The environmental radiation pollution resulting from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 is one of the main factors limiting agriculture in the eastern regions of Belarus. In the first decade after the accident, the need to mitigate the effects of radiation had a key role in the implementation of countermeasures. As a result, there are widespread areas of high soil fertility potential in the contaminated zone. Today there is a possibility to include new crops (e.g. sugar beet [Beta vulgaris L.]) into regular crop rotation to increase the effectiveness of agriculture and to use the accumulated soil fertility potential. The article discusses a possible agronomic approach to estimating specific fields (working plots) at the scale of agricultural enterprises for placement of sugar beet. The territory of the Mahilyow region of the Republic of Belarus was examined from the perspective of soil suitability to the cultivation of sugar beet. Along with estimating radionuclide accumulation by sugar beet roots, the areas of soils suitable for sugar beet within agricultural enterprises were calculated for selected districts. It was revealed that sugar beet has low ability to absorb radiocaesium and radiostrontium from soils. The contamination density does not restrict the possibility for placement of sugar beet. Instead, soil fertility, specifically content of plant-available phosphorus and boron, was the limiting factor in that. Based on data from field experiments and soil fertility data, a number of enterprises were selected where sugar beet could be included into crop rotations to high economic effect.

Industrial wastewater is one of the three industrial wastes. If substandard industrial wastewater is discharged into the environment, there will be a serious impact on the environmental quality. Excessive emissions also indicate that water resources utilization is unreasonable. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the changing trends and influencing factors of industrial wastewater discharge in order to effectively conserve resources and improve the environmental quality. In this study, the spatial autocorrelation and the environmental Kuznets curve were used to study the spatial-temporal changes and characteristics of industrial wastewater discharge at the provincial scale and prefectural scale in China in 2004–2015. Then, the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index was used to analyze the influencing factors of wastewater discharge in this period. China’s total industrial wastewater discharge showed a trend of increasing at the beginning and then decreasing, and more than half provinces or cities show this trend of decoupling from economic development. Moreover, wastewater discharge was higher in the east region and lower in the west region at both the provincial scale and prefectural scale, but the aggregation degree on the prefectural scale is more obvious than that on the provincial scale. The technical effect has a general inhibitory effect on industrial wastewater discharge, but it also promoted the discharge in a few cities; the structure effect on industrial wastewater discharge has generally changed from promotion to inhibition during the study period; and economic effect and population effect were mainly to promote industrial wastewater discharge. Therefore, a few cities should accelerate technology upgrading and industrial restructuring in recent years in order to change the promoting effect, and most cities need to strengthen the implementation of economic measures and improve the residents’ environmental awareness.

Methamphetamine has become one of the most widely used illicit drugs in China. To understand the current situation in China, the prevalence and consumption of methamphetamine were estimated through wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) in the present study. Methamphetamine concentrations ranged from 42.6 ng/L (Harbin) to 700 ng/L (Xi’an) in influent wastewater samples collected from 27 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in 22 Chinese cities. The estimated consumption of methamphetamine was 23.0 (Dingxi) to 376 (Xi’an) mg/day/1000 inhabitants with a mean value of 157 mg/day/1000 inhabitants. The annual consumption in 2018 was estimated to be 84 tons (95% confidence interval, 44–136), which was 26% lower than that in 2014. The prevalence of methamphetamine use was 0.64% (95% confidence interval, 0.18–1.25), indicating that more than five million people used methamphetamine in 2018. Although drug abuse is common in the country, the consumption showed a different spatial pattern, with the highest values in Central China and the lowest use in Northeast China, so drug use is still considered a geographic and culture-dependent behaviour. The results indicated that WBE can not only be used to assess the trends of illicit drug use, but also to analyse the spatial differences in the whole country, which will provide complementary evidence for the prevention and control of methamphetamine use.

Sandy dust storms in Iraq represented a serious problem for human health, not only in Iraq but also extended to be in other countries. Therefore, this study has assessed five heavy metals (Cd, Ni, Zn, Pb, and Fe) in the sandy dust storms from ten locations in the middle and south of Iraq. Contamination levels in the dust were evaluated by using various pollution indices. Heavy metals recorded a high pollution load index (PLI) that considered as baseline pollution in the dust. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo) values were moderately contaminated for Cd, and Pb, in case of potential ecology risk ([Formula: see text]), was a considerable risk for Cd. Based on multivariate analysis which is performed by principal component analysis (PCA), correlation analysis (r²) and cluster analysis (CA) revealed that heavy metals in sandy dust storms were possible from anthropogenic activities. The Cd, Ni, Zn, and Fe were from the same pollution sources, while Pb element was from the different pollution sources. Therefore, this data will be useful as sources to the Quality Control Department in Iraq to establish perfect qualitative standards and also to acquire a better quality of the atmosphere in Iraq and the region.

Cyanobacterial blooms pose a risk to wild and domestic animals as well as humans due to the toxins they may produce. Humans may be subjected to cyanobacterial toxins through many routes, e.g., by consuming contaminated drinking water, fish, and crop plants or through recreational activities. In earlier studies, cyanobacterial cells have been shown to accumulate on leafy plants after spray irrigation with cyanobacteria-containing water, and microcystin (MC) has been detected in the plant root system after irrigation with MC-containing water. This paper reports a series of experiments where lysis of cyanobacteria in abstracted lake water was induced by the use of hydrogen peroxide and the fate of released MCs was followed. The hydrogen peroxide–treated water was then used for spray irrigation of cultivated spinach and possible toxin accumulation in the plants was monitored. The water abstracted from Lake Köyliönjärvi, SW Finland, contained fairly low concentrations of intracellular MC prior to the hydrogen peroxide treatment (0.04 μg L⁻¹ in July to 2.4 μg L⁻¹ in September 2014). Hydrogen peroxide at sufficient doses was able to lyse cyanobacteria efficiently but released MCs were still present even after the application of the highest hydrogen peroxide dose of 20 mg L⁻¹. No traces of MC were detected in the spinach leaves. The viability of moving phytoplankton and zooplankton was also monitored after the application of hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide at 10 mg L⁻¹ or higher had a detrimental effect on the moving phytoplankton and zooplankton.

Artificial top-to-bottom water transmitting channels made of threads of wool blend (WT), cotton (CT), flax (FT), and polyethylene (PET) were used to enhance the dewater efficiency for river sediment. In addition, the disordered channels composed of 3-mm-long WT segments mixed randomly into the river sediment were also employed. The most effective dewatering channels were found to be top-to-bottom WT channels with water absorption capacity of 8.7 ± 0.5 g · g⁻¹ and volume compressibility of 2.94 ± 0.11. On the application of 0.1 MPa pressure to the mud surface, with initial water content of 60.0 ± 0.2 wt%, the water content obtained with channel material weight 0.411 wt% dry solids and channel to a mud cake height ratio of 0.95 upon 90-min dewatering was 39.6 ± 0.7 wt% with enhanced dewaterability, compared to that without channel addition, of 74.9 ± 0.9 kg · kg⁻¹ · h⁻¹. Using the same parameters, enhanced dewaterability was only 69.1 ± 0.3, 55.2 ± 2.8, and 9.1 ± 0.9 kg · kg⁻¹ · h⁻¹ for CT, FT, and PET channels, respectively. Moreover, the final water content of the mud cake dewatered in the presence of disordered WT channels at dosage 1.10 wt% was 49.8 ± 0.7 wt% with enhanced dewaterability of 5.9 ± 0.5 kg · kg⁻¹ · h⁻¹ only. These demonstrate that the compressibility of the water transmitting material is the main factor affecting dewatering efficiency with the water absorption capacity also being important.

Climate change is considered the major environmental challenge for the world. Cement and lime production is a highly energy-consuming, heavily polluting process, and the CO₂ emissions are very substantial. Alkaline environment, high temperature, and long processing time lead the researchers to work on alternative soil improvements. Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) has been introduced as a technique for modification of geotechnical properties of sand. The main purpose of the present study was to focus on the efficiency and environmental impact of conventional and microbial grouting. Samples were treated with three chemical stabilizers, namely Portland cement, lime, and cement and lime. The stabilizers were injected with flow gravity and constant head which are almost the same as microbial grouting. Then, the results of conventional grouting were compared with the results of biocement samples which were gathered from previous studies to discuss the efficiency and environmental impacts. The results for treated samples were discussed and compared based on 1 m³ of soil and a final target of 700 kPa. It was found that in order to obtain the same compressive strength, the cost and calcium carbonate consumption of the cement injection method were 2.5 times more than those of the microbial method. Biocementation has some advantages over existing technologies, such as less calcium usage in the same unconfined compressive strength (UCS).

Many areas throughout the world, mainly arid and semi-arid regions, are simultaneously affected by salinity stress and heavy metal (HM) pollution. Phytoremediation of such environments needs suitable plants surviving under those combined stresses. In the present study, native species naturally growing under an extreme condition, around Qaleh-Zari copper mine located in the eastern part of Iran, with HM-contaminated saline–sodic soil, were identified to find suitable plant species for phytoremediation. For this purpose, the accumulation of HMs (Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) in the root and shoot (stem and leaf) of the plants and their surrounding soils was determined to find their main phytoremediation strategies: phytoextraction or phytostabilization. Seven native species surviving in such extreme condition were found, including Launaea arborescens (Batt.) Murb, Artemisia santolina Schrenk, Pulicaria gnaphalodes (Vent.) Boiss, Zygophyllum eurypterum Boiss. & Buhse, Peganum harmala L., Pteropyrum olivieri Jaub. & Spach, and Aerva javanica (Burm. f.) Juss. ex Schult. Evaluation of phytoremediation potential of the identified species based on the calculated HM bioconcentration in roots, HM translocation from roots to shoots, and HM accumulation in the shoots revealed that all of the species were metal phytostabilizers rather than hyperaccumulators. Therefore, these native species can be used for phytostabilization in the HM-contaminated saline soils to prevent HMs entering the uncontaminated areas and groundwater. Compared with the biennial low-biomass hyperaccumulators, some native species such as Z. eurypterum and A. javanica may have more economic value for phytoremediation because of a significant accumulation of HMs in their relatively higher biomass.

The Gippsland Lakes estuary, a Ramsar listed wetland, in Victoria, Australia, is an area of potential concern for metal pollution due to influxes of human population and associated anthropogenic activities. A biomonitoring exercise was undertaken where the concentrations of 9 metals (Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Ag, Cd and Hg) were analysed in the soft tissue of two common sessile invertebrates: the mussel Mytilus edulis and the barnacle Amphibalanus variegatus from 6 locations on two different occasions throughout the Gippsland Lakes estuary. A salinity gradient exists in the Lakes, from seawater at Lakes Entrance in the east, decreasing down to < 10 PSU in the west at Lake Wellington during times of rainfall, which is a major factor governing the growth and distribution of both species. Dissolved metal levels in general were low; however, Cu at most sites exceeded the 90% trigger values, while all Zn concentrations exceeded the lowest 80% trigger values of the ANZECC marine water quality guidelines for environmental health. Elevated levels of Cu and Zn were found particularly in barnacles at some sites with environmental contamination due to leaching from anti fouling paints and sacrificial zinc anodes. Elevated levels of Ag and Cd were found in mussels at the Hollands Landing site, which is immediately adjacent to a boat ramp, and Cd and Ag at this site are suspected to originate from inland anthropogenic sources. Concentrations of As in M. edulis across all 6 sites in both sampling periods had mean wet weight As concentrations exceeding the maximum level stated in the FSANZ guidelines. A. variegatus contained elevated levels of Hg especially at the North Arm site with a maximum of 13.6 μg Hg/g dry wt., while A. variegatus also showed temporal changes in Hg concentrations across sites. The maximum Hg concentration found in Mytilus edulis was 1.49 μg Hg/g dry wt. at the Hollands Landing site. Previous contaminant studies of biota in the Lakes have targeted sampling of singular predatory or migratory species, such as Black Bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri) and the Burrunan dolphin (Tursiops australis). This is the first biomonitoring study conducted on sessile organisms to assess metal contamination in the system.

With the significant economic shift, water pollution treatment has gradually become a key problem which needs to be deeply investigated for the sustainable development of China. In the face of specific water pollution incidents, multiple alternatives are often required to work together in order to achieve better results. However, due to the limitation of resources, alternatives must be ranked to realize the effective allocation of resources, which means the more highly ranked ones should possess more disposable resources. Furthermore, the water pollution treatment process is a multi-stage and multi-objective process. In each stage, decision-makers may have different emphasis and thus have different preferences for the treatment alternatives. How to effectively aggregate decision-makers’ preferences in different stages into an overall preference so as to form a ranking of treatment alternatives under global constraints has turned into a problem worthy of discussion. Under such background, this paper proposes a multi-stage gray group decision-making method, where decision-makers use Group-G1 to rank and weight the criteria, and in this way, the weights of decision-makers and criteria in each stage could be determined. Considering the difference and deficiency of the cognitive level of decision-makers, this paper adopts the form of hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets (HFITS) to express the evaluation information of decision-makers. And then, gray incidence analysis is selected to rank the alternatives. After ranking the alternatives in each stage, the multi-stage rankings will be aggregated into an overall ranking and the resource allocation is made according to the priorities of the alternatives. Finally, an example of water pollution treatment alternatives ranking based on a cyanobacterial bloom in Taihu Lake, China, is given to illustrate the proposed approach.