In this study, we analyzed fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) leaf traits as a measure of developmental instability in polluted and unpolluted habitats. We aimed to evaluate the potential of this method as a biomarker and its applicability on widely distributed species under in situ conditions. Leaf samples were taken from seven sites—three categorized as unpolluted (natural protected and rural) and four categorized as polluted covering the broad spectrum of intense pollution (industrial and traffic), from 1,489 individual trees in total. Results revealed significant differences in FA with expected higher values in polluted environments. Applicability of FA of R. pseudoaccacia leaf traits as a biomarker for testing potential pollution level, as well as the amount and distribution of sampling effort needed for its application, are discussed.

Petroleum ether was used to extract petroleum hydrocarbons from soils collected from six oil fields with different history of exploratory and contamination. It was capable of fast removing 76–94 % of the total petroleum hydrocarbons including 25 alkanes (C₁₁–C₃₅) and 16 US EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from soils at room temperature. The partial least squares analysis indicated that the solvent extraction efficiencies were positively correlated with soil organic matter, cation exchange capacity, moisture, pH, and sand content of soils, while negative effects were observed in the properties reflecting the molecular size (e.g., molecular weight and number of carbon atoms) and hydrophobicity (e.g., water solubility, octanol–water partition coefficient, soil organic carbon partition coefficient) of hydrocarbons. The high concentration of weathered crude oil at the order of 10⁵ mg kg⁻¹in this study was demonstrated adverse for solvent extraction by providing an obvious nonaqueous phase liquid phase for hydrocarbon sinking and increasing the sequestration of soluble hydrocarbons in the insoluble oil fractions during weathering. A full picture of the mass distribution and transport mechanism of petroleum contaminants in soils will ultimately require a variety of studies to gain insights into the dynamic interactions between environmental indicator hydrocarbons and their host oil matrix.

A Visual Basic simulation software (WATTPPA) has been developed to analyse the performance of an advanced wastewater treatment plant. This user-friendly and menu-driven software is based on the dynamic mathematical model for an industrial wastewater treatment scheme that integrates chemical, biological and membrane-based unit operations. The software-predicted results corroborate very well with the experimental findings as indicated in the overall correlation coefficient of the order of 0.99. The software permits pre-analysis and manipulation of input data, helps in optimization and exhibits performance of an integrated plant visually on a graphical platform. It allows quick performance analysis of the whole system as well as the individual units. The software first of its kind in its domain and in the well-known Microsoft Excel environment is likely to be very useful in successful design, optimization and operation of an advanced hybrid treatment plant for hazardous wastewater.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimutagenic and antigenotoxic potential of grape juice concentrate in rodent organs exposed to cadmium chloride intoxication. A total of 15 Wistar rats were distributed into three groups (n = 5), as follows: control group (CTRL; nontreated group), cadmium group (Cd), and cadmium-grape juice group (Cd + GJ). Exposed animals received intraperitoneal injection of cadmium chloride (1.2 mg/kg body weight) diluted in water and, after 15 days, Cd + GJ group received grape juice concentrate for 15 days, by gavage (0.8 mL, 1.18 mg of polyphenols kg⁻¹ day⁻¹). Grape juice concentrate was able to decrease genotoxic effects induced by cadmium in peripheral blood and liver cells as depicted by single cell gel (comet) and micronucleus assays. A decrease for anti-8-hydroxy-20-deoxyguanosine (8OHdG) expression in hepatocytes of animals exposed to cadmium and treated with grape juice concentrate was also detected. Higher CuZn-SOD activity was observed in liver cells of the Cd + GJ group. No remarkable differences were seen regarding Mn-SOD activity among groups. Taken together, our results demonstrate that grape juice concentrate was able to exert antimutagenic and antigenotoxic activities in blood and liver cells of rats exposed to cadmium.

The new method for producing the functionalized polymers and oligomers containing carbonyl C=O groups is developed. The method is based on the noncatalytic oxidation of unsaturated rubbers by nitrous oxide (N₂O) at 180–230 °С. The proposed method allows obtaining the new type of functionalized rubbers—liquid unsaturated polyketones with regulated molecular weight and concentration of C=O groups. The influence of the liquid polyketone addition on properties of rubber-based composites is investigated. The study indicates good prospects of using the liquid polyketones for the improvement of properties and operating characteristics of the various types of rubbers and the rubber–cord systems.

In this study, we report preparation of a high sensitive electrochemical sensor for determination of hydrazine in the presence of phenol in water and wastewater samples. In the first step, we describe synthesis and characterization of ZnO/CNTs nanocomposite with different methods such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). In the second step, application of the synthesis nanocomposite describes the preparation of carbon paste electrode modified with N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3,5-dinitrobenzamide as a high sensitive and selective voltammetric sensor for determination of hydrazine and phenol in water and wastewater samples. The mediated oxidation of hydrazine at the modified electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Also, the values of catalytic rate constant (k) and diffusion coefficient (D) for hydrazine were calculated. Square wave voltammetry (SWV) of hydrazine at the modified electrode exhibited two linear dynamic ranges with a detection limit (3σ) of 8.0 nmol L⁻¹. SWV was used for simultaneous determination of hydrazine and phenol at the modified electrode and quantitation of hydrazine and phenol in some real samples by the standard addition method.

Sericite, a mica-based natural clay was employed in the remediation of waters contaminated with two important heavy metal toxic ions, viz. Cd(II) and Mn(II), under batch and column experimentation. The batch reactor studies were intended to study various physicochemical parameters, viz. effect of sorptive pH, concentration, contact time, and background electrolyte concentrations which helped to deduce the mechanism involved at the solid/solution interface. The percent uptake of Cd(II) and Mn(II) was increased with increasing of the sorptive pH, and almost 100 % of these cations were removed at pH 10. Equilibrium-state sorption data was modeled and fitted well to the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The kinetic data followed the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. Increasing the background electrolyte concentrations by 100 times caused significant decrease of the uptake of Cd(II) and Mn(II) ions, which inferred that these metal cations were less adsorbed specifically and predominantly attached with relatively weak electrostatic attraction onto the solid surface. Additionally, the fixed-bed column reactor operations were also performed to assess the suitability of sericite in the attenuation of Cd(II) and Mn(II) from aqueous solutions under dynamic conditions. The breakthrough data obtained were successfully utilized to fit into a nonlinear fitting of Thomas equation. The results showed that the naturally and abundantly available sericite could be a potential natural material in the remediation of aquatic environment contaminated with Cd(II) and Mn(II).

This study focused on the exposure of the common ragworm Hediste diversicolor (Müller 1776) to sediments enriched with different arsenic compounds, namely arsenate, dimethyl-arsinate, and arsenobetaine. Speciation analysis was carried out on both the spiked sediments and the exposed polychaetes in order to investigate H. diversicolor capability of arsenic bioaccumulation and biotransformation. Two levels of contamination (acute and moderate dose) were chosen for enriched sediments to investigate possible differences in the arsenic bioaccumulation patterns. The highest value of arsenic in tissues was reached after 15 days of exposure to dimethyl-arsinate (acute dose) spiked sediment (1,172 ± 176 μg/g). A significant increase was also obtained in worms exposed both to arsenate and arsenobetaine. Speciation analysis showed that trimethyl-arsine oxide was the predominant chemical form in tissues of H. diversicolor exposed to all the spiked sediments, confirming the importance of this intermediate in biological transformation of arsenic.

The present research deals with the development of a new heterogeneous photocatalysis and Fenton hybrid system for the removal of color from textile dyeing wastewater as Rhodamine B (RhB) solutions by using Fe²⁺/H₂O₂/Nb₂O₅as a photocatalytic system. The application of this photocatalytic system for the decolorization of dye contaminants is not reported in the literature yet. Different parameters like dye concentration, Nb₂O₅/Fe²⁺catalyst amount, pH, and H₂O₂concentration have been studied. The optimum conditions for the decolorization of the dye were initial concentration of 10 mg L⁻¹of dye, pH 4, and Nb₂O₅/Fe²⁺catalyst concentration of 0.5 g L⁻¹/50 mg L⁻¹. The optimum value of H₂O₂concentration for the conditions used in this study was 700 mg L⁻¹. Moreover, the efficiency of the Nb₂O₅/photo-Fenton hybrid process in comparison to photo-Fenton alone and a dark Fenton process as a control experiment to decolorize the RhB solution has been investigated. The combination of photo-Fenton and Nb₂O₅catalysts has been proved to be the most effective for the treatment of such type of wastewaters. The results revealed that the RhB dye was decolorized in a higher percent (78 %) by the Nb₂O₅/photo-Fenton hybrid process (Fe²⁺/H₂O₂/Nb₂O₅/UV) than by the photo-Fenton process alone (37 %) and dark Fenton process (14 %) after 120 min of treatment. Moreover, the Nb₂O₅catalyst as a heterogeneous part of the photocatalytic system was demonstrated to have good stability and reusability.