Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been introduced in the evaluation of chemical processes and or products in order to take into account the Supply Chain and its environmental constraints and burdens. Regarding to the environmental assessment of chemical processes and/or products two main variables need to be taken into account: Natural Resources Sustainability (NRS) and Environmental Burdens Sustainability (EBS). NRS includes the use of energy, water and materials whereas EBS is given by the environmental sustainability metrics developed by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). The main components of EBS have been classified in 5 environmental impacts to the atmosphere (acidification, global warming, human health effects, stratospheric ozone depletion and photochemical ozone formation), 5 aquatic media impacts (aquatic acidification, aquatic oxygen demand, ecotoxicity (metals), ecotoxicity (others) and eutrophication) and 2 land impacts (hazardous and non-hazardous waste disposal). To reduce the number of variables and thus, the complexity, the development of a normalisation and weighting procedure is required. This work proposes the normalization of EB based on the threshold values of the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) and a similar procedure based on the values given by the BREF document on waste incineration for the NRS normalisation. This procedure will help in the decision making process in the waste management field and in the particular, in Municipal Solid Waste Incineration (MSWI).

Potassium silicate drilling fluid (PSDF) is a relatively new type of drilling waste generated by the oil and gas industry. PSDF effects on soil, vegetation, and ground water must be determined before its land disposal and use in reclamation can be regulated. A laboratory column leachate study was conducted to quantify the response of select soil and leachate properties to PSDF at various depths in soil column profiles. A spent PSDF was applied to two soils (sand and loam textures) at four rates (20, 40, 60, 120 m³ ha⁻¹) with two application methods (incorporated, sprayed). Changes to soil and leachate properties were at values that would not be detrimental to most plant species when PSDF was applied at ≤60 m³ ha⁻¹. Applying PSDF at 120 m³ ha⁻¹had significant effects on soil properties and leachate quality. Hydraulic conductivity and field capacity were significantly reduced, and soil available potassium and sulfate concentrations, pH, and salinity increased with PSDF. Incorporated PSDF in the upper 10 cm of soil accelerated PSDF element transport through soil columns to leachate and increased organic carbon and salinity in leachate. PSDF application rate significantly reduced soil field capacity, available nitrogen, and increased salinity at the highest rates in loam soil, suggesting a threshold beyond which conditions will not be suitable for land spraying PSDF. This research demonstrates that PSDF has potential to improve soil short term water availability, macronutrient potassium and sulfur for disposal on cultivated and uncultivated lands. This potential should be field tested.

The extensive use of copper-bearing fungicides in vineyards is responsible for the accumulation of copper (Cu) in soils. Grass species able to accumulate Cu could be cultivated in the vineyard inter-rows for copper phytoextraction. In this study, the capacity of Festuca rubra cv Merlin and Sinapis alba to tolerate and accumulate copper (Cu) was first investigated in a hydroponic system without the interference of soil chemical–physical properties. After the amendment of Cu (5 or 10 mg Cu l⁻¹) to nutrient solution, shoot Cu concentration in F. rubra increased up to 108.63 mg Cu kg⁻¹DW, more than three times higher than in S. alba (31.56 mg Cu kg⁻¹DW). The relationship between Cu concentration in plants and external Cu was dose-dependent and species specific. Results obtained from the hydroponic experiment were confirmed by growing plants in pots containing soil collected from six Italian vineyards. The content of soil organic matter was crucial to enhance Cu tolerance and accumulation in the shoot tissues of both plant species. Although S. alba produced more biomass than F. rubra in most soils, F. rubra accumulated significantly more Cu (up to threefold to fourfold) in the shoots. Given these results, we recommended that F. rubra cv Merlin could be cultivated in the vineyard rows to reduce excess Cu in vineyard soils.

In order to determine the pollution sources in a suburban area and identify the main direction of their origin, PM₂.₅ was collected with samplers coupled with a wind select sensor and then subjected to Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis. In each sample, soluble ions, organic carbon, elemental carbon, levoglucosan, metals, and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined. PMF results identified six main sources affecting the area: natural gas home appliances, motor vehicles, regional transport, biomass combustion, manufacturing activities, and secondary aerosol. The connection of factor temporal trends with other parameters (i.e., temperature, PM₂.₅ concentration, and photochemical processes) confirms factor attributions. PMF analysis indicated that the main source of PM₂.₅ in the area is secondary aerosol. This should be mainly due to regional contributions, owing to both the secondary nature of the source itself and the higher concentration registered in inland air masses. The motor vehicle emission source contribution is also important. This source likely has a prevalent local origin. The most toxic determined components, i.e., PAHs, Cd, Pb, and Ni, are mainly due to vehicular traffic. Even if this is not the main source in the study area, it is the one of greatest concern. The application of PMF analysis to PM₂.₅ collected with this new sampling technique made it possible to obtain more detailed results on the sources affecting the area compared to a classical PMF analysis.

This paper reports on the effect of activating agents such as the impregnation ratio of phosphoric acid (1:1–1:5) at constant activation temperature on the performance of porous activated carbon from waste residues (maize tassel). The variation in the impregnation ratio of the produced activated carbon (AC) from 1:1 to 1:5 enabled the preparation of a high surface area (1,263 m²/g) and a large pore volume (1.592 cm³/g) of AC produced from maize tassel (MT) using a convectional chemical activating agent (phosphoric acid). Impregnation ratios (IR) of the precursors were varied between 1:1 and 1:5 in which it was found that the ratio of 1:4 was optimal based on the high surface area, while 1:5 has the optimal pore volume value for the produced activated carbon.

The culture of Trametes gibbosa sp. white-rot fungi (WRF) 3 under mesophilic conditions can lead to the degradation of azo dye compounds. This ability of T. gibbosa sp. WRF 3 is attributed to the released enzymes that are able to catalyze the structural degradation of the azo dye compound. The effect of environmental factors such as carbon sources, nitrogen sources, and pH of growth medium were investigated in this research. The addition of 20 g/L glucose (carbon source) and yeast extract (nitrogen source) at pH 5 of growth medium enhanced the decolorization of Reactive Black 5 (RB5) dye up to 87.07 % within 30 days of incubation. The decolorization of RB5 can be analyzed using UV–vis spectroscopy and differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry (DPCSV). The maximum absorbance of RB5 was at 597 nm and decreased after the dye was treated with T. gibbosa sp. WRF 3. In the voltammetric analysis, we examined the effect of pH of Britton–Robinson buffer (BRB) medium on the detection of bis-azo compound of RB5. A stock solution of RB5 was used in the study, and it showed two reduction peak potentials at −0.5 and −0.7 V which attributed to the bis-azo bond, whereas the metabolic product showed one reduction peak at −0.6 V. The GC-MS mass spectrum confirmed the formation of metabolites at tR4.63 min and m/z of 73 after 30 days of incubation which was sec-butylamine.

The study aimed to investigate the biodegradation of contaminated soil with biodiesel, diesel, and petroleum by autochthonous soil microorganisms and also enriched with Bacillus subtilis by means of colorimetric method. The phytotoxicity was evaluated in recently contaminated soil and after 240 days to ensure the decrease of toxicity. The biodegradation assessment was carried out with redox 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol (DCPIP) indicator and by the extraction of the contaminant in the soil with hexane. The amount of contaminant extracted from recently contaminated soil was compared to the amount found on the buried samples for 240 days. The phytotoxicity rates were evaluated by the use of Lactuca sativa seeds. Values of root and hypocotyl elongation were subjected to analysis of variance using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The results revealed that the autochthonous microorganisms were active on recently contaminated soil with biodiesel, because all biodiesel was biodegraded. Hence, only 0.001 g of biodiesel was extracted, and the phytotoxicity decreased after 240 days. On the other hand, the contaminated soil with diesel and petroleum was little active in 2,6-DCPIP test, and consequently, there was a large contaminant amount in soil after 240 days. Furthermore, petroleum and diesel were phytotoxic after biodegradation. The complex composition of the petroleum and diesel requires interactions of the microbial community able to biodegrade hydrocarbons and also metabolites from biodegradation. The naturally present microorganisms in the soil were capable of degrading the pollutant as much as the samples enriched with B. subtilis. The 2,6-DCPIP test is a simple and inexpensive methodology to analyze the potential biodegradation of all microorganisms of the soil and if the inoculation of the biodegrading microorganisms it will be necessary. Therefore, it would be helpful in bioremediation strategies.

In this study, we simulated heterotrophic CO₂(Rh) fluxes at six European peatland sites using the ECOSSE model and compared them to estimates of Rh made from eddy covariance (EC) measurements. The sites are spread over four countries with different climates, vegetation and management. Annual Rh from the different sites ranged from 110 to 540 g C m⁻². The maximum annual Rh occurred when the water table (WT) level was between −10 and −25 cm and the air temperature was above 6.2 °C. The model successfully simulated seasonal trends for the majority of the sites. Regression relationships (r²) between the EC-derived and simulated Rh ranged from 0.28 to 0.76, and the root mean square error and relative error were small, revealing an acceptable fit. The overall relative deviation value between annual EC-derived and simulated Rh was small (−1 %) and model efficiency ranges across sites from −0.25 to +0.41. Sensitivity analysis highlighted that increasing temperature, decreasing precipitation and lowering WT depth could significantly increase Rh from soils. Thus, management which lowers the WT could significantly increase anthropogenic CO₂, so from a carbon emissions perspective, it should be avoided. The results presented here demonstrate a robust basis for further application of the ECOSSE model to assess the impacts of future land management interventions on peatland carbon emissions and to help guide best practice land management decisions.

Graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were used as adsorbent material for the removal of clofibric acid (CA) which was difficult to be removed from wastewater by traditional wastewater treatment technique. Adsorption kinetics, adsorption equilibrium, and effect of pH, ionic strength, and humic acid (HA) of the adsorption of CA onto the GO nanosheets in aqueous solution were investigated in detail. Adsorption isotherm studies indicated that the Langmuir isotherm equation fitted the sorption isotherm data better than Freundlich model and the maximum adsorption capacity of GO nanosheets for CA was 994 mg g⁻¹. In addition, adsorption kinetics data showed that the sorption of CA on GO nanosheets reached equilibration within a few minutes and were well fitted by pseudo second-order model. The results of the effects of environment factors indicated that CA sorption on GO nanosheets was weakly affected by ionic strength and strongly depended on pH and HA because of the structure of CA and the large number of oxygen-containing function groups presented on the surface of GO nanosheets. Besides, the removal efficiency of GO nanosheets for CA was reduced at pH >4 and enhanced at pH <4 in the presence of HA.