Association between meteorological indicators and COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study was designed to investigate the impact of meteorological indicators (temperature, rainfall, and humidity) on total COVID-19 cases in...     

Green synthesis,characterization, application and functionality of nitrogen-doped MgO/graphene nanocomposite

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A facile, feasible, and green synthesis via an electrochemical exfoliation process was applied to synthesize nitrogen-doped MgO/graphene nanocomposite...     

Marble industry effluents cause an increased bioaccumulation of heavy metals in Mahaseer (Tor putitora) in Barandu River,district Buner,Pakistan

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The present study was conducted to evaluate the impact of marble industry effluents on the accumulation of heavy metals in selected tissues of...     

Solid Waste Management Practices in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Solid waste management practices in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia are reviewed. The officials of various municipalities and agencies responsible for collecting and disposing of municipal waste were interviewed. The refuse generation rate found is in the range of 1.61–2.72 kg per capita per day. The refuse composition data indicate a high percentage of glass, metals, and wood. For storage purposes, 0.2-m³ barrels are used in residential areas and 0.75 to 1.50 m³-capacity containers are used in commerical areas. The present solid-waste collection system is labor-intensive, and a significant part of the budget is spent on collection and haul operations. The unit collection and haul cost is much higher than the unit disposal cost of refuse. The direct haul of refuse is the common practice, and the use of transfer stations has not yet been considered. It is also observed that the disposal methods used at these sites are not in line with modern techniques for refuse disposal. Landfilling and combined burning and landfilling are the common disposal methods at all the sites.     

Identification of erosion-prone areas using morphometric parameters,land use land cover and multi-criteria decision-making method: geo-informatics approach

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Soil erosion is the main driving force of several devastating natural hazards in the complex mountainous terrain of the Himalayas where the Teesta...     

Fate of selenium in biofortification of wheat on calcareous soil: an isotopic study

Selenium (Se) biofortification of staple cereal crops can improve the Se nutritional status of populations. A field trial employing an enriched stable isotope of Se (⁷⁷Se) was undertaken over three consecutive cropping seasons in a coarse-textured, calcareous soil in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The objectives were to (1) assess the feasibility and efficiency of Se biofortification, (2) determine the fate of residual Se, and (3) assess the consequences for dietary Se intake. Isotopically enriched ⁷⁷Se (⁷⁷Se_Fert) was applied, either as selenate or as selenite, at three levels (0, 10, and 20 g ha^?1) to a wheat crop. Residual ⁷⁷Se_Fert availability was assessed in subsequent crops of maize and wheat without further ⁷⁷Se_Fert addition. Loss of ⁷⁷Se_Fert was c.35% by the first (wheat) harvest, for both selenium species, attributable to the practice of flood irrigation and low adsorption capacity of the soil. No ⁷⁷Se_Fert was detectable in subsequent maize or wheat crops. The remaining ⁷⁷Se_Fert in soil was almost entirely organically bound and diminished with time following a reversible (pseudo-)first-order trend. Thus, repeat applications of Se would be required to adequately biofortify grain each year. In contrast to native soil Se, there was no transfer of ⁷⁷Se_Fert to a recalcitrant form. Grain from control plots would provide only 0.5 µg person^?1 day^?1 of Se. By contrast, a single application of 20 g ha^?1 Se^VI could provide c. 47 µg person^?1 day^?1 Se in wheat, sufficient to avoid deficiency when combined with dietary Se intake from other sources (c. 25 µg day^?1).

     

Determination of total and partially extractable solid-bound element concentrations using collision/reaction cell inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and their significance in environmental studies

Determination of solid-bound element concentrations is an important initial step in environmental studies especially for assessment of contamination level, and of origin, relative mobility, and fate of contaminants. This study revealed that a relatively new collision/reaction cell inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry is a potent tool for determining total and partially extractable solid-bound element (V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, and Pb) concentrations in a complex matrix solution containing HF and/or HCl. Six different extraction methods commonly used for environmental monitoring studies were tested for their bias and variability using estuarine and marine standard reference materials. Microwave-assisted methods based on concentrated [HNO₃] or [HNO₃?+?HF (4:1)] and [HNO₃?+?HF?+?HCl (10:3:2)] were applied for determining pseudo-total and total element concentrations, respectively. Dilute-acids (1 M HNO₃, 1 M HCl, and 0.5 M HCl) were utilized in single-step partial extraction protocols. Except the 0.5 M HCl cold-extraction method which was performed at room temperature, other partial extraction protocols used microwave-digestion. This study demonstrated that the use of microwave-assisted methods in studies aimed at determining the non-residual, non-specific extractable fractions of elements in solid environmental samples may result in overestimation, and thus needs to be re-examined. We believe that the cold extraction method will play a significant role in future environmental monitoring studies. Nevertheless, results of the cold extraction method not accompanied with total element concentrations have limited value, as the amount of extraction may vary significantly with the nature (origin) of the elements, and with the types of the samples. Therefore, we suggest combining microwave-assisted total digestion and 0.5 M HCl cold-extraction methods as a relatively cost- and time-effective, environmentally sound screening procedure for routine environmental monitoring programs involving a large number of samples from diverse geological and anthropogenic settings.     

A study on chemical properties of groundwater and soil in ophiolitic rocks in Firuzabad, east of Shahrood, Iran: with emphasis to heavy metal contamination

In order to assess the chemical properties of groundwater and soil in ophiolitic zone of Firuzabad, in east of Shahrood, Iran, 10 soil samples with regard to sensitive points (vicinity to mine, ophiolitic rocks, and villages) and 10 groundwater samples including nine samples from springs, and also one sample from a well in a village of the study area were taken. These samples were analyzed in laboratories using inductively coupled plasma method. The soil samples were also evaluated for grain size. The obtained results show that most of heavy and major elements were exceeding the permissible levels in soil and water samples in the study area. On the subject of soil quality, concentrations of elements Cr, Mn, Fe, Ca, Mg, Ca, Ni, and Zn are above permissible levels. Enrichment factor and index of geoaccumulation have been calculated for heavy and major elements of all soil samples. According to the obtained results, it may be argued that soil samples are contaminated in relation to the above-mentioned indices. Comparing the concentrations of elements with results of grain size analysis illustrates that the concentrations of Cr, Ni, Fe, Mg, and Co are positively correlated with sand fraction and the concentrations of Al, P, Mn, and Pb are directly proportional with clay fraction in soil samples. The study on water contamination suggests that concentrations of elements Cr, Ni, and Mg in groundwater samples of the study area are above the permissible levels. Some indices like metal index and heavy metal pollution index show that most of the water samples include heavy metal contamination.     

Tissue distribution of 210Po and 210Pb in select marine species of the coast of Kudankulam, southern coast of Gulf of Mannar, India

Activities of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb in various tissues of four species of decapod crabs and two species of cephalopod mollusks (cuttlefishes) of Kudankulam coast were studied. A non-uniform distribution of these radionuclides was observed between the organs. Of all the tissues, ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb were found accumulated more in the hepatopancreas and intestine of crabs and in the digestive gland, shell gland, and intestine of cephalopods. Among crabs, Charybdis lucifera registered a little higher ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb activities. The cephalopod species Loligo duvauceli displayed higher ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb in some organs when compared to Sepia pharaonis. The muscle of all the species registered lower activity. In cephalopods, the activity ratio of ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb fell within the range of 1?C2 for most of the organs, and in crab tissues, it varied from 1.7 to 31.4. The biological concentration factor for organs of cephalopods ranged from 1.2 ×10³ to 4.3 ×10⁵ for ²¹⁰Po and 4.8 ×10² to 8.4 ×10⁴ for ²¹⁰Pb and for organs of crabs it varied between 2.0 ×10⁴ and 1.9 ×10⁶ for ²¹⁰Po and 9.2 ×10² and 2.4 ×10⁴ for ²¹⁰Pb. The study revealed that the organs associated with digestion and metabolism displayed a higher activity concentration than the other tissues. A significant variation in the accumulation of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb was noted between species (P?<?0.05). The activity levels recorded are in agreement with values recorded in related organisms in other parts of the world. The data generated will act as a reference database for these organisms of this coast in which a nuclear power station is under construction.     

Conceptualizing and incorporating social sustainability in the business world

One of the most important challenges faced by business managers today is the integration of sustainability into their core functions. The contemporary enterprise is forced to leap forward from the mere adoption of green practices toward rethinking, redesigning, and redeveloping business practices in a more sustainable way. Most of the initiatives in this attempt have so far emphasized primarily the economic and environmental aspects of sustainable development and overlooked the social dimension of sustainability. As more organizations commit to sustainability, there is an increasing concern to incorporate social sustainability throughout their business operations. To conceptualize and integrate the notion, some organizations use preexisting indicators to demonstrate the value and impact of sustainability, while others look beyond the measurement of impacts by constructing their own system of indicators. This paper draws on a comprehensive literature review to determine a broadly acceptable framework of social sustainability indicators to be conceptualized and integrated into the business world. Findings suggest that economic and environmental sustainability can be driven together with core social factors including fairness and equality, poverty, health, education, delinquencies, demography, culture, and employee engagement within an organization. These results offer insight into the emerging phenomenon of formulating sustainable business strategies for organizations based on social indicators to attain the ultimate sustainable outcomes. This study is among the first to identify social sustainability indicators from societal and corporate perspectives. It offers a comprehensive social sustainability framework that may be adopted by organizations in the business world.