Lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors are examples of energy storage technologies that have a lot of promise in a variety of applications. Herein, NiO-porous carbon composites were prepared by a green and cost-effective facile synthesis route from banana peel waste materials. The surface morphology and chemical composition of the NiO-porous carbon composite were investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX). The prepared samples were also described through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, x-ray powder diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and surface area measurements. The electrochemical behavior of prepared materials was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance (EIS) to test their applicable suitability as supercapacitor electrode. PC-NiO (3) composite exhibits a remarkable specific capacitance of 811 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g. The specific capacitance of PC-NiO (3) is 5.3 times more than that of PC material at 1.0 A/g. Furthermore, the PC-NiO (3) composite material still exhibits a specific capacitance of 780 F/g at 5.0 A/g, high rate capability of 84.55% retention at a high current density of 10.0 A/g and superior cycle stability at 1000 cycles. Based on its high specific capacitance, the NiO-porous carbon nanocomposite is one of the most promising electrode materials for supercapacitors, according to the above results.

Paspalum distichum L. was tested to evaluate their phytoremediation capacity for Hg contaminated soil through analyzing the dissipation of Hg in soil through a greenhouse study by using self-made rhizos box. Original soil samples were collected at Hg mining site with serious Hg contamination and a control site, respectively. Planting of P. distichum. L last for 60 days. Soil and plant samples were collected from four periods (0 d, 20 d, 40 d, and 60 d) and soil samples were collected from five different rhizosphere distance in horizontal direction (0–2 cm, 2–4cm, 4–6cm, 6–8cm, 8–10cm). The results showed that the presence of P. distichum. L significantly accelerated the Hg dissipation in soil compared with control. Hg concentration in the rhizospheric soil was affected by the plant growth period and the distance to the plant roots. The closer of soil to the root of P. distichum. L, the lower mercury concentration in soil. During the 60-day growing period, the concentrations of total Hg (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) reduced by 45% and 64%, respectively, in the rhizosphere (0–2cm) of Hg contaminated soil. However, MeHg concentration was increased near the roots (0–4 cm) during the initial growing period (0–20 d), which may be attributed to the influence of root exudates. Root is the major part for Hg accumulation in P. distichum. L. The low ratio between Hg concentrations in underground and aboveground tissues indicated that it seemed difficult for Hg translocation from root to shoot. The highest THg (9.71 ± 3.09 μg·g⁻¹) and MeHg (26.97 ± 0.98 ng·g⁻¹) value in root of P. distichum. L were observed at the 20ᵗʰ day when P. distichum. L grown in Hg contaminated soil. The results of chemical fractions analyses showed that elemental Hg and residual Hg were the two major speciations followed by organic bound Hg in the Hg contaminated soil, which indicated the high bioavailability and ecological potential risk of Hg in Hg contaminated soil.

Effluents from the food industry regularly contain synthetic dyes that cause damage to ecosystems and water bodies. The present work aimed to evaluate homogeneous advanced oxidation processes for the mixed degradation of food dyes blue 1 and yellow 6. Through preliminary studies of advanced oxidation processes by photolysis, UV/H₂O₂, Fenton, and photo-Fenton, applying UV-C, artificial solar (sunlight), and natural solar radiation, the system with the best performance for the integral optimization of the treatment was determined. Based on the treatment with the best results, the multilevel factorial design 2² × 3¹ and central composite design 2^2 + star were created to optimize the variables [H₂O₂], [Fe], and pH. The kinetics of the process was evaluated based on the percentages of degradation of the chromophore groups and reduction of the chemical oxygen demand. The post-treatment samples were tested for toxicity on lettuce Lactuca sativa germination to verify the effect of the advanced oxidation process employed. The most efficient treatment determined in the preliminary study was photo-Fenton assisted by sunlight radiation. Under the best conditions developed and analyzed with the experimental designs, a 99% degradation of the chromophore groups was achieved, and a 98.72% decrease in chemical oxygen demand, in 120 min. The experimental data were well represented by the nonlinear kinetic model proposed by Chan and Chu with values of R² > 0.95. The toxicity test results demonstrated a decrease in the root growth of the species Lactuca sativa. The results demonstrate that the photo-Fenton system assisted by sunlight radiation is an efficient method to remove food dyes in aqueous matrices.

The statistical physics modeling is a reliable approach to interpret and understand the adsorption mechanism of both organic and inorganic adsorbates. Herein, a theoretical study of the adsorption mechanism of anionic dyes, namely reactive blue 4 (RB4), acid blue 74 (AB74), and acid blue 25 (AB25), on bone char was performed with a multilayer statistical physics model. This model was applied to fit the equilibrium adsorption data of these dyes at 298–313 K and pH 4. Results indicated that the global number of formed dye layers on the bone char varied from 1.62 to 2.24 for RB4, AB74, and AB25 dyes depending on the solution temperature where the saturation adsorption capacities ranged from 0.08 to 0.12 mmol/g. Dye molecular aggregation was also identified for these dyes where dimers and trimers prevailed at different operating conditions especially for adsorbates RB4 and AB74. Adsorption mechanism of these dyes was multimolecular and endothermic with adsorption energies from 10.6 to 20.8 kJ/mol where van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonding could be present. This investigation contributes to understand the physicochemical variables associated to dye adsorption using low-cost adsorbents as bone char.

The carbon dioxide emissions from Portland cement production have increased significantly, and Portland cement is the main binder used in self-compacting concrete, so there is an urgent need to find environmentally friendly materials as alternative resources. In most developing countries, the availability of huge amounts of agricultural waste has paved the way for studying how these materials can be processed into self-compacting concrete as binders and aggregate compositions. Therefore, this experimental program was carried out to study the properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC) made with local metakaolin and coal bottom ash separately and combined. Total 25 mixes were prepared with four mixes as 5, 10, 15, and 20% replacement of cement with metakaolin; four mixes as 10, 20, 30, and 40% of coal bottom ash as partial replacement of fine aggregates separately; and 16 mixes prepared combined with metakaolin and coal bottom ash. The fresh properties were explored by slump flow, T₅₀ flow, V-funnel, L-box, and J-ring sieve segregation test. Moreover, the hardened properties of concrete were performed for compressive, splitting tensile and flexural strength and permeability of SCC mixtures. Fresh concrete test results show that even if no viscosity modifier is required, satisfactory fresh concrete properties of SCC can be obtained by replacing the fine aggregate with coal bottom ash content. At 15% replacement of cement with local metakaolin is optimum and gave better results as compared to control SCC. At 30% replacement of fine aggregate is optimum and gave better results as compared to control SCC. In the combined mix, 10% replacement of cement with metakaolin combined with 30% replacement of fine aggregate with coal bottom ash is optimum and gave better results as compared to control SCC.

Spatiotemporal heterogeneity poses challenges on prevention and control of non-point source (NPS) pollution. Treating pollution sources sequentially by prioritizing the critical periods (CPs) and critical source areas (CSAs) is essential for effective control of regional NPS pollution. In this study, the gird-based dual-structure export empirical model (DSEEM) was used to simulate phosphorus losses in the Danjiangkou Reservoir Basin (DRB) on a monthly scale. Based on the co-analysis of CPs and CSAs coupled with the point density analysis (PDA), a preferred hierarchical control strategy, which was connected with regional management units, was proposed to improve the pertinence for phosphorus loss control. CPs, sub-CPs, and non-CPs were identified on the temporal scale; CSAs, sub-CSAs, and non-CSAs were identified on the spatial scale. The results showed that CPs (July, April, and September), sub-CPs (May, March, and August), and non-CPs contributed 62.8%, 31.1%, and 6.1% of the annual TP loads, respectively. Furthermore, we proposed a hierarchical control strategy for NPS pollution: class I (CSAs in CPs) → class II (sub-CSAs in CPs, CSAs in sub-CPs) → class III (non-CPs, non-CSAs, sub- and non-CSAs in sub-CPs). Class I covered the periods and areas with the highest loads, contributing 26.2% of the annual loads within 14.5% of the area and 25.0% of the time. This study provides a reference for the targeted control of NPS pollution at regional scale, especially in environmental protection with limited funds.

Developing the wind energy industry (WEI) has been a long-term strategy in China for responding to the energy crisis and greenhouse gas emissions. However, China’s WEI faces various barriers despite its favorable prospects. This paper aims to propose a path analysis approach for exploring the best methods and timing for overcoming diverse barriers in developing WEI systematically, especially in terms of revealing in which phases these barriers should take priority. A multidimensional barrier set categorized by institutional, economic and financial, social, technical, and market factors is identified via the integration of a literature review and empirical interviews. A path analysis approach based on the grey group DEMATEL-NK model is constructed, where the causalities and intensities among barriers are extracted to design a path simulation algorithm with heuristics. The optimal path for overcoming barriers in developing the WEI is generated through a simulation of the search and optimization process used to climb to the fitness landscape peak. The results show that the different barriers to completing the legal and regulatory framework should be prioritized to reach adequate financial incentives and coordination among stakeholders, and that an efficient talent cultivation system should be developed and industry-academic cooperation should be strengthened to increase technical and R&D capabilities in the short term. The optimal path presents a strategic instrument for managers to use to better develop sustainable and clean wind energy systems from the novel insights of prioritizing to overcome barriers.

This study was conducted to investigate the association between trace elements including cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), and arsenic (As) in gastrointestinal cancer tissue and non-cancerous tissue (suspected gastrointestinal cancer) in Eastern Iran. The samples of 63 gastrointestinal cancers (stomach (n = 20), esophageal (n = 19), and colorectal (n = 24) along with 63 controls in South Khorasan Province, Iran, were collected and analyzed using ICP-MS (Agilent 7900). Our results indicated that the concentrations of Co (1.3 ± 0.8, 1.3 ± 0.8 μg kg⁻¹), Cr (8.1 ± 7.3, 11.0 ± 14.8 μg kg⁻¹), Ni (29.0 ± 20.1, 39.5 ± 30.2 μg kg⁻¹), Pb (6.9 ± 4.0, 6.1 ± 4.6 μg kg⁻¹), and Zn (867.6 ± 159.1, 935.6 ± 196.2 μg kg⁻¹) were significantly higher among esophagus and colon cancer cases than controls (p < 0.05). Similarly, stomach cancer cases showed higher Co, Cr, Ni, Se, and Zn and lower Cu concentrations than their controls (p < 0.05). Moreover, the Spearman correlation between metals revealed a mostly low to moderate correlation between metals. Our finding illustrated that the significant risk differences of Cr, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn metals on esophagus cancer when considered the single predictor unadjusted for other metals and covariates RD (95% CI) – Cr: −0.274 (−0.463, −0.086), Ni: −0.288 (−0.457, −0.118), Pb: −0.171 (−0.463, −0.086), Se: −0.243 (−0.434, −0.051), and Zn: −0.094 (−0.143, −0.045) respectively. This study suggests that the trace element’s exposure may be associated with gastrointestinal cancer risk. Additional studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying trace element carcinogenesis further.

In this study, Fe–La binary (hydr)oxides were prepared by a co-precipitation method for phosphate removal. Various techniques, including secondary electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), powder X-ray diffraction (p-XRD), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, were employed to characterize the synthesized Fe–La binary (hydr)oxides. Batch experiments indicated that the performance of phosphate removal by Fe–La binary (hydr)oxides was excellent and increased with increasing the concentrations of La. The kinetics study showed that the adsorption was rapid and described better by the pseudo-second-order equation. The maximum adsorption capacities of Fe/La 3:1, Fe/La 1:1, and Fe/La 1:3 binary (hydr)oxides at pH 4.0 calculated by Langmuir model were 49.02, 69.44, and 136.99 mg/g, respectively. The uptake of phosphate was highly affected by solution pH and significantly reduced with the increase of pH value. The analyses of p-XRD, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) suggested that the predominant mechanisms of phosphate removal involved surface hydroxyl exchange reactions and co-precipitation of released La³⁺ and phosphate ions, which resulted into the formation of amorphous phase of rhabdophane (LaPO₄·0.5H₂O). The results show great potential for the application on the treatment of phosphate decontamination for their high efficiency of phosphate removal.

University campuses usually have more trees and can provide various ecosystem services. However, there are few reports on tree ecosystem services of Chinese university campuses, especially in northern China. This study investigated the trees in the campus of Shenyang Institute of Technology and analyzed its ecological benefits and monetary value through i-Tree Streets. The campus trees contained a total of 5193 trees of 66 species, of which Catalpa ovata G. Don, Acer mono Maxim., Rhus typhina Nutt, and Salix babylonica L. accounted for 59.7% of the total number. The age structure of the trees in the campus was not ideal, with 71.5% of young trees, 24.0% of maturing trees, 4.5% of mature trees, and only 0.04% of old trees. The trees in the campus provided more energy saving benefits ($60,850, $11.7/tree), carbon reduction benefits ($34,318, $6.6/tree) and aesthetic benefits ($30,150, $5.8/tree). The benefits resulted from air pollutant removal ($12,889, $2.5/tree) and rainwater runoff interception ($15,534, $3.0/tree) were smaller. In addition, tree species with more maturing trees and mature trees (i.e., with larger diameter at breast height) and large leaf area in the campus contributed significantly to ecosystem services. Our results can provide suggestions and certain insights for Chinese campus greening managers in tree species selection and tree management.