Importance of the polarity on nanostructured silica materials to optimize the hydrolytic condensation with molecules related to CO2 adsorption

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The present work reports the changes for the mesoporous materials SBA-15 and KIT-6 associated with the structural, textural, and chemical properties...     

Differences in Global Scientific Production Between New mRNA and Conventional Vaccines Against COVID-19

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The search for effective vaccines to stop the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented amount of global scientific production and activity. This...     

Ecotoxicity of binary mixtures of ILs and inorganic salts of electrochemical interest

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The applicability of ionic liquids (ILs) has increased over the last years, and even new opportunities are becoming a reality, i.e. mixtures of pure...     

From the traditional concept of safety management to safety integrated with quality

This editorial reviews the evolution of the concepts of safety and quality that have been used in the traditional workplace. The traditional programs of safety are explored showing strengths and weaknesses. The concept of quality management is also viewed. Safety management and quality management principles, stages, and measurement are highlighted. The concepts of quality and safety guarantee are assessed. Total Quality Management concepts are reviewed and applied to safety quality. Total safety management principles are discussed. Finally, an analysis of the relationship between quality and safety from data collected from a company in Spain is presented.     

Effect of liquefied petroleum gas on ozone formation in Guadalajara and Mexico City

Leakages of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are suspected to contribute greatly to ozone (O3) formation in Mexico City. We tested such a hypothesis by outdoor captive-air irradiation (CAI) experiments in the two largest Mexican metropolitan areas: Guadalajara (GMA) in 1997 and Mexico City (MCMA) in 2000. O3 was monitored in each city for 20 days (8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.) in smog chambers containing unaltered morning air or morning air enriched with either commercial LPG or LPG synthetic mixture 60/40 (propane and butane). Tested additions of both components were 35% (by volume) in GMA and 60% (by volume) in MCMA. The addition effects on O3 (max) were compared with effects from diluting LPG components or total nonmethane hydrocarbons (tNMHCs) by 50%. Diluting tNMHCs had the greatest absolute effect at both cities: it lowered O3 (max) by 24% in GMA and 55% in MCMA. Adding commercial LPG increased O3 (max) by 6% in GMA and 28% in MCMA; whereas adding LPG synthetic mixture 60/40 caused a similar increase in O3 (max), 4 and 21% in GMA and MCMA, respectively. Compared with dilution of tNMHCs, dilution of LPG-associated compounds had a smaller decreasing effect on O3 (max), only 4% in GMA and 15% in MCMA. These results show that commercial LPG and LPG synthetic mixture 60/40 affect O3 formation to a lesser extent than estimated previously.     

Degradation of the herbicide 2,4-DP by anodic oxidation, electro-Fenton and photoelectro-Fenton using platinum and boron-doped diamond anodes

This paper reports the degradation of 2,4-DP (2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)-propionic acid) solutions of pH 3.0 by environmentally friendly electrochemical methods such as anodic oxidation, electro-Fenton and photoelectro-Fenton with a Pt or boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode. In the two latter techniques an O(2)-diffusion cathode was used and 1.0mM Fe(2+) was added to the solution to give hydroxyl radical (*OH) from Fenton's reaction between Fe(2+) and H(2)O(2) generated at the cathode. All treatments with BDD are viable to decontaminate acidic wastewaters containing 2,4-DP since they give complete mineralization, with loss of chloride ion, at high current due to the great production of oxidant *OH at the BDD surface favoring the destruction of final carboxylic acids. *OH formed from Fenton's reaction destroys more rapidly aromatic products, making the electro-Fenton and photoelectro-Fenton processes much more efficient than anodic oxidation. UVA light in photoelectro-Fenton with BDD has little effect on the degradation rate of pollutants. The comparative procedures with Pt lead to slower decontamination because of the lower oxidizing power of this anode. The effect of current on the degradation rate and efficiency of all methods is studied. The 2,4-DP decay always follows a pseudo-first-order kinetics. Chlorohydroquinone, chloro-p-benzoquinone and maleic, fumaric, malic, lactic, pyruvic, acetic, formic and oxalic acids are detected as products by chromatographic techniques. A general sequence accounting for by the reaction of all these intermediates with the different oxidizing agents is proposed.     

Symmetric Renegotiation-Proof Climate Agreements

Environmental Modeling & Assessment - In this paper, we study the impacts and effects of the number of countries and green technology on climate agreements. In a repeated climate game...     

Metal exposure and effects in voles and small birds near a mining haul road in Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Alaska

Voles and small passerine birds were live-captured near the Delong Mountain Regional Transportation System (DMTS) haul road in Cape Krusenstern National Monument in northwest Alaska to assess metals exposure and sub-lethal biological effects. Similar numbers of animals were captured from a reference site in southern Cape Krusenstern National Monument for comparison. Histopathological examination of selected organs, and analysis of cadmium, lead, and zinc concentrations in liver and blood samples were performed. Voles and small birds captured from near the haul road had about 20 times greater blood and liver lead concentrations and about three times greater cadmium concentrations when compared to those from the reference site, but there were no differences in zinc tissue concentrations. One vole had moderate metastatic mineralization of kidney tissue, otherwise we observed no abnormalities in internal organs or DNA damage in the blood of any of the animals. The affected vole also had the greatest liver and blood Cd concentration, indicating that the lesion might have been caused by Cd exposure. Blood and liver lead concentrations in animals captured near the haul road were below concentrations that have been associated with adverse biological effects in other studies; however, subtle effects resulting from lead exposure, such as the suppression of the activity of certain enzymes, cannot be ruled out for some individual animals. Results from our 2006 reconnaissance-level study indicate that overall, voles and small birds obtained from near the DMTS road in Cape Krusenstern National Monument were not adversely affected by metals exposure; however, because of the small sample size and other uncertainties, continued monitoring of lead and cadmium in terrestrial habitats near the DMTS road is advised.