Nitrate is a major contributor to water contamination, which can affect humans' and animals' health. Due to increased sewage production, growth of agricultural activities, and development of urbanization, recent years have seen an increase of Nitrate in water resources. Drinking water resources in both rural and urban areas of Jiroft City are supplied by water wells, scattered throughout the region. Thus the present research analyses the Nitrate pollution of 31 drinking water wells in summer and winter of 2016, in the urban area of ​​Jiroft City and by means of GIS as well as statistical analysis, presents the results as zoning and survey maps. It also studies and evaluates the effect of rainfall and soil type on the amount of Nitrate. Results from statistical analyses show that the amount of water pollution to Nitrate is independent from the type of land use as well as the soil type. Furthermore, statistical results show that the amount of Nitrate in the wells under test is affected by precipitation, being higher in the winter. Therefore, considering the agricultural density in this area and the untapped use of nitrogen fertilizers, it is necessary to take into account the use of chemical fertilizers for proper management, scientific and practical control, and maintenance of the wells' health safety.

The present study synthesizes Zn-TiO2 photocatalyst via a simple and economic green rout, in which Green Tea is applied as a green reducing agent due to the presence of polyphenols Molecules. Polyphenol molecules in green tea act as a reductant, thus changing Zn2+ to metallic Zn. The by-produced nanocmposites are characterized by using XRD, FESEM, EDS, and DRS. Zn-TiO2 photocatalyst possesses great efficient charge separation properties. In order to investigate the presence of Zn, different weight ratio of Zn to TiO2 (viz. 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt%, 35 wt%, 40 wt%, 45 wt%, and 50 wt%) have been synthesized and their performance in Acid Orange 7 (AO7) photodegradation, compared with pure TiO2. According to the results, the compound with 25 wt% Zn shows 97% degradation of AO7 as a model pollutant. Also, it has been shown that after three tests with EDTA, benzoic acid, and under Ar gas, photodegradation of AO7 with Zn-TiO2 photocatalyst mainly depends on photogenerated holes.

Artículo | The treatment of municipal wastewater in the Arctic is challenging due to a variety of financial, operational, climatic and technical issues. To better understand the efficacy of current wastewater treatment in this region and the hazard posed to receiving waters, we assessed the occurrence of nutrients and contaminants (i.e., pharmaceuticals, antibiotic resistance genes) as they moved through a lagoon-based treatment system in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada. Wastewater treatment in this community is performed by the use of a lagoon-tundra wetland system that is discharged into the marine environment and is representative of current common practices throughout the region. In 2014, samples were collected before and during lagoon discharge from two locations in the main lagoon, one location downstream from the lagoon effluent and three locations offshore. Grab samples were collected to measure nutrients (e.g., total nitrogen and phosphorus) and the presence of antibiotic resistance genebearing microbes, and Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Samplers (POCIS) were deployed to collect passively organic contaminants in all locations. A total of six pharmaceuticals were detected from a screen of twenty-eight analytes during the study: atenolol, carbamazepine, clarithromycin, metoprolol, sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim. The greatest concentrations of nutrients, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and pharmaceuticals were found in sampling locations within the treatment lagoon. Offshore of the release point, we observed limited to no detection of pharmaceuticals and ARGs, but no change in total nitrogen and phosphorus from pre-release. We conclude that the current concentrations of monitored pharmaceuticals do not pose a significant hazard at this time to aquatic organisms in Cambridge Bay.

Solid-solution partitioning of Rare Earth Elements in mine-tailings and soils in China: experimental results and multi-surface modelling. Interfaces Against Pollution

Development of a flux DMT with integrated adsorptive stripping voltammetry for free metal ions detection in solution. Interfaces Against Pollution

The well-informed recycling of organic waste to agricultural land becomes increasingly desirable in dynamic, developing regions worldwide. Pursuing locally optimal benefit-risk ratios, agro-environmental research in support of OW recycling does not focus on avoiding contamination perse, but on the control of dynamics, in soil and other environmental compartments, in order not to exceed risk thresholds. We present a series of empirical research efforts that inform decision making in regions under OW pressure on OW-contained trace contaminant fate under local conditions. Their results illustrate that the present understanding of trace elements fate allows for the ex-ante assessment of fate under specific use scenarios and local conditions, with a limited set of simplifications. A well-established set of analytical tools provides the information required by such assessments. Understanding of OW-borne organic contaminants is less advanced, but the present capacity to project fate under local conditions does allow for the approximate appreciation of risk levels, the major benefit of which is to focus subsequent research on substances of concern. Ongoing long-term field trials may critically advance our understanding of OW-borne contaminant fate in soil. Developing a reasonable capacity to assess biological contaminant fate is one of its priorities.

The French West Indies face nowadays a diffuse and long term environmental pollution related to historical use of organochlorine insecticide in banana fields, Chlordecone (CLD). Due to its stability, it now pollutes soil, waters, agricultural products and leads to a global exposure of people and ecosystems. We wonder how to manage such a complex pollution system involving all environmental compartments, linked each other. For that, we have been conducting research studies for more than 15 years in the field of agronomy and environment to explore the fate of the molecule in the environment, the impact on food safety, and also the remediation options. Three main points are addressed: i) how to characterize the pollution and to make easier the diagnosis? ii) how to assess the impacts on environmental compartments and agricultural products? iii) How to manage the pollution? The tools we developed make a diagnosis of such pollution easier at different scales (field, farm, watershed, and territory). We built monitoring support systems for the water quality of rivers with models helping to understand variability of water contamination. We built also decision support systems to farmers to manage their soil pollution and choose the crops that will ensure food security. Now CLD content of local crop products on the market complies with the Maximum Residue Limit. Management is more complex for animal products, and further investigations are needed. We investigated alternative solution to enhance CLD soil sequestration, using physical properties of French West Indies volcanic soil and organic matter amendment. Increased organic matter content in soil reduced drastically the CLD transfer from soil to water, but this effect was not perennial and amendment had to be regularly applied. Our results show that an integrative approach is needed to build efficient policies to manage such pollution than to prevent new ones.

International audience | Solid-solution partitioning of Rare Earth Elements in mine-tailings and soils in China: experimental results and multi-surface modelling. Interfaces Against Pollution

L’objectif de cette étude est de mettre en évidence l’influence sur les émissions et les performances d’un appareil de différents paramètres, comme l’humidité du bois, la présence d’écorce ou non, le calibre utilisé ainsi que le mode d’allumage. De nombreux résultats ressortent de cette étude. Tout d’abord, tous ces paramètres influent de manière considérable sur les émissions des appareils, notamment les émissions de particules, et ce, même à régime nominal. La présence d’écorce modifie la composition en carbone total des particules totales et implique l’émission d’un nouveau type de particule : les nano-cristaux. Une humidité élevée induit des niveaux de températures plus faibles. Ainsi, les émissions d’imbrûlés gazeux tels que les Composés Organiques Volatils vont augmenter de manière importante. Les émissions de particules, en quantité et en composition chimique, sont aussi significativement impactées par l’humidité du combustible. Deux modes d’allumage ont aussi été étudiés. Il s’avère qu’un allumage inversé permet de réduire de manière significative la globalité des émissions par rapport à un allumage classique. En effet, seules les émissions de Carbone Elémentaire sont plus importantes avec un allumage inversé. | he aim of this study is to bring to light the influence on firewood emissions and performance of several parameters like the moisture content of the fuel, the presence of bark, the caliber of the fuel but also the ignition mode. Many results emerge from this study. First of all, all these parameters significantly impact the emissions of the firewood at the nominal thermal heat output, especially the particles emissions. The presence of bark modifies the particles composition in total carbon. Moreover, the presence of bark induces the emissions of a new family of particles: the nanocrystal. A high moisture of the fuel led to a lower temperature in the combustion chamber. Then, the emissions of unburned gases, like the Volatile Organic Compounds, will considerably increase. The particles emissions and the composition of those particles were also significantly impacted by the moisture of the fuel. Two ignition modes were also studied. It appears that the top-down ignition against the traditional ignition allowed a significant decrease of all the emissions. Nevertheless, the elemental carbon emissions were more important with a top-down ignition.

There are 20 full-scale Phosclean® filters for P removal being used together with treatment wetlands (TW) to treat wastewaters of small and medium-size communities, in France. Some of them are in operation for more than five years now, reason why some field experiences are being conducted under the project name of APPROVE (APatite for P Removal and Valorisation: an Evaluation) to assess the current performance and saturation conditions of full-scale filters. This paper will present fieldfeedback results from 4 different wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) with Phosclean® filters. WWTP A (filter A) has been monitored since its commission in 2017 to assess the effluent's pH evolution due to material dissolution in the very first stage of its life span. Three other WWTPs (B, C and D) with hydraulically different Phosclean® filters, in operation since 2012, are also monitored: vertical up-flow (filter B); vertical down-flow (filter C) and horizontal flow (filter D). Assessment of the treatment plants use regulatory surveys since the beginning of plants operations. As treatment plants have not the same capacity, the number of regulatory surveys is heterogeneous and not high enough to have a precise knowledge on saturation levels and retention kinetics. Consequently, additional measurement campaigns have been carried out over two years. Four-day campaigns have been carried out twice per year for each WWTP. In order to evaluate the P retention's performance, 24h-flow proportional samplings at the inlet and outlet of the Phosclean® filter were coupled to spotsamplings at different hydraulic retention times inside the filter to measure retention's kinetic. Online P-PO4 measurements at the outlet of the filter were also conducted to observe possible dynamic within a day. Mayor parameters as pH, conductivity, redox potential, TSS, BOD, COD, N, TP, P-PO4 3- as well as anions and cations were measured for these samples. For filter A, a flowmeter and an online pH probe at the outlet of the filter have been implemented for several months. To determine the nature of phosphate precipitates, SEM and DRX analyses were performed for solid samples taken at different points in the filters. Furthermore, fluorescein-tracer tests were carried out to precisely determine water retention times and possible short-circuiting, as well as dynamic penetrometer measurements to assess potential changes on the material density due to surface precipitation. Results of first campaigns show that P concentration at the outlet of filters C and D respect the maximal regulation limit for total phosphorous disposal after 5 years of operation. This is not the case for filter B, after 4 years of operation, which is over the regulation limit fixed at 2.5mgTP/L. Nevertheless, differences in the regulation limits, inlet P concentrations, hydraulic loads, operation and design, must be taken into consideration to analyze variations of filters performances. The evolution of TP concentrations along time will be presented for all filters according to saturation levels for comparison. Kinetics evolution as a function of saturation conditions will be also presented. Results show that filters B, C and D are at different saturation levels, being filter B the most saturated.