Laguna de Bay is the largest lake in the Philippines. It is surrounded by developing cities that pollute the lake with plastics from different industrial and domestic activities. In the study, microplastics were collected from the lake’s surface water through three (3) collection points within the lake. The collection of microplastics was conducted from August 2018 to October 2018. About eight-hundred ninety (890) microplastics were collected and cataloged. Among the collection sites, ‘Brgy. Sampiruhan’ has the most microplastics, with a median of 15 ranging from 11-24 microplastics per 1000 L of lake water. On the other hand, ‘Brgy. Napindan’ has a median of 4 which ranges from 2-6 microplastics per 1000 L, and ‘Brgy. San Isidro’ has a median of 6 which ranges from 4-24 microplastics per 1000 L. Image analysis revealed that microplastics from this site were larger and angular. The color analysis shows signs of whitening and yellowing of the plastic materials, which suggests that the microplastics undergo photodegradation. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) found that most of the microplastics in the lake are made of polyethylene and its derivatives. Microplastics in Laguna de Bay show the continuous plastic pollution in the Philippines’ largest lake.

Insect pest control is one of the major issues facing the agriculture sector because of the need for new agrochemicals and biocontrol agents that are environmentally friendly, economically affordable, and safe for human health. Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm) is one of the insect pests that causes huge damage to various crops around the globe due to its generalist nature. In the present study, three selected Embelia ribes Burm F (Myrsinaceae) constituents, which include embelin, 5-O-methylembelin, and vilangin; one semi-synthetic compound (potassium embelate); three synthetic compounds, namely coenzyme Q10, dopaquinone, and idebenone; and two reference compounds (azadirachtin and amitraz) were assessed on the docking behavior of S. frugiperda (beta glycosidase and caspase-1. The docking studies showed that coenzyme Q10 exhibited the highest binding energies (-130.61 and -434.56 kcal.mol-1) for the target enzymes S. frugiperda (beta glycosidase and caspase-1, respectively). Thus, the present investigation provides new knowledge in understanding Embelia ribes Burm F (Myrsinaceae) constituents as possible inhibitors against S. frugiperda (beta glycosidase and caspase-1) enzyme activities. Furthermore, the present work can help to develop new insecticides and pesticides against S. frugiperda and other related insect pests.

Globally, vehicular pollution is one of the greatest concerns in urban areas. Several studies on air pollution have been conducted using deterministic, statistical, and soft computing methods. However, there has been little research on how soft-computing methods like Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) can help us comprehend vehicular pollution’s non-linear and highly complex dispersion. This study uses an ANN-based vehicular pollution model to investigate the effect of vehicular traffic on PM2.5 concentrations in built-up and open terrain-surrounding environments. Five distinct pollution models were developed for two locations in Delhi, considering PM2.5 pollutants, meteorological variables, traffic flow, and traffic composition into account. The results concluded that under open terrain conditions, the significance of the traffic variable in its association with PM2.5 is almost half the significance observed under built-up conditions. Also, in terms of PM2.5 reductions, the maximum reduction observed at Location-1 (built-up environment), and Location-2 (open terrain environment) is 1.85 and 2.44 times the percent reduction in traffic during peak hours, respectively. The study’s findings have significant ramifications for the current practices of ignoring the contribution of traffic and the built environment to pollution and adopting measures like an odd-even rule and high fuel and parking prices to combat pollution.

Shoreline change is a process that occurs due to the impact of natural factors and human activities. Geographically, the coastal area of North Central Timor Regency (NCT) is in the northern part of the island of Timor, East Nusa Tenggara Province (ENT). Physically, the area is affected by the oceanographic dynamics of the Sawu Sea waters and aquaculture activities, which impact the damage to coastal ecosystems. This study aims to analyze shoreline change in the northern coastal area of NCT Regency. The data used are Landsat 8 images from 2015-20221 to describe current conditions. Meanwhile, Landsat 5 imagery data from 1990 - 2000 was used to describe the initial conditions. The satellite imagery is analyzed to map shoreline changes that experience accretion or abrasion. The results show that the shoreline of the study area has experienced changes in accretion and abrasion. Based on the area of change in the northern coastal area of NCT Regency, the dominant accretion area was 1108.07 m2 with a rate of change of 20.19 m.year-1, as long as 1021 meters, while the abrasion was 845.43 m2 at a rate of 12.65 m.year-1 as long as 36520 meters. The average shoreline change distance in accretion conditions was 11.3 meters, while the abrasion was 7.93 meters. The shoreline shift due to the highest abrasion in Ponu was -16.08, while accretion in North Oepuah was 35.63 meters. The results of this research will contribute to planning the management of the coastal area of NCT Regency.

The increase of nitrogen and phosphorus causes eutrophication in water bodies. Using submerged plants to decrease the pollution from water bodies is an effective way. In this research, three common submerged plants (Vallisneria natans, Hydrilla verticillata, and Ceratophyllum demersum) and their combinations were used to purify eutrophic water. The control treatment did not contain any plants. The removal effects and dynamic regulations of the three plants with their combinations of nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) in water were analyzed. All three species and their combinations above could grow in the eutrophic water and efficiently remove aquatic nutrients. All the treatment groups had a higher pollutant removal rate for total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) than that of the blank control. In these treatment groups, treatment F (50 g Vallisneria natans plus 50 g Ceratophyllum demersum) had the highest removal rate of TP at 57.53%; treatment B (100 g Vallisneria natans) had the best removal rate of TN at 92.04 %. Among these plants and their combinations, Vallisneria natans and Ceratophyllum demersum showed better purification ability; the combination of these two submerged plants and the combination of three submerged plants were more applicable for the restoration of eutrophic water.

A state-of-the-art review of biomimetic nanoparticle synthesis is presented. The technique’s origin has been traced to the studies, started over 150 years ago, on the hyperaccumulation of certain metals by different species of plants. How the initial intracellular method of nanoparticle synthesis evolved into the now widely used extracellular route has been described. The review then covers the gist of all the studies reported on the biomimetic synthesis of nanoparticles of different metals using extracts of different botanical species (plants). The synthesis mechanism is discussed, and the factors influencing the nanoparticles’ extent, shapes, and sizes are identified.

Wastewater treatment necessitates the use of an appropriate method to achieve satisfactory results. The conventional method of Alum addition has been widely used for years, but it is prohibitively expensive. This study uses Moringa oleifera, an inexpensive and readily available plant, as a natural coagulant to treat wastewater collected from university dormitories. Physicochemical parameters such as pH, Turbidity, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and Dissolved Oxygen (DO) were examined based on appropriate standards. Wastewater treatment with varied coagulant dosages of 50, 100, and 150 mg.L-1) was monitored using a standard jar test device with an initial wastewater perturbation at 100 rpm for 5 min was reduced to 50 rpm in 10 minutes with a rest time of 30 min. The results showed that the quality of the physicochemical properties of the water improved. The percentage increase in the water quality is; BOD (92%), COD (92%), and TDS (52-64%), with an increase in Moringa coagulant achieving a reduction of 96% of Turbidity. While the DO improved (79%), the pH remained below acceptable limits (6.73-7.56) for effluent disposal. The treated water showed clarity (colorless) and no odor compared to the wastewater. Hence, Moringa oleifera seeds cake residue can be an effective coagulant for wastewater treatment.

The purpose of the paper is to estimate the environmental efficiency of the Vietnamese textile and garment industry and evaluate the impact of the factors on environmental efficiency. The study uses firm-level panel data from the Vietnam annual enterprise survey data for the 2012–2018 period in the Vietnam textile and garment industry to evaluate the environmental efficiency by using the Super-SBM DEA model with undesirable output and applies the Tobit regression model to measure the impact of the factors on the environmental efficiency. This study evaluates environmental efficiency and assesses the impact of some core factors, including the origin of imported machinery and equipment, the origin of imported materials, the management of industrial zones, and the presence of FDI firms, on environmental efficiency at the firm level. The results indicate that the average score for environmental efficiency is 0.233. Some factors, such as income per employee, machined goods imported from developed countries, industrial zones, firm improvement processes, and the presence of FDI, have a positive impact on a firm’s environmental efficiency, whereas materials made in Vietnam have a negative impact.

Urbanization is intrinsically connected to economic progress. India’s rapid economic and population growth has increased its carbon footprint and traffic congestion. A long-term strategy is essential to preserve the balance and alleviate the issues arising from the expansion. Integrating land use and transportation planning has been acknowledged as a means to achieve sustainable urban development worldwide. Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is one such strategy. TOD is a planning and design strategy for promoting urban development by clustering jobs, housing, services, and amenities around public transport stations. This strategy can help achieve sustainable communities and improve the quality of life. This research paper assessed the land use characteristics of an urban fringe area in Trivandrum city and completed a land suitability analysis using GIS software tools. A potential node for re-development was identified by looking at various traffic, demographic, and land use parameters. Detailed TOD recommendations for the area surrounding the transit node were proposed based on its development potential.

Anaerobic digestion produces biogas which usually contains 60-70% of methane (CH4), 30-40% of carbon-di-oxide (CO2), and 10-2,000 ppm hydrogen sulfide (H2S). The concentration of H2S depends upon the type of substrate. H2S tends to corrode pipes and machines carrying them. The high concentrations of H2S present in biogas may adversely affect electricity generation. Hence, the removal of H2S and enrichment of biogas with CH4 is an essential step towards higher energy production. In the present study, the biological method of removing H2S using Thiobacillus sp. was demonstrated for a one cu.m anaerobic co-digestion (ACD) unit running on an organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and septage sludge. Initial lab scale studies were conducted by collecting the biogas generated from 1 cu.m digesters, and continuous experiments were optimized for the process parameters such as flow rate, the volume of medium with culture, time, the height of the column, column composition, etc. The raw biogas was purged in a liquid medium (LM) with a culture containing Thiobacillus sp. The studies with the LM containing Thiobacillus sp. culture showed a 68% removal of H2S in the first 8 min, and the saturation occurred at 75 min when the time-dependent experiment was studied. The smaller flow rate (0.48 L.min-1) and highest volume of culture (500 mL) showed better results than other parameters. The highest and average oxidation rates of sulfate were recorded as 39 and 40.3 ppm.sec-1, respectively, for 0.48 L.min-1 flow rate and 500 mL of the culture volume. In the column studies, a column containing cocopeat (CP) was studied for its efficiency in removing H2S. At a flow rate of 0.9 L.min-1, 25% adsorption was encountered and reached saturation at 90 min. The bed height of 9 inches with CP and plastic support (PS) showed a 20% H2S removal. The filling ratio of CP and PS (1:1) was the best ratio for proper gas passage with optimal time for adsorption/absorption. The kinetic, isotherm, and continuous models helped to understand the capacity of the adsorbent. Freundlich, Yoon-Nelson, and BDST model were best fit for the present study. A pilot scale setup for one cu.m biogas reactor showed an average of 50% removal of H2S for LM with culture, and an additional 20% removal was possible by the introduction of a column along with the liquid bed in series. An overall efficiency of 70-75% of H2S removal was achieved. No significant CH4 loss was encountered during the study.