Application of ultrasound irradiation in landfill leachate treatment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Landfilling is known to be the most widely used method in municipal solid waste management in many countries. Landfill leachate containing different...     

Cellulose Schiff Base as a Bio-based Polymer Ligand: Extraction,Modification and Metal Adsorption Study

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Cellulose was initially extracted from Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) stem wastes and used for the preparation of a fully bio-based adsorbent polymer...     

Determination of <Superscript>90</Superscript>Sr in milk and milk powder in Tehran and estimation of annual effective dose

Thirty-eight different milk and milk powder samples from Tehran-Iran were collected and analyzed for ⁹⁰Sr activity using a method in which the daughter product of ⁹⁰Sr decay (⁹⁰Y) was extracted by tributyl phosphate from ashed milk. ⁹⁰Y was then back extracted with water, and oxalate was precipitated . Following the sample analyzing, beta counting was performed with an ultralow-level liquid scintillation spectrometer. The quality control and assurance of the method were obtained by standard samples prepared with an IAEA-certified reference material. The mean determined ⁹⁰Sr activity concentration in the analyzed milk and milk powder (0.225 ± 0.042 and 0.216 ± 0.024 Bq kg⁻¹, respectively) showed that the radioactivity concentration in our samples was too low to induce biological hazards. These data can provide useful information of the background level of contamination, which in turn can be used in the following environmental monitoring programs.     

Physico-chemical characteristics of the peloid mud from Morinje Bay (eastern Adriatic coast, Croatia): suitability for use in balneotherapy

The study conducted in the Morinje Bay (Central Dalmatia, Croatia) included the investigation of the sedimentological, physico-chemical and geochemical properties of the Morinje Bay sediments in order to assess the suitability of the material for wellness-related purposes including medicinal use. The sedimentological characteristics of the Morinje mud are in accordance with the geological origin of the material; the sediment is fine grained, composed mostly of carbonates, quartz and clay minerals. The composition of the sediment determines the physico-chemical properties of the mud. The high content of carbonate minerals diminishes adsorbing the characteristics of the mud to some extent; however, they are still comparable to some commercial mud already successfully used for medicinal purposes. Geochemical analyses have shown that trace metals concentrations in the Morinje Bay samples were mostly in the range with similar material from unpolluted Adriatic environments. Only the concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn and As were slightly higher than in the reference material, but still within acceptable limits.     

Simulation of NO and N2O emissions from a spruce forest during a freeze/thaw event using an N-flux submodel from the PnET-N-DNDC model integrated to CoupModel

The amount of nitrogen gases (N₂O, NO and N₂) emitted from forest soils depends on interactions between soil properties, climatic factors and soil management. To increase the understanding of nitrogen processes in soil ecosystems, two dynamic models, CoupModel (coupled heat and mass transfer model for soil–plant–atmosphere systems) and the denitrification–decomposition (DNDC) model were selected. Both are dynamic models with different submodels for soil, vegetation, hydrology and climate system. CoupModel has a higher degree of detail on soil physical and abiotic components, whereas the DNDC model contains details of microbiological processes involved in production of nitrogen gases. To improve the previous simple submodel of nitrogen emission in CoupModel, we included a submodel corresponding to the forest version of DNDC containing photosynthesis/evapotranspiration-nitrogen (PnET-N-DNDC model).     

Introduction of Participatory Conservation in Croatia, Residents’ Perceptions: A Case Study from the Istrian Peninsula

Croatia, like many other transition countries has undergone radical changes in its nature protection models. This paper discusses a historical overview, present situation and future possibilities for nature conservation in Croatia. A conservative top-down approach to nature protection was applied in the past in Croatia and is now being replaced by a prevalent bottom-up approach. Social context is crucial to introducing participatory conservation, therefore special concern is given to the perception of the local population towards protected area management in Istria as a case study in Croatia. Survey data were used to assess the conservation knowledge of local populations and their perception towards Protected Areas (PAs), leadership activities and management authorities in Istria County. This paper examines the perceptions of 313 residents living in and around six natural PAs located in Istria. The results revealed a moderate general knowledge about PAs in Istria and environmental issues, and a low awareness of institutions managing PAs, eagerness to participate in the activities of PAs and general support for the conservation cause. Understanding the perception of local residents enables the creation of feasible, long-term strategies for the implementation of participatory conservation. The research identifies the need for greater human, technical and financial efforts to strengthen the management capabilities of local agencies responsible for PAs. The process of participatory conservation optimization in Croatia is underway and world experiences must be observed in order to create a congruent, site-specific model with the best possible results.     

A Box-Behnken design for determining the optimum experimental condition of the fungicide (Vapam) sorption onto soil modified with perlite

In the present study, response surface methodology (RSM) based on the Box-Behnken design (BBD) was employed to investigate the effects of the different operating conditions on the removal of the fungicide (Vapam) onto soil modified with perlite using sorption process. The process parameters such as pH of the fungicide solution (2, 5 and 8), temperature (15, 25 and 35°C), shaking time (2, 13 and 24 h) and the percentage of perlite in the modified soil (0, 2 and 4 %) were investigated using a four-factor-three-level Box-Behnken design at an initial fungicide concentration of C₀ = 1.6 mg/L as a fixed input parameter. A second-order quadratic model suggested the optimum conditions to be as follows: fungicide solution pH of 3.57, temperature of 15°C, shaking time of 3.5 h and 4% of perlite in the modified soil which resulted in the improvement of Vapam sorption. Under optimum conditions, the fungicide (Vapam) removal was predicted 12.88 μg/g by BBD. The confirmatory experiments were conducted and the results revealed that the fungicide removal was 13.14 μg/g which indicated that the predicted and the observed values of response (Vapam removal) were in close agreement. Therefore, the soil modified with perlite holds good potential for Vapam sorption. This is the first report on fungicide Vapam sorption onto soil modified with perlite using statistical experimental design employing response surface methodology.     

International rivers and national security: The Euphrates,Ganges–Brahmaputra,Indus, Tigris,and Yarmouk rivers1

To understand a state's incentives to invest in conflict or cooperation over their international rivers, this paper argues that it is necessary to appreciate the relationships a river can create and the national security threat riparians may confront. Rivers impose interdependent and vulnerable relationships, which can compromise a state's ability to respond effectively to floods and droughts, meet its domestic food and energy needs, dredge the river, maintain its drainage systems, and allocate its domestic water budget. The inability to accomplish these tasks can contribute to social, economic, and political losses that may threaten a state's territorial integrity. Regardless of whether a state is upstream or downstream, from these relationships it acquires leverage to manipulate the interdependence and vulnerability to inflict losses on its riparian neighbour. This argument challenges several assumptions within the existing literature, including the belief that a shortage of freshwater is the initial force producing a national security threat and that an upstream–downstream river bequeaths all advantages on the upstream state and leaves the downstream state purely dependent. As the paper shows, riparians confront a more complex relationship than captured by the existing literature.     

Parameter optimization of the fungicide (Vapam) sorption onto soil modified with clinoptilolite by Taguchi method

This study employs the Taguchi optimization methodology to optimize the effective parameters for the pesticide (Vapam) sorption onto soil modified with natural zeolite (clinoptilolite). The experimental factors and their ranges chosen for determination of the effective parameters were: initial Vapam concentration (0.4-1.6 mg/L), initial pH of the pesticide solution (2-12), the percentage of clinoptilolite in the modified soil (0-6 %), temperature (15-35°C) and shaking time (2-24 h). The orthogonal array (OA) L(16) and the bigger the better response category of the Taguchi method were selected to determine the optimum conditions: initial Vapam concentration (1.2 mg/L), initial pH of the pesticide solution (2), the percentage of clinoptilolite in the modified soil (4 %), temperature (15°C) and shaking time (2 h). The results showed that in comparison with other parameters, the initial Vapam concentration was the most effective one for the sorption of this pesticide onto soil, modified with clinoptilolite. Moreover, after determining the optimum levels of the sorption process parameters, confirmation experiments were performed to prove the effectiveness of the Taguchi's experimental design methodology.     

Parameter optimization of the fungicide (Vapam) sorption onto soil modified with clinoptilolite by Taguchi method

This study employs the Taguchi optimization methodology to optimize the effective parameters for the pesticide (Vapam) sorption onto soil modified with natural zeolite (clinoptilolite). The experimental factors and their ranges chosen for determination of the effective parameters were: initial Vapam concentration (0.4–1.6 mg/L), initial pH of the pesticide solution (2–12), the percentage of clinoptilolite in the modified soil (0–6 %), temperature (15–35°C) and shaking time (2–24 h). The orthogonal array (OA) L₁₆ and the bigger the better response category of the Taguchi method were selected to determine the optimum conditions: initial Vapam concentration (1.2 mg/L), initial pH of the pesticide solution (2), the percentage of clinoptilolite in the modified soil (4 %), temperature (15°C) and shaking time (2 h). The results showed that in comparison with other parameters, the initial Vapam concentration was the most effective one for the sorption of this pesticide onto soil, modified with clinoptilolite. Moreover, after determining the optimum levels of the sorption process parameters, confirmation experiments were performed to prove the effectiveness of the Taguchi's experimental design methodology.