Clove bud oil: an efficient, economical and widely available oil for the inhibition of wheat seed germination

Pre-harvest sprouting refers to the precocious germination of the grain in the spike prior to harvest as a result of moist weather conditions at harvest time. From the agricultural viewpoint, it is necessary to impose an exogenous dormancy to wheat seeds in order to improve the resistance of seed to pre-harvest sprouting. In this regard, we found that clove bud essential oil is a strong inhibitor for wheat seed germination. The extract obtained from clove bud by supercritical fluid extraction using CO₂ as solvent minimized the number of extracts to two compounds, eugenol and eugenyl acetate. Eugenol, as the main constituent of the oil, was responsible for its strong inhibitory activity in wheat seeds. The aqueous solution of clove bud oil was submitted to germination assay at various concentrations from 50 to 400 mg/L. Complete inhibition of seed germination was recorded when the concentration was 400 mg/L. Roots and sprouts have similar sensitivity to inhibitory effect. In an empirical study, the synergistic cooperation of eugenol and eugenyl acetate from clove bud oil in the inhibition of seed germination was found to be a 1:1 ratio. The clove bud essential oil is widely available and will broaden the horizon of applications for natural and safe inhibitors in the fields.     

Biopolymer-based membranes from polysaccharides for CO2 separation: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The application of natural biopolymers such as polysaccharides for the fabrication of bio-based membranes has recently attracted attention for CO2...     

Effectiveness of UV/SO32− advanced reduction process for degradation and mineralization of trichlorfon pesticide in water: identification of intermediates and toxicity assessment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study aimed to investigate the degradability, mineralization, proposed decomposition pathway, intermediate products, and toxicity of effluent...     

A hybrid statistical decision-making optimization approach for groundwater vulnerability considering uncertainty

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Recognizing the vulnerable areas for contamination is a feasible way to protect groundwater resources. The main contribution of the paper is...     

A multi-criteria GIS-based model for wind farm site selection with the least impact on environmental pollution using the OWA-ANP method

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Wind energy is considered one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to generate electricity, since it has a low environmental impact. So, it...     

The detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in indoor air of dental clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In the indoor environment of dental clinics, dental personnel and patients are exposed to a risk of infection because of the transmission of...     

CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON NEW YORK CITY'S WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM1

ABSTRACT: It has been well established that the greenhouse gas loading of the atmosphere has been increasing since the mid 19th century. Consequently, shifts in the earth's radiative balance are expected with accompanying alterations to the earth's climate. With these anticipated, and perhaps already observable, changes in both global and regional climate, managers of regional water resources seek insight to the possible impacts climate change may have on their present and future water supplies. The types and degrees of impacts that climate change may have on New York City's water supply system were assessed in a study of a watershed at Allaben, New York. Hypothetical scenarios of future climate and climate change projections from three General Circulation Models (GCMs) were used in conjunction with the WatBal hydrological model and the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) to ascertain how runoff and soil moisture from this watershed may change in a warmer climate. For the worst case predictions, the results indicate that within the century of the 2000s, the watershed's air temperature may increase up to about 11°F, while its precipitation and runoff may decrease by about 13 and 30 percent, respectively. If this watershed is typical of the others within the New York City water supply system, the system's managers should consider implementing mitigation and adaptation strategies in preparation for the worst of these possible future conditions.     

Seasonal Variation of Toxic Benzene Emissions in Petroleum Refinery

Petroleum refineries are largest chemical industries that are responsible for the emission of several pollutants into the atmosphere. Benzene is among the most important air pollutants that are emitted by petroleum refineries, since they are involved in almost every refinery process. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a major group of air pollutants, which play a critical role in atmospheric chemistry. These contribute to toxic oxidants, which are harmful to ecosystem, human health and atmosphere. The variability of pollutants is an important factor in determining human exposure to these chemicals. The ambient air concentrations of benzene were measured in several sites around the Digboi petroleum refinery, near the city of Gowahati in northeast India, during winter and summer 2004. The seasonal and spatial variations of the ambient air concentrations of this benzene were investigated and analyzed. An estimation of the contribution of the refinery to the measured atmospheric levels of benzene was also performed. The ambient air mixing ratios of benzene in a large area outside the refinery was generally low, in ppbv range, much lower than the ambient air quality standards. This article presents the temporal and spatial variation of air pollution in and around petroleum refinery and showed that no health risk due to benzene is present in the areas adjacent to the refinery.     

Aminobenzenesulfonamide functionalized SBA-15 nanoporous molecular sieve: A new and promising adsorbent for preconcentration of lead and copper ions

A rapid method for the extraction and monitoring of nanogram level of Pb²⁺ and Cu²⁺ ions using uniform silanized mesopor (SBA-15) functionalized with aminobenzenesulfonamide groups and flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) is presented. Aminobenzenesulfonamide functionalized SBA-15 was synthesized according to procedure in the literature and the presence of organic groups in the silica framework was demonstrated by FT-IR spectra. The functionalized product showed the BET surface area 110 m²/g and pore diameter 5.1 nm, based on adsorption-desorption of N₂ at 77 K. The effect of several variables such as (amount of adsorbent, stirring time, pH and presence of other ions in the medium) has been studied. Lead and copper were completely extracted at pH greater than 3 after stirring for 10 min. The maximum capacity of the adsorbent was found to be 191.3 ± 1.4 and 155.0 ± 1.0 μg of lead and copper ions/mg functionalized SBA-15, respectively. The preconcentration factor of the method was found to be 200. The detection limit of the technique was 3.4 and 0.4 ng/mL for Pb²⁺ and Cu²⁺, respectively. The applications of this methodology for real samples were examined by various water type, black tea and pepper samples.     

Green synthesis,characterization, application and functionality of nitrogen-doped MgO/graphene nanocomposite

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A facile, feasible, and green synthesis via an electrochemical exfoliation process was applied to synthesize nitrogen-doped MgO/graphene nanocomposite...