Industrialization is key to a nation’s progress, but exposure to industrial effluents containing heavy metals can cause deadly diseases; therefore, mitigation measures must be applied to safeguard both human beings and the environment. In this study, loofah sponges, a natural heavy metal sequestrant, were modified with sodium hydroxide, acetic acid, sequestering, and wetting agents and showed increased mechanical strength with strong interfacial bonding with the composite materials than untreated loofah sponge. Characterization techniques, including ASTM-D570, FTIR, SEM, SEM-EDX, TGA (thermogravimetry analysis), XRD (X-ray diffraction spectra), and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) were employed to investigate the SSGP-pretreated loofah sponge. The FTIR and SEM examination revealed the removal of waxes and contaminants and heavy metal adsorption on the loofah sponge noted in the SEM-EDX image. The ICP-OES analysis revealed that the pretreated loofah sponge adsorbed about 39 mg/g of chromium. This study proved that pretreated loofah sponges adsorbed about 12.4% more chromium than untreated loofah sponges. Therefore, a pretreated loofah sponge, an environmentally based green technology, can be utilized as an effective biocarrier for heavy metal-contaminated effluents. This study supports the Sustainable Development Goals of clean water and sanitation and recommends using a modified loofah sponge for large-scale applications.

This study examined land use patterns, tree species diversity, biomass distribution, carbon sequestration, and oxygen release in Ngiwngam Subdistrict, Phitsanulok Province, Thailand. The research encompassed a total area of 6,054.72 hectares, categorized into 20 distinct land use types. Rice paddies dominated the landscape, covering over 97% of the area. A systematic sampling method using fifteen 40x40 meter plots revealed 18 tree species from 13 families, with banana trees being the most prevalent. Biomass estimation showed significant variations across land use types, with an average total biomass of 189.39 t/ha. Eucalyptus plantations exhibited the highest biomass (1,797.50 t.ha-1) and carbon stock (898.75 t/ ha). The study quantified carbon sequestration and oxygen release rates, finding a total sequestration of 6,944.14 t/ha across all land use types, with Eucalyptus plantations leading at 3,295.42 t.ha-1. Oxygen release patterns closely mirrored carbon sequestration, totaling 5,050.28 t.ha-1. The research highlights the superior performance of tree-based systems, particularly fast-growing species like Eucalyptus and Bamboo, in carbon sequestration and oxygen production compared to annual crops and grasslands. These findings underscore the potential for strategic land use planning to enhance climate change mitigation efforts and ecosystem services in the region, suggesting that increasing tree cover through various means could significantly boost the landscape’s capacity for carbon storage and oxygen generation.

Analysis of temporal dynamics of climatic parameters is indispensable for advancing the “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)-11 and 13”. This study aims to assess the trend of temperature and rainfall in Kolkata District using CRU (Climate Research Unit) data from 1901 to 2019. Statistical methods such as anomaly index, CV (“coefficient of variation”), and PCI (“Precipitation Concentration Index”) were employed along with ITA (Innovative trend analysis) techniques, Mann-Kendall test, and Spearman’s Rho tools. These measures are widely used in climate and environmental research to recognize the trend of climate change. The Mann-Kendall and Spearman’s Rho tools both reveal that the seasonal (summer and winter) and yearly temperatures are rising significantly (P

This study explores the spatiotemporal variations in nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants in the Tukad Badung River, an essential water source for Bali’s communities, increasingly impacted by agricultural, domestic, and industrial discharges. Bi-daily sampling at six strategically selected sites along the river’s 18-kilometer stretch revealed substantial fluctuations in water quality, with downstream sites consistently exhibiting elevated pollutant concentrations. Ammonia concentrations varied from 1.5 to 4.2 mg.L-1, nitrate levels ranged from 5.0 to 11.6 mg.L-1, and total phosphorus concentrations spanned 0.5 to 2.5 mg.L-1, all of which were highest during afternoon sampling, likely due to reduced flow and increased anthropogenic inputs. Total suspended solids (TSS) exhibited temporal and spatial variability, ranging from 80 to 127 mg.L-1, with the highest concentrations observed at midstream sites, suggesting localized sedimentation from human activities. The nutrient dynamics displayed marked temporal variations, with concentrations rising during afternoon hours, reflecting shifts in human activity and changes in river flow conditions. Furthermore, the study assessed nutrient recovery technologies, such as precipitation and adsorption, which were able to recover up to 80% of extractable nutrients. These findings not only characterize the pollution trends but also highlight the potential of nutrient recovery techniques in reducing dependency on synthetic fertilizers. This research emphasizes the need for integrated watershed management and adaptive recovery strategies to mitigate nutrient pollution and enhance the sustainability of river ecosystems for future generations.

The aviation industry plays a crucial role in global connectivity and transportation. However, its environmental footprint continues to grow alongside the expanding popularity of aviation. By analyzing a decade-long dataset, the novelty of this research lies in delving into the relationship between aircraft age and major aviation emissions, such as hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen oxides (NOx), during landing and take-off (LTO) operation using advanced machine learning algorithms. The analysis of this research comprises three horizons. Firstly, an inventory of aircraft emissions was constructed by analyzing aircraft fleet data at Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) in Jordan. Secondly, the correlation between these emissions and aircraft age was rigorously examined. Finally, predictive models for aircraft age were developed based on pollutant emission features using advanced machine learning algorithms. The findings of the study revealed a discernible impact of aircraft age on emissions, underscoring the importance of considering the aging factor in assessing the environmental implications of aviation. The machine learning models exhibited a capacity to forecast pollutant emissions with a notable degree of accuracy, with a Mean Squared Error (MSE) of about 3.0931. This offers valuable perspectives that can enhance comprehension of aviation’s environmental footprint.

The overuse of pharmaceuticals in recent years and the subsequent discharge of pharmaceutical waste, liquid waste, and harmful organic pollutants into the aquatic environment are important issues that should be seriously addressed. Therefore, this work presented an economical, environmentally sustainable, and simple method for producing zinc oxide nanocomposite using onion peel extract (OPE) and using this nanocomposite (O-ZnO) for organic pollutant removal as cefixime (Cfx) from aqueous solution using an advanced oxidation process. The synthesized materials in this study were characterized using analytical techniques, including (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopes (FESEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The analysis showed that the surface area of onion peel extract (OPE), ZnONPs without OPE, and ZnO with OPE (O-ZnO) were 4.22, 30.1, and 49.3 m2/g, respectively. The findings indicated that the cefixime elimination efficiency of the O-ZnO nanocomposite attained 94%. Under the best operational conditions of pH 4, the dosage of O-ZnO (0.4 mg/L), Cfx concentration was (10 mg/L) with an optimum contact time of 120 min. The kinetic degradation rate of (Cfx) adhered to the pseudo-first-order equation with an R2 value of 0.9682, giving a constant degradation rate of 0.031/min.

Epidermin, a bacteriocin produced by Staphylococcus epidermidis, possesses antimicrobial and anti-enzymatic characteristics. It has been speculated that heavy metals could enhance the inhibitory activities of epidermin against clinical pathogens. This study aimed to extract and characterize epidermin from Staphylococcus epidermidis and investigate the impact of heavy metals on its antibacterial action on Pseudomonas species. Staphylococcus epidermidis was collected and isolated from clinical and environmental samples in Baghdad, Iraq. The bacterial isolates were identified through phenotypic, microscopic, and VITEK 2 compact systems. Among the isolates, epidermin-producing strains were identified. Epidermin was extracted from the epidermin-producing isolates, purified, characterized, and fractionated. The effect of three heavy metal ions on the inhibitory activity of epidermin was tested against Pseudomonas species. One of the thirteen epidermin-producing isolates was selected for epidermin extraction. The epidermin crude concentration was determined to be 0.43 mg/ml, exhibiting 70% activity. The results also showed that 100 mM of cadmium increased epidermin activity, while 50 mM of cadmium showed less activity. Cobalt and copper demonstrated a similar inhibitory-enhancement activity. The present study found that the inhibitory activity of epidermin against Pseudomonas species could be enhanced with heavy metals. Further investigations are encouraged and recommended to explore the synergistic potential of epidermin and heavy metals as antimicrobial agents for controlling clinical pathogenic isolates.

Black oil is a refined oil product that poses a significant environmental risk. It contains complex multi-hydrocarbons that decompose slowly. Black oil remains in the environment for a long time, which causes various toxic effects. This study was focused on three aspects. First of all, the local bacteria were isolated. Then, the potential of these bacteria for degrading black oil was determined. Finally, the efficiency of the bacterial consortium in degrading black oil was evaluated. Three black oil-degrading bacteria were isolated from crude oil-contaminated soil and molecularly identified by 16s rDNA sequencing as Bacillus cereus strain ZG.S6, Bacillus cereus strain ZG.S12, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain ZG.S11. Based on the measurement of optical density and chromatogram analysis, B. cereus strain ZG.S6, B. cereus strain ZG.S12, and P. aeruginosa strain ZG.S11 degrade black oil efficiently by reducing the number of their compounds to 10, 16, and 14, respectively. The results were compared to the complex combination of black oil (control group), which consists of 25 compounds of aliphatic and aromatic substances. The bacterial consortium demonstrated compatibility with each other. This helped them to degrade black oil more efficiently than individual strains, reducing its compounds to seven. Consequently, the consortium is a promising candidate for black oil bioremediation.

The paper presents a multi-directional inclined compartmental basin solar desalination system with a unique design aimed at enhancing water purification through solar energy. The system consists of a central basin surrounded by four inclined compartmental basins, each equipped with a thick glass cover of 4 mm tilted at a 30° angle to facilitate condensation. Techniques such as one-step azimuth tracking are employed, where the entire setup is rotated 15° daily to optimize solar exposure, improving distillate productivity. The methodology includes the construction of basins with pyramid-like structures to concentrate solar energy, increase water temperature rapidly, and maintain it for prolonged periods. Experimental tests were conducted at different orientations (0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, and 90°), measuring yields across basins and analyzing the effects of solar radiation and temperature. This innovative system, leveraging azimuth tracking and optimized basin configurations, offers a supportable solution for potable water production in solar-rich areas. The study’s results show that the multi-directional solar desalination system achieved its highest yield of 20.305 liters/day at a 0° orientation, with Basin 1 (south-facing) producing 5.780 liters/day. Rotating the setup to different angles (e.g., 15°, 30°) yielded minor increases (up to 0.90%) in overall productivity due to optimized solar exposure. The findings confirm that one-step azimuth tracking enhances daily distillate production in solar-rich environments.

A useful technique for forecasting a watershed’s hydrological response and creating effective management plans for its water resources is hydrological modeling. Due to the ongoing rapid urbanization since the formation of the Telangana State, the primary goal of this investigation is to use geospatial techniques to simulate rainfall-runoff processes in the Saroor Nagar urban watershed, Telangana, for the years 2008, 2014, and 2020. The rainfall-runoff process is simulated using the Hydrologic Engineering Centre’s Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) model. Three distinct techniques are utilized to simulate the infiltration loss, the transformation of surplus rainfall into surface runoff, and the flow routing of the channel reach: the Soil Conservation Service-Curve Number (SCS-CN) approach, the SCS unit hydrograph technique, and the Muskingum routing approach. The discharge data from the Hussain Sagar catchment is taken into consideration during the calibration and validation of the proposed model using the regionalization method due to the lack of gauging in the watershed. The model’s performance is evaluated by employing the coefficient of determination (R2 ) as well as the Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE). The HEC-HMS model analysis indicates that between 2008 and 2020, the simulated peak discharge increased from 44.4m3 /s to 57.1m3 /s. During calibration, R2 and NSE are 0.88 and 0.75, correspondingly; during validation, they are 0.83 and 0.89. The study’s conclusions unequivocally show that the suggested model can faithfully replicate basin stream flow and that it can be used as a guide for wise water resource management in the watershed.