Journal of Environmental Health and Sustainable Development

Using Nanozymes in the Removal of Persistent Organic Pollutants from Water Environments

Seyedeh Mahtab Pormazar — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 10:25:00 +0000

The Article Abstract is not available.

Modeling of PM10 Particulate Matter in Ahvaz City Using Remote Sensing and Meteorological Parameters

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 10:37:59 +0000

Introduction: In recent years, remote sensing (RS) products have emerged as effective tools for monitoring air pollution. This study aims to predict the concentrations of particulate matter with a diameter smaller than 10μm (PM₁₀) using a multivariate linear regression (MLR) model, incorporating both Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) products and meteorological parameters.

Material and Methods: In this study, data on PM₁₀ concentrations, Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), and meteorological parameters (wind speed, temperature, humidity, and horizontal visibility) were used. The study focused on the time 15:00 each day, as this time was identified as having significant data relevance. The methodology section also consisted of three steps: 1) pairwise correlation analysis: The relationship between meteorological parameters, AOD, and PM₁₀ was assessed using the pairwise correlation method. 2) Model development: A MLR model was developed to predict PM₁₀ concentrations. 3) Validation: The model was validated using a separate dataset, ensuring that 70% of the data was used for training, and 30% for testing and validation.

Results: The pairwise correlation analysis revealed a strong correlation (0.86) between AOD remote sensing index and PM₁₀. The highest correlation (0.9) was observed during the spring season. The five developed equations to estimate the PM₁₀ index yielded correlation coefficients ranging from 0.86 to 0.90. Notably, the highest correlation was achieved when AOD data and all the meteorological parameters were u tilized simultaneously. These results highlighted the utility of remote sensing products and meteorological data in air quality monitoring and prediction.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that a MLR model incorporating AOD and meteorological parameters can effectively predict PM₁₀ concentrations in Ahvaz City, particularly during dust storms in hot seasons. These findings can aid policymakers and public health officials in developing strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of dust storms on air quality and public health.

Knowledge, Attitude and Performance (KAP) of People regarding Microplastics as a New Health Problem in Kerman, Iran

Ismaeil Alizadeh, Zahra Sabok Khiz , Maryam Faraji — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 10:41:00 +0000

Introduction: This study aims to evaluate knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of people towards Microplastics (MPs).

Materials and Methods: Data were collected from 500 residences in Kerman city, southeast Iran, in 2023 through a questionnaire that was designed and validated by the authors.

Results: More respondents were female (65%), 18–30 years old (43%), undergraduate (48%), and students (35%), and 63% of respondents sorted garbage. Respondents had good knowledge towards general information, but not towards expert information. The highest percentage of respondents with correct answers to the knowledge questions (80%) had the knowledge about environmental pollution to MPs, causing diseases in humans. The maximum percentage of respondents agreed to the attitude questions (57%) agreed with the point that food sellers should recommend cloth bags to shoppers instead of plastic bag, and 60% of them would like to know more about MPs. In terms of practice, 41% of the respondents stated that they usually leave plastic waste in the environment.

Conclusion: The current study showed that there is limited information about MPs in books and among the public. Education and offering free reusable bags were considered as the effective policies to reduce MPs pollution. Also, less environmental awareness and poor management were considered as challenges to reduce emission of MPs.

Health Risk Assessment of Nitrate, Nitrite, and Fluoride Ions in Water Reservoirs of Mehriz, Iran in 2023

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 11:19:12 +0000

Introduction: High concentrations of nitrate, nitrite, and fluoride in drinking water can cause adverse health effects. This study aims to investigate concentration and health risks assessment of nitrate, nitrite, and fluoride ions in water reservoirs of Mehriz city and Bahadoran district.

Materials and Methods: Monthly sampling was done from water reservoirs of Mehriz city and Bahadoran district for 6 months. Nitrate, nitrite, and fluoride concentrations were measured in the samples using a spectrophotometer. Then, health risk assessment and sensitivity analysis were performed on the obtained data using Crystal Ball software and Monte Carlo simulation method.

Results: Nitrate, nitrite, and fluoride concentrations were lower than the standard limitation in all of the studied areas. Risk assessment findings indicated that hazard quotient (HQ) values of nitrite in Miankoh-Movahedin, Bidok and Bahadoran water reservoirs were less than 1 for all age groups. HQ values of nitrate were also below 1 for all age groups except children. HQ values of fluoride in Bahadoran water reservoir were below 1 for all age groups except children.

Conclusion: Health risk of consuming water containing nitrates and fluorides is high for children. Based on sensitivity analysis, the concentration of nitrate and fluoride in drinking water is the key factor in raising health risks. Reducing nitrate and fluoride concentrations in drinking water can reduce health risks in the population.

Application of Thymus Species as Natural Coagulant for Elimination of Turbidity of Water and Its Comparison with the Conventional Coagulant

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 11:29:22 +0000

Introduction: The most important pollutant in surface water sources is turbidity. The aim of the study is to determine the most effective thyme plant extract as a natural coagulant to remove water turbidity and compare it with alum as a chemical coagulant..

Materials and Methods: In this study, plant extracts obtained from Thymus vulgaris (Tv), Thymus kotschyanus (Tk), and Thymus eriocalyx (Te) were used as natural coagulants for elimination of water turbidity. Then, the best of plant extract was confirmed by ninhydrin and FTIR analyses and the effect of simultaneous use of plant extract with chemical coagulant of aluminum sulfate (alum) was investigated in the hybrid ratio of 1:1, 2:1, and 1:2. Then, the effect of parameters include of pH, coagulant dose, turbidity removal efficiency, and the most suitable solvent for coagulant extraction were studied.

Results: The results of this study showed that among the natural coagulants, Tv had a higher efficiency in elimination of water turbidity, and the highest amounts of turbidity elimination for Tv, alum, and Tv/alum hybrid coagulants was 94, 90, and 96, respectively. According to the results of this study, the most effective solvent for preparing plant extracts was 1M KCl solvent.

Conclusion: The natural coagulant removes more turbidity from water than the chemical coagulant, and the simultaneous use of natural and chemical coagulants with a 1:1 ratio was more effective.

Investigating the Impact of Environmental Factors on Electricity Consumption Using Spatial Data Mining and Artificial Neural Network: A Case Study inYazd City

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 11:33:23 +0000

Introduction: Modeling energy demand in different energy consuming sectors is a crucial measure for effective management of the energy sector and appropriate policies to increase productivity. The rising importance of energy resources in economic development is evident. Sustainable energy use is crucial for environmental protection and social progress. Understanding the factors affecting energy consumption is essential for effective energy management. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to investigate the impact of environmental factors on household electricity consumption in Yazd city.

Materials and Methods: In the present research, various environmental factors affecting electricity consumption, including air pollution, air temperature in homes, ground surface temperature, and green space were investigated. The effects of these factors on electricity consumption of subscribers were investigated with ANN and apriori methods.

Results: Among the environmental factors, the distance to the regional park, the area of the park, and the amount of vegetation at a distance of 300m have the greatest impact, respectively, and the average summer air temperature, the amount of vegetation at a radius of 500 m, the distance from the local park, and the average summer NDVI have had the smallest effect. Unlike neural network methods, apriori presents relationships between parameters affecting electricity consumption transparently in the form of rules.

Conclusion: It's used to identify the most frequently occurring elements and meaningful associations in a dataset. Greenspace can be a mitigation strateegy for reduction of energy consumption.

Investigating the Level of Metal’s Toxicity in Used Cell Phone Batteries by TCLP and WET Methods

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 11:40:05 +0000

Introduction: Batteries are widely used in all kinds of electrical and electronic equipment. These batteries contain several metals that lead to the leakage of metals into the soil and underground water in the burial places, which pose serious risks to human health and the environment.

Materials and Methods: In this study, the concentration of 15 metals (Ag, Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cs, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Pb, Sr, Zn, Ni) in different components of 7 used battery models was investigated using Waste Extraction Test (WET) and Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) toxicity. The concentration of metals was measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Metal concentrations were compared with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) standards.

Results: The results showed that the average concentration of metals in both WET and TCLP methods was high, but the concentration of most metals in WET method was relatively higher than in TCLP method.

Conclusion: The results showed that the recovery of metals from batteries is necessary, moreover safe burial of batteries is essential to reduce environmental risks.

Evaluating the Efficiency of Aerated Lagoon System regarding the Removal of Indicator Bacteria from Municipal Wastewater

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 11:45:43 +0000

Introduction: Treatment of municipal wastewater is essential to remove bacteria. This study is designed to evaluate the efficacy of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) for the removal of bacteria and using for irrigation or discharge in the Caspian Sea according to the World Health Organization (WHO) regulations.

Materials and Methods: A total of 105 samples were collected from 7 stations, including the inlet and the outlet of the WWTP in Bandargaz City (Iran), the intersection point of wastewater effluent with Caspian Sea (Gorgan Bay), and a radius of 200 meters in three directions east, west, and north of the intersection point of wastewater in Gorgan Bay. The multiple-tube fermentation technique was used to enumerate bacteria, and results were expressed as the Most Probable Number (MPN) per 100 ml.

Results: Bacteriological analysis exhibited that the concentration of total coliform, fecal coliform, fecal streptococci, and Clostridium perfringens were 1.38×10¹⁰, 5.57 × 10⁷, 5.53 × 10⁹, 1.26 × 10⁹ in inlet, and 1.38 × 10¹⁰, 5.57 × 10⁷, 5.53 × 10⁹, 1.26 × 109 in outlet of WWTP, respectively.

Conclusion: The aeration lagoon has a low performance in bacteria population removal, which may be due to the climate condition of this region (few sunny days and many cloudy and rainy days). This effluent was not generally acceptable for discharge in the environment and reuse. Therefore, it is essential to modify the disinfection process to keep the concentration of bacteria under control. Additionally, continuous monitoring is necessary to control the quality of wastewater before discharge into the environment or reuse