by the mortality and morbidity due to air pollution, and labour productivity represented by GDP per hour worked, and using a time series data set for Egypt during the period of 1950–2010. Quantitatively, the current study finds that (1) In Egypt, a 1% increase in population raises the CO₂ emissions by 2.4%. (2) An increase in CO₂ emissions by 1% is associated with an increase in deaths due to outdoor air pollution (respiratory and cardiovascular diseases) by 2.5%. (3) Poor health due to air pollution leads to a decrease in labour productivity by 1.58%. (4) The impact of population growth on chances for sustainable development depends on how much the rise in air pollution decreases labour productivity through raising the rate of morbidity. (5) Even when rapid population growth rate plays a minor role in creating a specific problem, such as its indirect negative impact on labour productivity and thus economic growth, population management policies may still constitute a viable measure for dealing with that problem, especially with respect to policy intervention cost. The study argues that population growth in Egypt negatively affects the state’s ability to achieve sustainable development via its negative impact on the environment. Environmental degradation in turn leads to adverse effects on population, particularly with regard to public health. These negative effects on health lead to lower labour productivity, and thus hinder the state’s ability to sustain development.     

Constant light exposure and/or pinealectomy increases susceptibility to trichloroethylene-induced hepatotoxicity and liver cancer in male mice

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Exposure to light at night, pineal gland impairment, and the environmental pollutant trichloroethylene (TCE) have serious implications for health and...     

Application of standard statistical methods in the analysis of complex data generated from soil bioassays to assess the impacts of agrochemical-containing sludge amendments

The use of sludge as soil amendment is widely encouraged by its high contents in organic matter and plant nutrients. Nevertheless, agrochemicals potentially present in sludge could be harmful to terrestrial ecosystems. The present work aimed to apply standard statistical methods for suitable assessment of the ecotoxicological impacts of sludge amendments on soil, involving the following factors: the type of treated sludge, their application dose, and their contents in agrochemicals. Terrestrial Model Ecosystems were used to assess the effects of sludge amendments on endpoints from different trophic levels of the soil ecosystem, including an in vitro estrogenic bioassay on soil leachates. Here, we show the significant negative effects of the highest dose of sludge in most of the soil bioassays. Thermally dried sludge increased significantly the microbial activity leading to lower contamination of leachates with endocrine disrupting molecules. Agrochemicals contents of sludge have only significant impacts on increasing the delay of germination of plant seeds. Soil bioassays are thus complementary to sludge chemical analysis when the impacts of its application on soil should be assessed: significant negative impacts were related to the intrinsic composition of sludge rather than its agrochemicals contents. We conclude that standard statistical methods are relevant tools for the analysis of complex data generated from this type of experiment.     

Sulfonated cross-linked polyethylenimine for selective removal of mercury from aqueous solutions

Polymeric materials are among the most promising, effective, and increasingly important adsorbents for the removal of toxic metals from wastewater. This study was dedicated to the development of an insoluble, modified chelating polymer for use as an adsorbent for abstraction of Hg from aqueous solutions. Cross-linked polyethylenimine (CPEI) was sulfonated by 3-chloropropanesulfonyl chloride for selective removal of Hg. The binding affinity of the sulfonated CPEI (SCPEI) to Hg was assessed as well as its ability to be regenerated for reuse. It exhibited high removal percentage for Hg up to 87% in synthetic solutions, with high selectivity even in the presence of competing ions: “Mn, Ni, Fe, Pb, Zn, and Cr.” The removal mechanism followed was observed to be adsorption and precipitation at pH 3 and 8, respectively. High adsorption capacities were also observed for wastewater to which the polymer was applied. The Freundlich isotherm was found to be the best fit describing the adsorption process of Hg onto the SCPEI. The pseudo second-order equation was found to better explain the adsorption kinetics, implying chemisorption. The thermodynamic study of the adsorption revealed high activation energies which confirmed the chemisorption as the mechanism of adsorption. The polymer exhibited up to 72% removal efficiency after regeneration, thus showing potential for re-use.     

Effect of green marketing mix,green customer value,and attitude on green purchase intention: evidence from the USA

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The undertaken research examines the impact of green attitude, green customer value (e.g., environmental image and perceived value), and green...     

Stock assessment of landlocked ayu Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis in Japan through length-based models

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Ayu Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis is a key commercially and culturally important freshwater osmeroid in Japan. Its native population is mostly an...