Challenges for better treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater (SWW) stem from too strong organic pollutants as well as the potential existence of various pathogen but conventional biological treatment still has shown its limitation. Using cold plasma, this study investigates the physicochemical deactivation of pathogens while treating organic and inorganic pollutants of slaughterhouse wastewater (SWW). Experiments were conducted by decreasing the hydraulic retention time from 0.16 to 1 L/day to derive the best operating condition based on the performance in the cold plasma oxidation. While operating the continuous plasma process, this study identifies the main mechanisms for nitrogen, phosphorus, and iron removal. The results show that chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) recorded the removal efficiencies of 78~93, 51~92, and 35~83%, respectively. A slight increase in pH via cold plasma influence total iron (T-Fe) removal up to 93%. Cell counting confirms that bacteria could be removed as much as 98% or more in all the operating conditions tested. Toxicity unit dramatically decreased to less than 1 (~ 96% removal). These results suggest that the cold plasma treatment of SWW might be a viable option to manage organic pollutants, pathogen, and toxicity simultaneously.

Pulp and paper industries face serious environmental challenges, especially with regard to the conservation of water resources. Chemical thermal mechanical pulping (CTMP) is a process of pulping that combines chemical and mechanical pulping. This reduces the volume of water used in the process. But on the other hand, CTMP generates an effluent with high concentration of organic matter and is difficult to treat. This study evaluated the efficiency in the combination of physicochemical pretreatment by coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation (CFS) process and advanced oxidation process (AOP) by Fenton in sequence to treat CTMP effluent of a Brazilian industry. At first, the best treatment conditions for this type of effluent were determined. To evaluate the efficiency, pH, chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, total organic carbon, lignin contents, color, total phenolic contents, turbidity, and solids were measured before and after treatment. The acute toxicity on Daphnia magna was also determined. The treatment with CFS showed better results in the removal of solids and Fenton in the removal of recalcitrant compounds, such as lignin, demonstrating the need to use them in sequence. Combining CFS and Fenton to treat CTMP effluent allowed to achieve a removal efficiency of 95% for TOC, 61% for COD, and 76% for lignin contents.

In the present work, the effectiveness of physic seed hull, PSH (Jatropha curcas L.), as an alternative low-cost adsorbent for the removal of malachite green (MG) dye from simulated wastewater has been studied. It has been observed that PSH has remarkable adsorption capacity compared to granular activated carbon. The PSH adsorbent was characterized by SEM-EDX, BET, CHNS, zeta potential, and FTIR techniques. The adsorption behaviors such as adsorption kinetics, adsorption dynamics, and adsorption isotherms of PSH for the removal of MG dye from aqueous solution were studied in detail. The kinetic data fitted well with the pseudo second-order kinetic model for MG adsorption. Langmuir isotherm was found to be the model best fitted to describe the adsorption process.

HSP70 are the most studied proteins and among all HSPs are highlighted due to their high sensitivity and abundance, as well as being ubiquitously expressed and associated with all subcellular compartments. For this reason, this work specifically approaches HSP70, since its multiple responsibilities actively participate in the homeostasis of all living organisms and its rapid response to any agent stressor is efficient in assessing environmental pollution/contamination processes. HSP70, heat shock proteins thus classified according to their molecular weight of 70 kDa, are proteins that have maintained their structures conserved from the most primitive to the most complex organisms. They belong to the chaperone family, which comprises proteins with different structures that share a common function. In general, they participate in the process of correct folding of proteins; however, it has been described that they also participate in numerous complex processes of metabolism; its synthesis can usually be increased or decreased under stressful conditions. The classical activation of this protein is due to the increase in environmental temperature, but several factors can trigger the gene expression process of this protein, not only as the increase or decrease of heat or cold, but also the exposure to substances of a chemical nature, physical or biological (metals, metabolism inhibitors, chemotherapeutic agents, inflammatory and infectious processes, processes leading to cell death, the cycle of cell division itself and growth factors, cellular mechanisms considered normal). Given the broad repercussion of these proteins in metabolic processes and in organism physiology, numerous studies have evaluated the HSP70 production under adverse conditions, highlighting their connection to pollution and environmental contamination. Hence, this work aimed to literature review the vast array of HSP70 metabolic functions and its possible applications as biomarkers in the evaluation of contaminated environments by compiling the different physiological responses observed in various animal groups exposed to different conditions.

In this study, a soil microcosm experiment was carried out to investigate interactive effects of cadmium (Cd) and benzopyrene (B[a]P) in co-contaminated soil. Results demonstrate that a high level of Cd had an apparent inhibitory effect on the degradation and mineralization of B[a]P, and the concentration of desorbing B[a]P decreased with time. The desorbing fraction of B[a]P contributed more to the degradation of total B[a]P than the non-desorbing fraction did. No transformation of available fractions of B[a]P to bound-residue fraction was observed. The dissipation of available BaP in the soil was attributed predominantly to biodegradation. Cd speciation was not apparently altered by pyrene spiking. The addition of pyrene (250 mg/kg) improved B[a]P degradation.

Insecticide resistance is a major challenge in successful insect pest control as the insects have the ability to develop resistance to various widely used insecticides. Butene-fipronil is a novel compound with high toxicity to insects and less toxicity to the non-target organisms. In the present study, the effect of butene-fipronil alone and in combination with three enzyme inhibitors, piperonyl butoxide (PBO), diethyl maleate (DEM), and triphenyl phosphate (TPP), was carried out on larvae and adults of Drosophilia melanogaster. Our results indicated that the co-toxicity indices of butene-fipronil + PBO, butene-fipronil + TPP, and butene-fipronil + DEM mixtures were 437.3, 335.0, and 210.3, respectively, in the second-instar larvae, while 186.6, 256.2, and 238.5, respectively, in the adults, indicating synergistic effects. Interestingly, butene-fipronil increased the expression of CYP28A5 in the larvae; CYP9F2, CYP304A1, CYP28A5, and CYP318A1 in the female adults; and CYP303A1 and CYP28A5 in the male adults. Furthermore, high-level expression of Est-7 was observed in the female adults compared to larvae and male adults. Our results suggest that there is no difference in butene-fipronil metabolism in larvae and male and female adults of D. melanogaster.

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is a major oilseed crop grown for its edible oil across the globe including Pakistan. In Pakistan, the production of edible oil is less than the required quantity; the situation is being worsened with the increasing population. Thus, there is dire need to grow those sunflower genotypes which perform better under a given set of agronomic practices. In this 2-year study, we compared four sunflower genotypes, viz., Armoni, Kundi, Sinji, and S-278 for their yield potential, oil contents, fatty acid composition, and profitability under three sowing methods, viz., bed sowing, line sowing, and ridge sowing and two tillage system, viz., plow till and minimum till. Among the sunflower genotypes, the genotype Armoni produced the highest plant height, number of leaves, head diameter, 1000-achene weight, and achene yield; the oil contents and oleic acid were the highest in genotype Sinji. Among the sowing methods, the highest number of leaves per plant, head diameter, number of achenes per head, achene yield, and oil contents were recorded in ridge sowing. Among the tillage systems, the highest head diameter 16. 2 cm, 1000-achene weight (57.2 g), achene yield (1.8 t ha⁻¹), oil contents (35.2%), and oleic acid (15.2%) were recorded in minimum till sunflower. The highest net benefits and benefit to cost ratio were recorded in minimum till ridge sown Armoni genotype. In conclusion, the genotype Armoni should be grown on ridges to achieve the highest achene yield, oil contents, and net profitability.

In this study, we constructed aquatic microcosms, including four experimental groups, to simulate eutrophic lakes. Using polyurethane sponges as artificial substrates to support periphyton, we conducted a systematic study of the effect of periphyton on the water quality of eutrophic lakes by monitoring water-quality indexes including TN, TP, and NTU. The results show that periphyton can effectively degrade N and P in these bodies of water, reduce NTU and the concentration of Chl-a, and restore the aquatic environment. Periphyton can also promote the formation of the DO-Chl-a-NTU-TN-TP synergistic system, which can provide a basis for the comprehensive management of eutrophic lakes. Periphyton can also effectively improve the water quality of eutrophic lakes, and its positive impact on lake ecosystems cannot be ignored during the treatment of eutrophic lakes.

TiO₂-SiO₂ nanotubes, with high specific surface area, were prepared by hydrothermal methods using tetraethyl orthosilicate and tetrabutyl titanate as precursors. These nanotubes were used as carriers to prepare a V₂O₅-WO₃/TiO₂-SiO₂ catalyst by an impregnation method. The deNO ₓ activity of catalysts used for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) was examined as a function of the silica-to-titania molar ratio, vanadium loading, and calcination temperature. The catalyst performance was also tested in the presence of sulfur and water. The experimental results showed that the nanotube catalyst loaded with 3 wt% vanadium and a SiO₂/TiO₂ molar ratio of 2:8 exhibited the best activity after calcination at 650 °C. The NO conversion efficiency reached 100% at a gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 100,000 h⁻¹ over the reaction temperature range of 300–500 °C. Characterization by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller measurements, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, temperature-programmed reduction, and temperature-programmed desorption demonstrated that formation of the nanotube structure significantly increased the specific surface area of the catalyst and that the active components exhibited high degree of dispersion on the carrier. Moreover, SiO₂ doping enhanced the number of acidic sites on the catalyst surface while inhibiting anatase-to-rutile phase transformation, resulting in a wider temperature window for catalytic activity and higher NO ₓ conversion efficiency.

The water quality of headwater streams is a worldwide concern because of their critical roles in supplying clean water for drinking and other consumptive uses. Here, we evaluate temporal trends and spatial dynamics of the permanganate index (COD), ammonia-nitrogen (AN), and total phosphorus (TP) for 31 sites in headwater watersheds of the Huai River Basin, China. The seasonal Mann-Kendall test and correlation and variance analyses were applied to long-term time series (2003–2010) of water quality data in order to investigate the patterns of water quality trends, as well as their linkages with the watershed landscape. The results indicated that (1) more than 1/3 of headwater monitoring sites have exhibited either significantly increasing or decreasing trends in COD, AN and TP, while only TP increased for most them; (2) obvious increasing concentration gradients were observed for all water quality parameters along the upstream to the downstream continuum. Such spatial patterns can be highly explained by land cover and landscape configuration metrics. The percent of urban land and urban-related landscape metrics (such as the Landscape Division Index) were the primary explanatory variables for AN, while the aggregation metrics of cropland and urban land cover were the main predictors of COD and TP; (3) historical dynamics of COD, AN, and TP were influenced by land cover transitions. The trends of COD and TP may be attributable to the change in the wetland landscape, while the trends of AN were likely related to changes in forestland area as well as environmental management. Overall, our study determined the spatial and temporal dynamics of water quality parameters in the headwater watersheds and interpreted the possible reasons behind their spatio-temporal dynamics, which can have important implications for sustainable landscape planning as well as headwater watershed management.