Performance of oxalic acid-chitosan/alumina ceramic biocomposite for the adsorption of a reactive anionic azo dye

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A biocomposite system was developed and tested for the removal of the azo dye Reactive Red (RR195) from wastewater. The biocomposite was synthesized...     

The relevance of physical forces on land-use change and planning process

This study analysed the importance of physical forces on land-use change, on the planning framework in a Portuguese periurban area. A temporal matrix showing the trajectories of land transformation was obtained. A multivariate redundancy analysis explored the importance of physical parameters on temporal and spatial land-use change. A content analysis on urban or municipal master plans was made framing the importance of physical parameters on the planning process. The results highlighted a consistent trajectory of profound land-use changes with distinctive trajectories, with increasingly complex patterns with a limited dependence on physical variables. The trajectories were more related to the planning framework, where political actors and planning managers seemed to be most important. A theoretical model balancing three main components – physical forces, actors, and land transformation (DFA-C model) is proposed, reflecting the informal relationships between physical parameters and actors during the planning process.     

Characterization of a fatty acid-binding protein from the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas): pharmaceutical and toxicological implications

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Pharmaceuticals and their metabolites constitute a class of xenobiotics commonly found in aquatic environments which may cause toxic effects in...     

Impacts of environmental issues on health and well-being: a global pollution challenge

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Every 2 years, the environmental, chemical, and health research communities meet in Costa de Caparica, Portugal to showcase the latest...     

Trace metals in estuarine organisms from a port region in southern Brazil: consumption risk to the local population

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Metal contamination is a threat to estuarine environments. They can accumulate in the food chain and cause toxic effects on aquatic organisms and...     

Abundance,distribution, and characteristics of microplastics in coastal surface waters of the Colombian Caribbean and Pacific

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Microplastic pollution has become a global concern due to its distribution, high abundance, and negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems. These...     

Screening of new adsorbents to remove algal organic matter from aqueous solutions: kinetic analyses and reduction of disinfection by-products formation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The algal organic matter (AOM) is a problem in water treatment. Although the adsorption process is extensively applied to drinking water treatment,...     

Symptoms prevalence among office workers of a sealed versus a non-sealed building: Associations to indoor air quality

ObjectivesAn increasing number of complaints related to time spent in artificially ventilated buildings have been progressively reported and attributed, at least in part, to physical and chemical exposures in the office environment. The objective of this research was to investigate the association between the prevalence of work-related symptoms and the indoor air quality, comparing a sealed office building with a naturally ventilated one, considering, specially, the indoor concentration of TPM, TVOCs and the main individual VOCs.MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed to compare the prevalence of sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms among 1736 office workers of a sealed office building and 950 of a non-sealed one, both in Rio de Janeiro's downtown. The prevalence of symptoms was obtained by a SBS standardized questionnaire. The IAQ of the buildings was evaluated through specific methods, to determine the temperature, humidity, particulate matter and volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations.ResultsUpper airways and ophthalmic symptoms, tiredness and headache were highly prevalent in both buildings. Some symptoms were more prevalent in the sealed building: “eye dryness” 33.3% and 27.1% (p: 0.01); “runny nose” 37.3% and 31.3% (p: 0.03); “dry throat” 42% and 36% (p: 0.02); and “lethargy” 58.5% and 50.5% (p: 0.03) respectively. However, relative humidity and indoor total particulate matter (TPM) concentration as well as total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) were paradoxically greater in the non-sealed building, in which aromatic compounds had higher concentration, especially benzene. The analysis between measured exposure levels and resulting symptoms showed no association among its prevalence and TPM, TVOCs, benzene or toluene concentration in none of the buildings.ConclusionsOther disregarded factors, like undetected VOCs, mites, molds and endotoxin concentrations, may be associated to the greater prevalence of symptoms in the sealed building.     

Modelling the extraction of soil contaminants with supercritical carbon dioxide

Extractions of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) in contaminated soil from petroleum site were performed with supercritical carbon dioxide at different temperatures, pressures, extraction times, solvent flow rates, soil moisture contents and soil acidity. Three soil systems were investigated in order to compare the best parameters for extraction. A central composite rotatable design has been used to evaluate the influence of operation conditions on the extraction efficiency to generate model equations representing the types of soil. The results indicate that at least 70-80% of the initial amount of VOC’s can be removed at moderate temperatures even at very high moisture content. Supercritical extraction is best suited to silt type soils which have a low adsorption capacity. VOC’s recoveries from the artificial contaminated soil samples were higher in comparison with real contaminated soils. At moderate temperatures, the extraction efficiency for real soils is low because pollutants bind strongly to the soil.