Characterization of municipal and dairy wastewaters with 30 quality parameters and potential wastewater treatment by biological trickling filters

This study aimed to characterize raw municipal and dairy wastewaters. The quality of the collected wastewaters was determined by measuring 30 quality parameters, such as phenols, oxidation-reduction potential, oil and grease, total organic carbon (TOC), manganese, total viable count of bacteria (TVC), salinity, and biodegradability. Results were compared with wastewater disposal standards. This study also aimed to describe the potential application and performance of biological trickling filters (BTFs) in municipal and dairy wastewater treatment. Detailed reviews of trickling filter models were explained. Results revealed that two wastewater samples exceeded standard limits. The raw municipal and dairy wastewaters need treatment prior to disposal to the natural environment. Additionally, BTFs are efficient municipal and dairy wastewater treatments.     

Government management and overexploitation of groundwater resources: absence of local community initiatives in Ardabil plain-Iran

Although mismanagement of groundwater resources has resulted in their destruction over centuries, climate change is speeding up this process more than ever. On the one hand, urgent action by government bodies is needed to address the challenge. On the other hand, a vast body of literature proves that bottom-up collective action, although requiring a longer time period, is a better solution to manage such resources. This research aims to address this dilemma. The groundwater resource in Ardabil plain in Iran, which has long been managed solely through government intervention, has been chosen as a case study to explore the opportunities and limitations of managing a critically endangered area from a common pool resource perspective. Our study suggests that managing Ardabil groundwater resources should be conducted on two scales. The bottom-up institutional agreements should take place at village scale while the government should stay in charge of the overall organization at plain scale.     

Selective separation of virgin and post-consumer polymers (PET and PVC) by flotation method

More and more polymer wastes are generated by industry and householders today. Recycling is an important process to reduce the amount of waste resulting from human activities. Currently, recycling technologies use relatively homogeneous polymers because hand-sorting waste is costly. Many promising technologies are being investigated for separating mixed thermoplastics, but they are still uneconomical and unreliable. At present, most waste polymers cause serious environmental problems. Burning polymers for recycling is not practiced since poisonous gases are released during the burning process. Particularly, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) materials among waste polymers generate hazardous HCl gas, dioxins containing Cl, etc., which lead to air pollution and shorten the life of the incinerator. In addition, they make other polymers difficult to recycle.Both polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and PVC have densities of 1.30–1.35 g/cm³ and cannot be separated using conventional gravity separation techniques. For this reason, polymer recycling needs new techniques. Among these techniques, froth flotation, which is also used in mineral processing, can be useful because of its low cost and simplicity.The main objective of this research is to recycle PET and PVC selectively from post-consumer polymer wastes and virgin polymers by using froth flotation. According to the results, all PVC particles were floated with 98.8% efficiency in virgin polymer separation while PET particles were obtained with 99.7% purity and 57.0% efficiency in post-consumer polymer separation.     

Investigation of thermal treatment on selective separation of post consumer plastics prior to froth flotation

Plastics have become the widely used materials because of their advantages, such as cheapness, endurance, lightness, and hygiene. However, they cause waste and soil pollution and they do not easily decompose. Many promising technologies are being investigated for separating mixed thermoplastics, but they are still uneconomical and unreliable. Depending on their surface characteristics, these plastics can be separated from each other by flotation method which is useful mineral processing technique with its low cost and simplicity.The main objective of this study is to investigate the flotation characteristics of PET and PVC and determine the effect of plasticizer reagents on efficient plastic separation. For that purpose, various parameters such as pH, plasticizer concentration, plasticizer type, conditioning temperature and thermal conditioning were investigated. As a result, PET particles were floated with 95.1% purity and 65.3% efficiency while PVC particles were obtained with 98.1% purity and 65.3% efficiency.     

Inactivation of coliform bacteria in Black Sea waters due to solar radiation

The effects of solar radiation and temperature on bacterial die-off rates in Black Sea coastal waters using total coliform as the indicator organism were studied. Coliform die-off experiments were carried out in seawater samples collected along the coastline. The experiments were conducted in beakers filled with seawater that were kept at constant temperatures and exposed to solar radiation. The membrane filter technique was used for the coliform analysis. Temperature ranging between 9 and 26 degrees C and solar radiation between 20 and 60 cal/cm(2) h were tested. Experiments in the dark were also conducted to isolate the effect of solar radiation from the other factors and, furthermore, to determine the effect of temperature on bacterial die-off. The solar radiation was found to be the most significant factor affecting the mortality of coliform bacteria.     

Genotoxic effects and molecular docking of 1,4-dioxane: combined protective effects of trans-resveratrol

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this study, the protective effects of trans-resveratrol (t-resv) against 1,4-dioxane-induced toxicity in meristematic cells were investigated. For...     

Pharmacological evaluation of crude methanolic extract of Kalanchoe pinnata leaves

Medicinal plants play a crucial role in maintaining human health. Kalanchoe pinnata has been used for treatment of different ailments like infections, rheumatism, and inflammation. Data showed that Kalancho pinnata methanolic extract (100 or 1000 μg/ml) significantly inhibited growth of shoots (hypocotyls) and roots (radicals) of rice compared to control after 3 or 7 days treatment. Further, the Kalancho pinnata methanolic extract (50–1000 μg/ml) exhibited antioxidant properties and scavenged free radicals in dose-dependent manner compared with a standard antioxidant (ascorbic acid). Kalancho pinnata methanolic extract also possesses antifungal property that inhibited approximately 76% and 51% growth of Aspergillus flavous and Aspergillus niger, respectively, using the extract at 200 μg/ml.     

Simultaneous monitoring of SARS-CoV-2, bacteria,and fungi in indoor air of hospital: a study on Hajar Hospital in Shahrekord,Iran

The novel SARS-CoV-2 outbreak was declared as pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. Understanding the airborne route of SARS-CoV-2 transmission is essential for infection prevention and control. In this study, a total of 107 indoor air samples (45 SARS-CoV-2, 62 bacteria, and fungi) were collected from different wards of the Hajar Hospital in Shahrekord, Iran. Simultaneously, bacterial and fungal samples were also collected from the ambient air of hospital yard. Overall, 6 positive air samples were detected in the infectious 1 and infectious 2 wards, intensive care unit (ICU), computed tomography (CT) scan, respiratory patients’ clinic, and personal protective equipment (PPE) room. Also, airborne bacteria and fungi were simultaneously detected in the various wards of the hospital with concentrations ranging from 14 to 106 CFU m^?3 and 18 to 141 CFU m^?3, respectively. The highest mean concentrations of bacteria and fungi were observed in respiratory patients’ clinics and ICU wards, respectively. Significant correlation (p < 0.05) was found between airborne bacterial concentration and the presence of SARS-CoV-2, while no significant correlation was found between fungi concentration and the virus presence. This study provided an additional evidence about the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the indoor air of a hospital that admitted COVID-19 patients. Moreover, it was revealed that the monitoring of microbial quality of indoor air in such hospitals is very important, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, for controlling the nosocomial infections.

     

Comprehensive review on naringenin and naringin polyphenols as a potent anticancer agent

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Though the incidence of several cancers in Western societies is regulated wisely, some cancers such as breast, lung, and colorectal cancer are...     

Chemical aspects of mass spawning in corals. II. (-)-Epi-thunbergol,the sperm attractant in the eggs of the soft coral Lobophytum crassum (Cnidaria: Octocorallia)

Sea turtles migrate between feeding and nesting areas that are often geographically separated by hundreds or thousands of kilometers. Observations of their aggregations at sea and at nesting beaches have led to the hypothesis that sea turtles migrate in socially structured groups. While this migratory strategy is common to many marine vertebrates, socially facilitated behavior is not well documented in testudines. In 1990 and 1991, we attached satellite transmitters to olive ridleys (Lepidochelys olivacea Eschscholtz) found ovipositing together during a mass nesting at Nancite Beach, Costa Rica, to determine whether they migrate independently or in groups after they leave the nesting beach. Results showed that the turtles were not spatially associated during the internesting period, were capable of re-establishing themselves as a group during a subsequent nesting emergence, and were not spatially associated during their postnesting migrations to oceanic feeding areas. We suggested that what appear to be socially structured groups of L. olivacea are in fact individual turtles simultaneously using the same habitat.