Insulation materials are essential components in construction, and their main objective is to increase the efficiency of thermal energy by minimizing internal and external thermal exchange. Accordingly, research and development studies are being actively conducted to increase the thermal resistance of insulation materials, and high-performance insulation materials that use organic chemicals have been developed after industrialization. However, thermal insulation comprising chemicals poses a potential risk of pollutant emissions and can cause health problems. In this study, five types of insulation materials and the contaminants generated from the building materials used in insulation construction were quantitatively analyzed. In addition, an empirical study on the discharge of pollutants was conducted using a test bed, and the effects of the pollutants discharged from the insulation material on the indoor environment were examined by analyzing the pollutant concentration for 90 days. In addition, we analyzed the effect of an insulation material on an indoor environment through the standard specifications. Moreover, the necessity of legal management of the emission of contaminants from insulation materials was proposed based on the empirical research results.

Incineration has overtaken landfilling as the most important option for disposal of the increasing volumes of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in China. Accordingly, disposal of the incineration fly ash, which is enriched with a range of heavy metals, has become a key challenge for the industry. This review analyzes the temporal and spatial trends in the distributions of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Hg in MSW incineration fly ash between 2003 and 2017, and estimates the inventories of heavy metals associated with the fly ash and the average levels of heavy metals in Chinese MSW based on their mass flow during MSW incineration. It was estimated that MSW incinerators in China released approximately 1.12 × 10², 2.96 × 10³, 1.82 × 10², 3.64 × 10⁴, 1.00 × 10², 7.32 × 10³, 2.42 × 10², and 1.47 × 10¹ tonnes of Cd, Pb, Cr, Zn, Ni, Cu, As, and Hg, respectively, with the fly ash in 2016. Due to the much greater fly ash generation rate, the incinerators based on circulating fluidized bed combustor (CFBC) technology released more heavy metals during incineration of MSW compared to those based on grate furnace combustor (GFC) technology. Results of mass-flow modeling indicate that the geometric mean contents of Cd, Pb, Cr, Zn, Ni, Cu, As, and Hg in Chinese MSW were 3.0, 109, 101, 877, 34, 241, 21, and 1.7 mg/kg, respectively, which are comparable to those in the MSW from other countries. To protect the environment from the significant potential ecological risk posed by heavy metals in the mismanaged fly ash, strict regulation enforcement and compliance monitoring are necessary to reduce the heavy metal pollution brought by improper disposal of MSW incineration fly ash, and more research and development efforts on advanced technologies for stabilization of heavy metals in fly ash and its environmentally sound reuse can help mitigate its environmental risk.

With China’s rapid economic growth, chemical-related environmental issues have become increasingly prominent, and the environmental management of chemicals has garnered increased attention from the government. This review focuses on the current situation and the application of risk assessment in China’s environmental management of industrial chemicals. The related challenges and research needs of the country are also discussed. The Chinese government promulgated regulations for the import and export of toxic chemicals in 1994. Regulations for new chemical substances came into force in 2003, and were revised in 2010 based on the concept of risk management. In order to support the implementation of new regulations, Guidance for Risk Assessment of Chemicals is under development in an attempt to provide the concepts and techniques of risk assessment. With increasing concern and financial support from Chinese government, China is embarking on the fast track of research and development in environmental management of industrial chemicals.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Pollution is now being varied with huge contaminants in wastewater especially with kind of recalcitrants that are emerging pollutants needed new advanced resolutions to mineralize them completely. Thus, the investigation of technology and technique processes is very important for research and development. Moreover, these manual, research, and application of the advanced oxidation processes especially using ozone for water and wastewater are concentrated and appreciated in over the world. Recently, nanoparticles have researched into subjects to enhance new, advanced technology for many domains such as environment, biology, agriculture, and medicine. Hence, the purpose of this review is to summarize the important role of nano-particulars as nano-catalysts in ozone-based advanced oxidation processes for wastewater treatment and evaluate how to contribute into ozone-based advance oxidation processes by nano-catalysts for wastewater treatment. RECENT FINDINGS: The advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for wastewater treatment nowadays are being appreciated in the twenty-first century when economy development day by day is concentrated extremely in industry, agriculture, and pharmacy leading to various pollutants in the environment. According to these developments, amount of various contaminants is discharged in wastewater; thus, investigation of advance technology based on nano-catalysts combining the ozonation will meet the demands for wastewater treatment. This review found potentials and prospects of nano-catalysts applied in the catalytic ozonation process for wastewater treatment. Efficiency of some well-known nano-catalysts with analytical properties for catalytic ozonation is also evaluated. Mechanisms of this process are identified to easily approach the catalytic ozonation using nano-materials for wastewater treatment in the future.

A field operable surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor system was applied for the first time under real conditions for the detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as markers for petroleum hydrocarbons in the Gulf of Gdańsk (Baltic Sea). At six stations, seawater samples were taken, and the sensor system was applied in situ simultaneously. These measurements were compared to the results of conventional GC/MS laboratory analysis of the PAH concentrations in the seawater samples. For a PAH concentration above 150ng(12PAH)l⁻¹, there was agreement between the SERS sensor and the GC/MS determinations. A standard addition experiment yielded a PAH concentration of 900ngl⁻¹ at the Gdańsk Harbor, which was of the same order as the GC/MS determinations of 12PAHs (200ng(12PAH)l⁻¹). The high SERS detection limit for seawater samples is explained by the competition for PAHs between the sensor membrane and particulate matter surfaces. Thus, the SERS sensor can be applied, e.g., as a non-quantitative alarm sensor for relatively high PAH concentrations in heavily polluted waters. The spectral unmixing procedure applied for Gdańsk Harbor water confirmed the presence of phenanthrene at the highest concentration ([Phe]=140ngl⁻¹) and of Chr (2.7ngl⁻¹), but it did not detect the other PAHs present in the Gdańsk Harbor water, as determined by GC/MS. When compared to the past literature and databases, the SERS spectra indicated the presence of a mixture of molecules consisting of carotenoids, n-alkanes, amines or fatty acids, and benzimidazoles at the coastal station ZN2. The spectra in the offshore direction indicated carboxylic acids. Interpretation of the farthest offshore in situ SERS measurements is difficult, principally due to the limited availability of reference spectra. The detection of the lower PAH concentrations commonly found in Baltic coastal water needs further research and development to obtain better sensitivity of the SERS sensor. However, the high analytical specificity of the SERS sensor also allows the detection of other chemical species that require the development of a SERS/Raman library for specific in situ spectral interpretation.

Fielding a well-trained, combat-ready military, and observing Canada's responsibility as environmental stewards are at times conflicting priorities for the Department of National Defence (DND). As new low frequency sources are introduced into service, DND must review and update policies and procedures regarding the use of active sonar to minimize its impacts on marine mammals with an evidence-based approach. Risk is mitigated primarily through avoidance, which requires an understanding of marine mammal distribution in order to avoid the most sensitive species and their habitats. In parallel, a research and development program evaluates and develops technological solutions to minimize the risk of harm. By first embracing an empirical framework to assess acute and chronic impacts, DND has been able to partner with other government departments and researchers to develop technology targeted towards the residual risks to marine mammals posed by sonar operations.

Historical trends about marine ship-source oil spill incidents from 1990 to 2010 in China were analyzed, and it provided an overview of the status quo of China’s management in response to marine oil spill from ships. The Chinese government has issued a series of laws on marine environmental protection since 1982, and promulgated many regulations to prevent and tackle ship-source oil spill. At present, the oil spill emergency response system established in China has five levels: the national level, sea level, provincial level, port level, and ship level. China has demonstrated its ability to control and remove small-scale oil spill from ships in port area and near-shore coastal waters, and also paid attention to related research and development projects. Although China has made significant progress in managing shipping oil spill, challenges still exist, including strengthening oil spill emergency cooperation, enhancing China’s response capability, and improving relevant research and development projects.

Biofouling increases drag on marine vessels resulting in higher fuel consumption and can also facilitate the transport of harmful non-indigenous species (NIS). Antifouling technologies incorporating biocides (e.g., copper and tributyltin) have been developed to prevent settlement of organisms on vessels, but their widespread use has introduced high levels of contamination into the environment and raised concerns about their toxic effects on marine communities. The recent global ban on tributyltin (1 January 2008) and increasing regulation of copper have prompted research and development of non-toxic paints. This review synthesises existing information regarding the ecological impact of biocides in a wide range of organisms and highlights directions for the management of antifouling paints. We focus particularly on representatives of the recent past (copper and tributyltin) and present (copper and ‘booster’) biocides. We identify knowledge gaps in antifouling research and provide recommendations relating to the regulation and phasing-out of copper.

Agriculture production efficiency and carbon emissions have become the challenge for the sustainable world. Therefore, this study explores the relationships between agriculture production and carbon emissions in major (seventeen) agriculture-producing countries over the time period of 1996–2018. Data envelopment analysis is applied to estimate the efficiency of agriculture sector production. The results suggested that the USA, Russia, Korea, Japan, and Italy were efficient agriculture production. Among BRICS countries, China (0.183), India (0.378), and Brazil (0.382) are far off to Russia in Agriculture production efficiency. Growth of research and development investment by 1% increases agriculture production efficiency by 0.0773 (full panel), 0.119 (developing), and 0.0245(developed), respectively. Carbon emissions are also significantly decreased by research and development investment. However, the effectiveness of the government on carbon emissions can be both positive and negative in developed and developing countries’ cases. Nevertheless, both developed and developing governments are concerned about increasing agriculture production efficiency. The shape validity of the environmental Kuznets curve is also varied between the developed and developing groups. From the policy perspective, it is suggested that the government should reform its policies to avoid carbon activities and enhance the agricultural sector on a priority basis to increase the efficiency of current raw resources, generate jobs, and reap a variety of other advantages.

The growth in global production and consumption rates has resulted in increased pollution generation by industrial companies. To this end, cleaner production is one of the most widely used strategies to reduce the environmental impacts of industry and gain competitive advantage. However, it is still adopted slowly in many places. Therefore, the objective of this study is to propose a framework composed of governmental, scientific, and industrial strategies, policies, initiatives, and research opportunities for the development of cleaner production. The best practices of the top countries in the cleaner production technical-scientific scenario and the main implementation challenges and opportunities for its scientific development were identified and were the reference for the framework proposals. In the government sector, the framework suggests actions to encourage the adoption of cleaner production practices through national policies, legislation, tax incentives, and educational campaigns. In the scientific sector, it suggested the development of studies about the factors that motivate its adoption, studies about clean technologies, and studies about the cleaner production implementation difficulties. In the industrial sector, it highlighted the importance of the engagement of upper management to focus on efforts to increase the efficiency of manufacturing processes with the adoption of clean technologies, management systems, strengthening of the research and development areas, and replacement of hazardous raw materials. Thus, this study contributes with initiatives that will help the implementation of cleaner production practices, reducing the generation of pollution in industry, increasing the efficiency of its processes, and aligning countries and societies to sustainable development.