This study investigates the physical characteristics of red clay using the IDW approach and linear regression modeling in an area of 268.12 km2, focusing on Kirkuk, Bor, and Jambor structures. Through the analysis of 52 soil samples and the integration of laboratory data with IDW and regression results, several significant findings have emerged. The IDW method combined with linear regression proves to be a cost-effective and efficient approach for obtaining soil property data and generating accurate digital maps of red clay’s physical features. The Silt concentration exhibits a wide range, while the gravel content remains relatively low, indicating the predominance of silt in the soil composition. Analysis of Atterberg limits reveals the soil’s behavior and consistency in response to moisture, with the plasticity index generally falling within the low to medium range due to the considerable silt content in most soil samples. The linear regression model highlights positive correlations between the liquid limit, plastic limit, and plasticity index. Moderately positive relationships exist between the liquid limit and clay content, as well as a weak positive association between the liquid limit and specific gravity. Dry density, on the other hand, shows no significant correlation with other physical variables, suggesting its independence from the measured parameters. The plastic limit demonstrates a stronger relationship with the clay content compared to the liquid limit. Additionally, weak positive correlations are found between the liquid limit, plastic limit, and specific gravity and water content, indicating the influence of moisture on these parameters. Furthermore, gravel exhibits a moderate positive correlation with sand and silt concentrations, while a strong positive correlation is observed between sand and silt contents, underscoring their close association with the soil composition.

The main purpose of the study is to identify the thin-bed reservoirs of the Eastern Folded Belt (Sylhet and Bandarban) and characterize them with diligence. A detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis has been carried out. It is based on thin-section petrographic analyses of sandstone samples. These samples are from the reservoir horizons of the Sylhet region and Bandarban region fields. The purpose of this analysis is to characterize the textural and mineralogical properties. Additionally, it aims to evaluate the post-depositional diagenetic changes. The results obtained from the field and laboratory analysis are studied extensively to characterize the thin-bed reservoirs. Samples from the Sylhet area are medium-coarse-grained, fairly sorted, tight packing, submature-mature sublithic characteristics. Contrarily, samples from the Bandarban region are mature-submature sublithic arenites, which are fine-medium-grained, moderately well-sorted, and moderately loosely packed. Despite the similarity of the detrital elements (quartz, feldspar, lithic grains, mica, etc.) in the two areas, silica cementation is more frequent in Sylhet region samples than early carbonate cementation in Bandarban region samples. Comparatively speaking, the sediments in the Sylhet region are more compact than those in the Bandarban region. The most important outcome of this study is that the thin bed of the unconventional reservoir and the conventional reservoir are in close proximity. The Thin-bed reservoir units of the Eastern Folded Belt are found to be medium to fine-grained and well sorted, with frequent alteration of sand-shale with the prevalence of parallel bedded sandstone. Average porosity is 4% to 12%, and pore spaces are interconnected. So, the permeability rate is good enough to flow the hydrocarbon through these pore spaces. Most importantly, the thin bed and tight reservoir (average porosity 4% to 12%, but pore spaces are not interconnected) are not more prominent than 1 meter or 2 meters. Subsequently, though the vertical thickness is not so high, they keep up a momentous tirelessness of horizontal progression. On the contrary, at whatever point it comes to a conventional reservoir, the vertical thickness is higher than that of the unconventional reservoir. But their lateral persistence is not as long as unconventional ones.

The rapid development of industry has led to the generation of a large amount of electroplating wastewater. The direct discharge of untreated electroplating wastewater may lead to the formation of toxic metal-organic complexes, which is a challenging problem for human health and the living environment of organisms. Due to the high solubility of heavy metals in aquatic environments and their easy absorption by organisms, effective treatment of electroplating wastewater is of great significance. The ultimate goal of electroplating wastewater treatment should be to recover metals and water from electroplating wastewater. In indoor experiments, pilot tests, and industrial applications of electroplating wastewater treatment, membrane treatment technology commonly used in wastewater terminal treatment has attracted great attention. Membrane treatment technology seems to be the most promising method for removing heavy metals and organic pollutants from electroplating wastewater. This article reviews the membrane treatment technologies for electroplating wastewater, introduces the advantages and disadvantages of various membranes in the treatment of electroplating wastewater, the removal efficiency of pollutant types, and their comparison. The focus is on the treatment effects of nano-filtration membrane, ultra-filtration membrane, micro-filtration membrane, reverse osmosis membrane, ceramic membrane, biofilm, etc., on electroplating wastewater. Compared with a single treatment method, the combination of different processes shows higher efficiency in removing various pollutants.

A high concentration of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) released from pig farming is one of the major environmental problems affecting surrounding communities. In modern pig farms, the bioscrubber is used to eliminate H2S, which is found to be driven mainly by the sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) community. Therefore, in this study, molecular biology techniques such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) and DNA microarray are proposed to study the linkage between enzyme activity and the abundance of the SOB community. The starting sludge (SFP1) and recirculating sludge (SFP2) samples were collected from the bioscrubber reactor in the pig farm. The abundance of microbial populations between the two sampling sites was considered together with the gene expression results of both soxABXYZ and fccAB. Based on the NGS analysis, the members of phylum Proteobacteria such as Halothiobacillus, Acidithiobacillus, Thiothrix, Novosphingobium, Sulfuricurvum, Sulfurovum, Sulfurimonas, Acinetobacter, Thiobacillus, Magnetospirillum, Arcobacter, and Paracoccus were predominantly found in SFP2. The presence of Cyanobacteria in SFP pig farms is associated with increased biogas yields. The microarray results showed that the expression of soxAXBYZ and fccAB genes involved in the oxidation of sulfide to sulfate was increased in Halothiobacillus, Paracoccus, Acidithiobacillus, Magnetospirillum, Sphingobium, Thiobacillus, Sulfuricurvum, Sulfuricurvum, Arcobacter, and Thiothrix. Both NGS and DNA microarray data supported the functional roles of SOB in odor elimination and the oxidation of H2S through the function of soxABXYZ and fccAB. The results also identified the key microbes for H2S odor treatment, which can be utilized to monitor the stability of biological treatment systems and the toxicity of sulfide minerals by oxidation.

Over time, predictive models tend to become more accurate but also more complex, thus achieving better predictive accuracy. When the data is improved by increasing its quantity and availability, the models are also better, which implies that the data must be processed to filter and adapt it for initial analysis and then modeling. This work aims to apply the Random Forest model to predict PM10 particles. For this purpose, data were obtained from environmental monitoring stations in Mexico City, which operates 29 stations of which 12 belong to the State of Mexico. The pollutants analyzed were CO carbon monoxide, NO nitrogen oxide, and PM10 particulate matter equal to or less than 10 μg.m-3, NOx nitrogen oxide, NO2 nitrogen dioxide, SO2 sulfur dioxide, O3 ozone, and PM2.5 particulate matter equal to or less than 2.5 μg.m-3. The result was that when calculating the certainty of our model, we have a value of 80.40% when calculating the deviation from the mean, using 15 reference variables.

Biofuels are the cheapest source of energy, and the continuous decline of traditional sources of energy with the increasing population leads to looking for alternatives to reduce the consumption of traditional sources of energy. Bioethanol production from lignocellulosic wastes and cellulosic wastes is not a new approach for fuel production but a cheap and accessible way for the production of fuel. Bacillus is one of the major species that can act as a source of diversified enzymes. In this study, it was emphasized on screening and isolation of a novel, characterization, and best catalytic action on both celluloses and proteins in the presence of different carbon and nitrogen sources. It was observed the effective catalytic breakdown of cellulose with the crude enzyme to glucose allowed fur for fermentation with Saccharomyces, ultimately leading to the generation of alcohol. The study aims to isolate the microbes that can produce cellulases and enzymes and could be used for biodegradation to produce ethanol in the reaction. The maximum enzyme activity was achieved at 3.112 UI with optimized pH and temperature, and the maximum conversion of sugars into alcohol was about 70% in the newspaper, cartons, colored paper, and disposable paper cups. An essential observation was the decolorization of the origami craft paper within 24 hours. The study was involved in enhancing the maximum Enzyme activity of cellulases from different cellulosic raw materials. Hence, it was achieved by JCB strain, optimization of pH, temperature, and acids for the biodegradation. The presence of peaks at 3200 and 2900 was a confirmation of ethanol bonds in the biodegradation reaction mixtures.

In the present study, biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was examined using two fungal strains, namely P. chrysosporium and P. citrinum, isolated from locally contaminated soil. These two fungal strains were compared based on degradation properties under standardized conditions (pH 7.0, temperature 30oC, carbon source yeast extract) using PAH sole and a mixture of five different PAHs. In liquid media, PAH degradation was higher as compared to spiked soil by P. chrysosporium, followed by P. citrinum. In liquid culture, maximum degradation was 96.13% phenanathrene, 86.34% fluoranthene, 72.75% pyrene, 52.25% chrysene, and 40.16% benzo(a)pyrene by P. chrysosporium. PAH degradation in spiked soil was 78.5% phenanthrene, 65.91% fluoranthene, 61.73% pyrene, 48.2% chrysene, and 26.82% benzo(a)pyrene within 28 days by P. chrysosporium. Both local fungal isolates showed potential for degradation of PAHs alone and in PAH mixtures.

In order to ensure water sustainability, alarming levels of water scarcity across the globe is a critical issue warranting urgent address. The present study aims to bring to light the perception of farmers regarding water conservation and management practices from the selected five districts of the Haryana region of India. By analyzing the responses of 125 farmers, collected through a self-administered questionnaire, the impact of socio-demographic factors, current irrigation system, and cost-benefit perception of the farmers was studied on water conservation and management practices. Using ordinal regression analysis, the study revealed that the cost-benefit perception of the farmers, viz. willingness to pay an additional price for canal water and an increase in the availability of water due to canal lining, are the major factors responsible for undertaking conservation and sustainability measures. Further, socio-demographic variables such as age and education also influence water conservation behavior. The study recommends vital policy reforms and initiatives for efficient water use and management to resolve the grave concern of scarcity of usable water. The present study is unique in its suggestion of a comprehensive water conservation and management framework.

This article discusses the major challenges related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the electricity sector and their impact on global climate change. The electricity sector is responsible for about a quarter of total global GHG emissions. To address these challenges, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is used to measure the environmental impact of different energy sources and electricity generation and distribution processes. The circular economy is presented as a promising approach to reducing the carbon footprint of the electricity sector. By optimizing the use and value of materials throughout their life cycle, this approach contributes to waste minimization and resource efficiency. Morocco is committed to reducing its GHG emissions and has adopted policies and regulatory frameworks to combat climate change. This study aims to calculate the climate change impacts of electricity distribution phases by applying a life-cycle approach to the case of an electricity distribution company in Morocco. This assessment makes it possible to identify significant contributors from each area. In the context of this company, it is a question of demonstrating how the application of the principles of the circular economy concepts contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, in particular, that of scope 3. This study may be useful for other similar companies.

Dual concerns involving the rise in airborne pollutant levels and bulging need to protect-preserve human health have propelled the search for innovative means for air quality monitoring to aid in evidence-based decision-making (pollution prevention-mitigation). In this regard, moss bags have gathered a great deal of attention as active biomonitors. In this reflective discourse, we systematically review the world literature to present a bird’s eye view of moss bag applications and advances while highlighting potential concerns. We begin with a brief note on mosses as biomonitors, highlighting the advantages of moss bags over the passive technique (native moss), other living organisms (lichens, vascular plants), and instrument-based measurements. A major strand of moss bag research involves urban ecosystem sustainability studies (e.g., street tunnels and canyons, parks), while others include event-specific monitoring and change detection (e.g., SARS-CoV-2 Lockdown), indoor-outdoor air quality assessment, and change detection in land use patterns. Recent advances include biomagnetic studies, radioisotopic investigations, and mobile applications. Efforts are currently underway to couple moss bag results with a suite of indicators [e.g., relative accumulation factor (RAF), contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), enrichment factor (EF)] and spatially map the results for holistic appraisal of environmental quality (hot spot detection). However, while moss bag innovations and applications continue to grow over time, we point to fundamental concerns/uncertainties (e.g., lack of concordance in operational procedures and parameterization, ideal species selection, moss vitality) that still need to be addressed by targeted case studies, before the moss results could be considered in regulatory interventions.