Lead Speciation in the Sediments of the Heavily Polluted Western Harbor of Alexandria

The Western Harbor (WH) became under stress in the past decades, following successive increase in population. This study deals with local distribution of total lead and its species in the WH sediments. The lead content was high and there was a relationship between its enrichment and oil dispersed from ships. The lowest total lead value was found in the harbor middle far from direct effects of pollution. A five-step sequential extraction scheme was applied to illustrate the contribution shared by each individual fraction in the total lead concentration in the WH sediments. The exchangeable fraction (F1) was very low. The bound to carbonate fraction (F2), the bound to iron-manganese oxide fraction (F3) and the bound to organic matter—sulfide fraction (F4) ranked fourth, second and third in abundance. Oxygen was the main factor controlling the value of F2. F3 gave a direct relationship with total lead. The high levels of F4 occurred at locations of low salinity and enriched with organic matter. The residual fraction (F5) dominated other lead species, reflecting the sediment composition and the amounts of discharged pollutants.     

In-plant control for water minimization and wastewater reuse: a case study in pasta plants of Alexandria Flour Mills and Bakeries Company,Egypt

The paper shows implementation of in-plant control measures in two pasta plants and conducts economic analysis for revenues from these modifications. In order to reuse wastewater, 12 end-of-pipe samples for each plant were tested for physico-chemical characteristics using standard methods. The results showed that the adopted in-plant modifications such as installation of water flow meters, spring valves on water hoses, and design of a steam condensate recovery system contributed efficiently in saving water and energy consumption throughout the pasta plants. An estimated annual benefit of $228,245 can be achieved. Cost benefit analysis for the implemented environmental improvements proved to be very economic with a short payback period and resulted in great savings.     

A comparison of pretreatment methods for bioethanol production from lignocellulosic materials

Lignocellulosic materials, which consist mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, are among the most promising renewable feedstocks for the production of energy and chemicals. Bioethanol is a major biofuel that can be produced from lignocellulosic materials. Its production typically involves a hydrolysis-fermentation route, which has three main steps: pretreatment to get fermentable sugars, fermentation to produce bioethanol, and a separation process to obtain highly concentrated bioethanol. The pretreatment step has been recognized as a technological bottleneck for the cost-effective development of bioprocesses from lignocellulosic materials. In this work we analyze the potential of several pretreatment methods for bioethanol production from lignocellulosic materials. Simulations based on stoichiometric relations and yield data were conducted to evaluate the energy requirements of each pretreatment method. Other parameters were also considered such as the cost of chemicals, consumption of water, and constraints on the composition of inhibitors. Performance benchmarks were identifies using targeting techniques and these benchmarks were used to assess the actual performance of the alternatives. The combination of the evaluated parameters with target production values obtained from reported yields served as the basis for identifying the most promising pretreatment options and for defining areas of opportunities. This approach uses limited information, but it provides reliable results in order to reduce the number of pretreatment alternatives. The target production usage gives an estimation of the global process efficiency without the completed flowsheet defined.     

Chemical and bacterial quality monitoring of the Nile River water and associated health risks in Qena–Sohag sector,Egypt

The River Nile is the primary source of freshwater for drinking, irrigation, and industrial purposes in Egypt. Thus, the water quality in this river concerns the health of local inhabitants. The present study reveals seasonal variations of various physicochemical and heavy metals parameters and microbial load of water at 15 sites from Qena to Sohag cities, Egypt. The water is fresh with TDS?≤?270 and 410 mg L^?1 in summer and winter, respectively. Fe, Mn, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn concentrations were within drinking water specification in both seasons except Cr and Cd in summer. Viable numbers of total coliform, fecal coliform, and fecal streptococci were recorded in both seasons with fecal streptococci's disappearing in winter. The concentrations of salts and ions in winter were higher than summer due to decreased water quantity and flow rate in this season. On the other hand, heavy metals and bacteria were higher in summer owing to the rain and weathering of upstream rocks and increasing of human activities during the summer. The calculated water quality index (WQI) depicted that the chemical quality of water was poor for drinking and treatment, especially biological treatment, which is required before the water is supplied for drinking. Human health risk assessment factors such as probable daily intake, hazard quotient, and carcinogenic risk indicated high risks of Cr, Cd, and Ni for adults and children in both seasons. The non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks are mainly posed by Cr. The WQI values for the other water uses indicated the marginal quality for aquatic life, fair for irrigation, and fair in summer to good in winter for livestock consumption. The irrigation water quality parameters indicated that the water could be used to irrigate all soils and crops except the hazard of biological contamination. The water–rock interaction controls water chemistry besides the contribution of human activities. The agricultural, industrial, and municipal wastewaters were the main contributors to water pollution and should be treated before discharge into the Nile River. Source and drinking water should be monitored continuously to prevent related human waterborne diseases.

     

Uncertainty Analysis of Stage-Discharge Curves by Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) Method

Environmental Modeling & Assessment - Calibration of the rating curve is a challenge due to uncertainty in the parameters. This problem increases in an area with considerable seasonal...     

Genotoxicity,antifungal and antibacterial activity of newly synthesized N-(3-phthalidyl)amines and o-benzoyl benzamide derivatives

A number of newly synthesized phthalidylamines and o-benzoylbenzamide derivatives were evaluated for some biological activities. Synthesis was established by condensation of 3-acetoxyphthalide 1 with morpholine, piperidine, N,N-diisobutyl-N,N-dibenzylamines and piperazine, which afforded N-(3-phthalidyl)amines 3a–d, and 4 respectively, while with N,N-diisopropylamine, o-formyl-N,N-diisopropyl benzamide 5a is formed exclusively. On the other hand, the reaction of 3-acetoxy-3-phenylphthalide 2 with secondary amines afforded o-benzoylbenzamide derivatives 5b–c, 6 in a high yield. The structure of the reaction products was established from their spectral data. These products were screened for antifungal, antibacterial and genotoxic effect. It was found that all tested compounds have antifungal activity. Compounds 1, 2, 3d and 5b were found to be active against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. Genotoxic effects using Ames test showed that Compounds 1 and 2 have a weak base-pair substitution mutagenicity while a clear base-pair substitution mutagenic activity was shown by 3a using TA100-strain of Salmonella typhimurium. Compound 4 showed a frameshift mutgenicity while a weak oxidative mutagenic action was revealed by 6. No change on the mutagenicity of the tested chemicals was observed after using the S9 metabolic activation system.     

Adsorption of methylene blue from aqueous solution by chemically treated water hyacinth

Water hyacinth (WH), an aquatic plant macrophyte, was investigated for its ability to perform as a suitable adsorbent for methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution. The non-living biomass of WH was subjected to several chemical treatments, namely, washing with hot water, washing with hot dilute HCl, soaking in NaOH, soaking in HNO₃, and sulfonation. The system variables studied also include pH and MB concentration. The Langmuir isotherm was found to represent the measured adsorption data well except for WH soaked in NaOH, which was found to be better represented by the Freundlich isotherm. Values of the dimensionless separation factor, K _R, indicated that the adsorption systems in this study are all favorable. Values of the first layer of adsorption were calculated by the non-linear multilayer adsorption model, and the specific surface area values were found to be high and comparable to commercially activated carbons.     

Analysis of sedimentation at the fishing harbor entrance: case study of El-Burullus,Egypt

Sedimentation in artificial ports and harbors is a common issue throughout the world. Based on an assessment of the coastal fishing harbors in Egypt, the El-Burullus fishing harbor has been found to suffer severely from siltation. Sediment deposits are concentrated at the harbor entrance, which threatens navigation through this area. Although the harbor authority has constructed a perpendicular extension on the main breakwater to mitigate these siltation issues, fishing boats are still suffering from the siltation at the harbor entrance. Dredging is required every year to maintain continuity of navigation through the harbor; the cost of dredging is a critical element which impacts the economic feasibility of the harbor. Therefore, the need to investigate new solutions for the siltation issue is critical. In this study, a two-dimensional calibrated and validated model using the Coastal Modeling System package is used to understand the coastal processes within the study area. It is also used to investigate the effects of the proposed breakwater extension on the siltation at the harbor outlet. Field data such as hydrographic surveys, waves, tides, and lake outlet discharge data were collected and included in the model. The results obtained for the current breakwater conditions confirmed the claims of the fishermen that the sedimentation problem still occurs at the entrance. Thus, five possible solutions to mitigate the problem were proposed and simulated considering the following parameters: sediment deposition rate to the west of the main breakwater, the erosion rate in front of the seawall in the eastern part of the harbor, and the morphological changes within the El-Burullus lake outlet. According to the simulation results, reducing the length of the upper edge of the middle jetty by 90 m improves the stability of the harbor entrance. Alternatively, replacing the perpendicular extension by an inclined extension of 60 m in length and shortening the middle jetty by 60 m reduces the accretion and erosion rates around the harbor which promotes the long-term stability for the coastal area in addition to favorable conditions to the El-Burullus harbor entrance.     

Modelling categorical data to identify factors influencing concern for the natural environment in Iran

Loglinear modelling techniques were used to identify the interactions and interrelationships underlying categorical environmental concern data collected from 9062 respondents in Iran. After fitting various loglinear models to the data, the most parsimonious model highlighted that a combination of interacting factors, namely educational attainment, age, gender, and residential location were responsible for influencing personal concern for the environment. Although high educational attainment had a close correspondence with high concern for the environment the loglinear results, when visualized with a geographical information system, demonstrated wide spatial variations in educational attainment and concern for the environment. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents were not highly educated, and were therefore not highly concerned for the environment. The finding that both rural and urban male and female respondents in the 15-24 years age category, with 10-12 years of education, had the strongest interaction with personal concern for the environment could be beneficial for policy planners to utilize education as the primary instrument to enhance environmental governance and prospects for sustainable development.     

Occurrence and ecotoxicological risk assessment of pesticides in sediments of the Rosetta branch, Nile River, Egypt

This study aimed to (1) monitor the occurrence and spatiotemporal variations of 100 pesticides in sediments collected monthly from July 2018 to June 2019 from sampling sites in El-Rahawy, Sabal, and Tala, along the Rosetta branch of the Nile River, Egypt, and (2) perform an ecological risk assessment for aquatic organisms upon exposure to the detected sediment pesticides based on the risk quotient (RQ) method. Out of the 100 pesticides monitored, 16 pesticides belonging to seven chemical families were detected, and 55% of the sediment samples were contaminated with one or more pesticide residues. The mean concentration (mg/kg dry weight (dw)) and detection frequency (%) of the four most frequently detected pesticides in the sediment samples were as follows: chlorpyrifos (0.18 mg/kg dw and 34%), p,p′-DDE (0.018 mg/kg dw and 30%), cypermethrin (0.03 mg/kg dw and 14%), and deltamethrin (0.026 mg/kg dw and 13%). The spatial distribution exhibited that El-Rahawy had the highest pesticide load (2.86 mg/kg dw) among the studied sites, whereas the temporal variations revealed that the highest total pesticide concentrations were detected in winter season (1.73 mg/kg dw). Meanwhile, 12 pesticides showed high RQs (>1), posing a potential ecological risk to aquatic species that live and feed on such sediments.