The advent of advanced features of soft computing can be used to solve complex problems which are more non-linear and messy. Many of the applications have been analysed and validated by the researchers through soft computing approach in the past.Neural Networks (NN) with appropriate selection of training parameters is implemented apart from conventional mathematical model. In this paper, analysis is made on the estimation of PM10 air quality in selected regions of Chennai district by wavelet approach with energy spectrograms. After analysing the results, NN of multilayer feed forward back propagation algorithm forecasts the air quality of selected regions. Discrepancies in selecting the training parameters of NN’s have been overcome by trial and error basis. This work will be helpful in proving the powerful tool of NN to forecast short term nonlinear parameters and the predicted results will give us the clear design of existing problem and thecontrol measures need to be implemented.

Significant attention has been given to nanotechnology as an emerging approach in water/wastewater treatment for heavy metals removal. Numerous research works on synthesizing, fabrication and upgrading nanoparticles have reported as an efficient adsorbent in removal of wide range of heavy metals from wastewater. This review intends to provide researchers with understanding and knowledge regarding the efficient nanoadsorbents, their adsorption mechanism towards selected heavy metals and fundamental principles of nanoadsorbent materials synthesis. In addition, further attention on the modification of nanoadsorbent and development of nanocomposites are highlighted in this paper as value added products to increase the adsorption capacity and enhance the heavy metals removal. Possible challenges and direction on utilization of nanocomposites for heavy metal removal in real wastewater effluent are discussed in view of their removal capability and cost efficiency. Future research works on developing a cost-effective way of nanocomposite production and toxicity testing of nanomaterials in wastewater applications are recommended. Further studies on the efficiency of the nanoadsorbents in pilot or industrial scale are highly needed to test the practicality of the nanoadsorbents for selected heavy metals removal from real wastewater.

The aim of this paper is to assess the radon concentration of surface and ground waters around Bismuth mining site located in Edu, Kwara State, Nigeria, in order to ascertain its radiological risk. Seventeen (17) water samples were collected and analyzed for radon concentration using a calibrated Rad7-Active Electronic Detector Durridge. The Radon concentration for surface water ranged from 16.23±3.45 Bq/l to 24.71±4.51 Bq/l with a mean of 19.14±3.98 Bq/l while that of ground water ranged from 21.59±3.29 to 27.93±5.74 Bq/l with a mean of 24.16±4.21 Bq/l. The concentration results were used to estimate the annual effective doses. The mean total annual effective dose obtained by summing the dose due to inhalation and ingestion for surface water samples were 187.97 μSvy-1, 257.84 μSvy-1 and 292.77 μSvy-1 for adult, children and infants respectively. Also, the mean effective doses for ground water samples were of 237.25 μSvy-1, 325.44 μSvy-1 and 369.53 μSvy-1 for adult, children and infants respectively. Both the radon concentration and the effective dose due to its inhalation and ingestion were higher than the recommended limit of 11.1 Bq/l and 100 μSvy-1 respectively for all samples. Therefore, consumption of the water in this area poses serious health risk as the water is not safe for all age groups considered. Therefore, it is advised that the water from both sources be treated before consumption.

This study aims at assessing the health-related risk of As, Co, Cr, Ni, and Cu in the soil around Angouran Mineral Processing Complex (AMPC), due to environmentally sensitive nature of the area, having agricultural activities, habitats of animal and plant species, and industrial activities integrated with each other. Soil samples have been collected from 74 points (0-20 cm) of the area and concentrations of heavy metals have been measured, using ICP-OES. The Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo), Enrichment Factor (EF), and Integrated Pollution Index (IPI) have been used to examine the pollution level. Moreover, hazard indices (HI), hazard quotient (HQ) and cancer risk (CR) have been utilized to assess the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks of heavy metals. The average concentration of heavy metals indicates that metals’ concentration in the soil have increased in the following order: Cr = Ni> As> Cu> Co. Results from Igeo, Ef, and IPI show that As and Ni are placed in the very high pollution category. The non-carcinogenic risk of dermal absorption (adults = 1.30 E + 00, children = 1.35 E + 00) of Cr and Co polluted particles turn out to be very high. In addition, the risk of cancer as a result of the ingestion of As- and Cr-contaminated soil particles is high in both of age groups, with children being 68% more likely to be at risk of cancer than adults. Therefore, actions such as soil remediation should be done to reduce the risk of exposure and protect the health of the residents, especially the farmers.

Energy recovery is a sustainable method of municipal solid waste (MSW) management. The co-incineration of refuse derived fuel (RDF) has shown several economic and environmental advantages. The objective of this research is to assess the impact of RDF recovery on leachate quality using leachate tests and calculation of greenhouse gases (GHG) reduction in the kilns of a cement plant. The qualitative results of the eluate show that there is an impact on leachate quality depending on the type of waste. The values of the chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD5), electrical conductivity and pH of the leachate from the raw waste after 120 hours of leaching are 29.33 gO2/kg DM, 14.00 g O2/kg DM, 4.27 ms/cm and 7.57. On the other hand, the values of the same quality parameters of the eluate generated by the waste without RDF are 19.33 g O2/kg DM, 20.67 g O2/kg DM, 2.77 ms/cm and 7.13; respectively. The calculation of GHG reduction shows that the substitution of 83,000 tonnes per year of petroleum coke by 15% of RDF (25,493 tonnes per year) can reduces 28,970 tCO2 eq.

In this study, efficiency of humic acids (HAs) derived from various sources to reduce CrVI in aqueous solutions was compared. HAs were extracted from leonardite, peat moss, peat, cocopeat, coal, common char, biochar, vermicompost and sewage sludge. Some chemical and spectral characteristics of the extracted HAs were measured. Then, the reducing efficiency of HAs was measured and its relationship with the determined properties was investigated. To measure the reducing efficiency of HAs, a concentration of 0.1 mM CrVI (as potassium dichromate) in a sodium nitrate solution (0.03M) with a pH of 2 and in the presence of 100 mg of HA per liter was used. The experiment was conducted in three ways (symbolized by E1, E2 and E3). They differ from each other with respect to the method of phosphate buffer addition to release CrVI ions adsorbed by HA. This buffer was added to an aliquot of final extract, to the whole volume of final suspension and to initial solution containing CrVI in experiments E1, E2 and E3, respectively. According to the results, the CrVI reducing efficiency depends not only on the nature of HA but on the method of experiment. The minimum reducing efficiency was observed for common char using experiment E2 and the maximum value was for biochar and cocopeat in all three experiments. The results showed that the two factors of ΔlogK and maximum reducing efficiency in the format of a multiple regression had a significant relationship with CrVI reducing efficiency of HAs.

This research evaluates the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks from cadmium, lead, and zinc in Bandar Abbas groundwater sources. The samples from 25 wells were analyzed for cadmium, lead and zinc. Total lifetime cancer risk and non-cancer risk assessment from exposure to these pollutants in drinking water (ingestion, inhalation and skin routes) were conducted for people living in these villages. In these regions most of the drinking water supplied, are from these wells which shows the importance of analyzing the quality of them in order to prevent diseases and cancer risks. The highest risk from cadmium seems to be in village Dehno Paein and also this amount for lead occurs in Tifakan Tal-e Gerdu. The highest hazard index (HI) based on human health risk assessment (HHRA) model for cadmium, lead, and zinc through oral, inhalation and dermal pathways were computed as 0.005, 1.63 and 0.043 which are in Dehno Paein, Tifakan Tal-e Gerdu and Faryab. Results show that lead can lead to more cancer cases in these villages that cadmium. The total expected cancer cases from exposure to cadmium in different routes are lower than lead.

This paper is the first to report on the role of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Sari, as a source of microplastics (MPs) in the Caspian Sea. Composite 270-liter/24-hour samples were taken the treated effluent of the WWTP in winter and spring, two seasons with different levels of human activity. The effluent contained 380±52.5 and 423±44.9 MPs/m3 in winter and spring, respectively, with the total numbers of MPs/m3 not differing between the two seasons. The dominant type of MPs in the effluent was microfibers with 237±68.7 and 328±33.4 per m3 in winter and spring, respectively. In both seasons, fiber sizes of

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a well-known technology that can convert contaminated substrate in the wastewater to electrical power. To gain more power output, the multi-electrode MFC was developed owing to it has a high surface area for anaerobic microbe adhesion. Here we show the multi-anode was made from the bamboo charcoal was combined with laccase-based cathode in the ceramic separator MFC for the rubber wastewater treatment and enhancing the power generation. The untreated rubber wastewater with initial COD and contaminated sulfate concentration of 3,500 mg/L and 1,100 mg/L was used as a anolyte. The 843.33±5.77 mA/m3 of CD, the 711.23±9.76 mW/m3 of PD were generated. Moreover, this system reached 83.07±3.01% of sulfate removal when it was operated at 30 °C for 12 hr. This study recommended that multi-anode with laccase based MFC can more successfully produce energy from untreated rubber wastewater. it will be greater in terms of electricity generation and sulfate removal.

The pomegranate (Punica granatum) fruit peel exposed to mixture air pollutants were collected from two sites with different air quality around the industrial area of Gabes city, Tunisia. The first site presented the ‘Polluted site’, which is situated in the oasis close to the industrial area. While, the second site referred to the ‘Control site’ located at 37 km from the industrial area. Using HPLC ES-MS, 21 phenols were identified and quantified in methanol extract from pomegranate fruit peel. The results showed that various phytochemical substances, including phenols acids and flavonoids, were identified and quantified in the peel extract. The polyphenols content and the flavonoids contents in peel obtained from polluted site were higher than that collected from the control site. The concentrations of the identified polyphenols were ranged between 0.39 and 7803.68 mg/ kg DW. The stimulation of some free phenolic compounds such syringic acid, transfrulic acid, epicatechin, rutin and quercetin was enregistred only in peel collected from contaminated environment. The quali-qualitative changes between sites are probably related to the difference in the air quality. The increase of polyphenols could be implicated during adaptive mechanisms under air pollution. Phenolic composition changes in Punica granatum peel could be also suggested as useful approach air pollution monitoring.