The dye effluents released from the textile and printing industries contain strong colorants, inorganic salts, and other toxic compounds. The conventional coagulation technique of dye effluent treatment is plagued with issues of low removal rate of color, generation of large quantities of sludge, and toxic end-products. Recently electrocoagulation technique gained immense attention due to its high efficiency. This technique involves the dissolution of the sacrificial anodes to provide an active metal hydroxide as a strong coagulant that destabilizes the pollutants and removes them by precipitation or flocculation. This study is about the efficiency of the electrocoagulation process using titanium coated - aluminum and mild steel electrodes to treat industrial dye wastewater. Effects of parameters such as current density & initial dye concentration were investigated. It was observed that, for the same current density, electrode consumption was higher with TiO2/Al electrode than with mild steel electrode, resulting in more color removal efficiency (CRE) using TiO2/Al electrode. The settling rate of the flocs was higher in the rector having TiO2/Al electrode at the 100 mL with current density (2.5 mL.min-1 to 5.3 mL.min-1), while in the reactor with mild steel electrode, the settling rate was very less. The results showed that dye removal was 95.11% and 92.1% for mild steel and titanium-coated electrodes, respectively. It was observed that 50 % of Aluminum was removed from the treated effluent after the final stage of filtration. Based on the multicriteria analysis to identify the optimum operational parameters to be applied at the field level, it was observed that maximum CRE may be obtained with TiO2/Al electrode and the applied current of 1 Amps with a flow rate of 100 mL.min-1. It can be concluded that electrocoagulation is a highly efficient and the fastest method to treat dye effluents from industries.

Nature reserves have played a crucial role in biodiversity conservation for decades. Rapid urban sprawl has increased the amount of solid waste created by littering and illegal dumping in metropolitan nature reserves. This paper examines how two nature reserves, Wolfgat Nature Reserve and Witzands Aquifer Nature Reserves, can combine community conservation with waste management. To determine aspects such as the socioeconomic impact of the nature reserves on the surrounding communities, questionnaires with a specific focus on the topic were distributed to the surrounding communities and subsequently administered. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews with key informants from the nature reserve staff and observational methods, and SPSS was used to analyze the data. Consistent with previous research, this study revealed that ignoring local populations frequently results in people disobeying the appropriate regulations in these protected areas and that education does not guarantee conservation support. Despite this, the survey revealed an absence of community participation; conservators were more reactive than proactive. In this study, the level of education, which in some studies is always associated with knowledge, was contradicted; those with post-secondary education knew little about these areas, and the vast majority of participants were unaware of the protected areas just a few kilometers away from their communities.

Waters polluted with Pb and Cd have a negative impact on the environment. Padina australis grows abundantly on the coast of Palang Subdistrict, Tuban, and the local community consumes it. Macroalgae as food must be free of metal contamination. This study aims to determine the impact of Pb and Cd bioaccumulation on P. australis. Sampling was conducted at two stations, including Station I, Panyuran Village, and Station II, Glodog Village. Analysis of Pb and Cd metal levels using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). Analysis of protein content using the Kjeldahl method. The data obtained was analyzed with Principle Component Analysis (PCA). The results of the analysis of Pb and Cd levels in P. australis at station II, which are 0.200 ± 0.028 and 0.021 ± 0.004 mg.kg-1 higher than station I, which are 0.194 ± 0.015 and 0.010 ± 0.001 mg.kg-1. The protein content of P. australis at station I was 4.713 ± 0.508 mg.kg-1, and at station II was 5.900 ± 0.928 mg.kg-1. This shows that P. australis is still considered good for consumption even though it has been polluted and contains Pb and Cd metals. P. australis can tolerate and does not experience severe physiological damage so it has the potential as a heavy metal phytoremediator.

Biochar can be a good soil amendment to reduce the soil pH, increase crop growth rate, and improve the efficient use of fertilizer. Other than that, silicon fertilizer also would promote photosynthetic ability on plant development that would help to produce high yield. In this work, a series of experiments was conducted to observe the effect of rice husk biochar and silicon fertilizer on the maize growth rate and soil pH. A 45-day pot experiment in the greenhouse with three replicates of 9 experimental treatment combinations of RHB at two rates (5 and 2.5 t.ha-1) with silicon fertilizer at three rates (125%, 100%, 75%), sole biochar (10 t.ha-1), sole silicon fertilizer (100%) and control (NPK) to observe the best rate and combination to improve growth rate and change in soil chemical in acid soil. The result showed that the co-application of sole biochar and biochar with Silicon significantly improved growth development, increased photosynthesis rate, altered soil pH, and reduced Fe concentration compared to control. The plant height increased 88.35% from T4 (5 t.ha-1 RHB + 100% Si) compared to the control and the conductance was higher in T4 (0.53) followed by T8 (0.438) while T1 (0.071) recorded the lowest conductance. The shoot fresh weight was higher in T4 (127.83 g) followed by T8 (57.14 g). However, the weight increased by 343.7% at T4 followed by T8 (2.5 t.ha-1 RHB + 75% Si) at 98.33%. The highest pH increment of 1.24 units (T1 = 5.53, T4 = 6.77) of soil pH was noted from T4 (5 t.ha-1 RHB + 100% Si) compared to control (NPK), and the highest total Fe in soil was observed from T1 (442.30 mg.kg-1). The current study results showed that T4 (50% RHB + 100% Silicon) was the best treatment over the other rates of RHB and silicon increased plant height, photosynthetic rate, and biomass.

Anthropogenic environmental pollution is a major development challenge in Ugandan rivers and lakes, the key drivers being industrialization, agriculture, and urbanization. The aim of the study was to assess the potential of heavy metal and microplastic contamination in River Mpanga, Fort Portal, Uganda. Triplicate water and sediment samples were collected from three sampling sites, preserved, and analyzed at the Chemistry Department, Makerere University for heavy metals, while microplastics analysis was conducted at NaFIRRI, Jinja. Sediment heavy metal contamination was assessed from the geoaccumulation index, while microplastic characterization and quantification were determined from stereomicroscopy and morphological features. Arsenic was the most prevalent metal with a mean concentration of 13.2 ppm thus higher than permissible maximum limits of WHO. The mean concentrations (ppm) of copper, lead, and cadmium were 0.01, 0.01, and 0.001 respectively, and below the permissible maximum. Sediment samples revealed very strong arsenic contamination, strong contamination for copper, moderate to strong contamination for lead, and a potential lack of contamination for cadmium. The higher concentrations of the heavy metals in the sediments compared to water could be attributed to bioaccumulation, as evidenced by the high geoaccumulation values. Microplastics occurred throughout the river and included fragments, filaments, film, pellets, form, and fibers. The presence of heavy metals and microplastics was attributed to anthropogenic activities within the river vicinity, which discharged heavy metal-laden waste into River Mpanga. High arsenic concentrations and sediment accumulation of contaminants pose serious potential public health threats to the local communities.

Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the accumulation of household waste continued to rise as the number of COVID-19 patients increased. COVID-19 can survive and be transmitted from contaminated surfaces, making waste pickers more vulnerable and at risk of contracting and spreading the virus through contact with infected household waste. The study assessed safety practices and risks related to waste picking during the COVID-19 pandemic at two selected dumping sites in the north of Pretoria. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 81 waste pickers at these landfill sites. Results showed that 100.0% of waste pickers at Site A and 86.7% at Site B collected plastics; 96.7% at Site A and 90.5% at Site B collected bottles; and 100% at Site B and 95.5% at Site A collected metals. The majority, 92.0% at Site A and 90.0% at Site B, were aware of the dangers and risks associated with waste handling if protective gear was not worn. From sites A and B, 97.0% and 90% of the waste pickers respectively had heard of COVID-19, although 51.9% from both sites believed they could not contract COVID-19 while handling waste. Only 18.0% of waste pickers from Site A and 82.0% from Site B faced challenges with purchasing their own PPE. All waste pickers at Site A wore facial masks, whereas 86.0% at Site B did so. Regarding testing for COVID-19, 22.0% from Site A and 19.0% from Site B were tested, with 2.0% from Site A and none (0.0%) from Site B testing positive. It is recommended that all waste pickers be educated about COVID-19 transmission and provided with PPE during the pandemic.

This study aimed to compare the ability of five plant species, including (Conocarpus erectus, Acacia sensu lato (s.l.), Melaleuca viminalis, Dodonaea viscosa and Lantana camara) to absorb and accumulate heavy elements in their tissues, which were grown in the central islands in the city of Diwaniyah. This included areas of street in front of the medical college, Umm Al Khail First Street, Umm Al-Khail Street, near Abbas Attiwi Bridge, Al-Adly Street in the Euphrates District, and Clock Field Street, respectively. Results showed that soil samples S1 and S3 were contaminated by Pb, and the rest of the sites were contaminated with nickel only. This indicates through the table findings a rise in these heavy metals’ concentrations with a rise in traffic momentum. Thus, the Pb concentrations in the growing plants’ shoot parts with respect to this research had surpassed the allowed critical limit of 5.00 mg.kg-1 dry matter, in which the highest value was recorded at the site with respect to S3 as well as S2. Meanwhile, the findings indicate that Cd concentrations in S3 and S1 had increased and exceeded the allowable limit of 0.20 mg.kg-1 dry matter. In the meantime, the nickel concentrations were within the permissible limits of 67.90 mg.kg-1 dry matter. The Zn concentration exceeded the permitted limits of 60.00 mg.kg-1 dry matter except for plants (Acacia s.l. and Lantana camara) in sites S5 and S2. The results confirmed that the values of Heavy Metals Bioaccumulation Coefficient (BAC) for most of the study elements had recorded the highest value in the Dodonaea plant for Zn, Cd, and Pb, except for Ni. It was more accumulated in the Melaleuca viminalis plant, which indicates the superiority of the Dodonaea plant in accumulating Pb, Cd, and Zn over the rest of the study plants, as they took the following order: Lantana camara < Acacia s.l. < Conocarpus erectus < Melaleuca viminalis < Dodonaea viscosa. The best plants accumulated nickel in the following order: Acacia s.l. < Lantana camara < Conocarpus erectus < Dodonaea viscosa < Melaleuca viminalis.

"Due to enormous quantities with hazards and complexity in nature is a big challenge for effective treatment of wastewater from pharmaceutical processes including herbal extraction through conventional methods of distillation. The situation is further aggravated in countries facing high rising population, urbanization, and industrialization resulting in the generation of industrial wastes. The study has been carried out in the herbal extraction industry by conducting stage-wise sampling of ETP based on the conventional method and further coupled with ozonation as an advanced treatment to comply with regulatory standards. Additionally, the same process was studied that implementing the best available technology (BAT) by providing ETP with advanced technology modules such as MBR (membrane bioreactor) + RO + O3 has not only resulted in compliance with standards but also reuse of treated wastewater into the process and utilities has been proved to be techno-economically a viable and sustainable option. Modifying existing aeration tanks and advanced oxidation through ozone injection post-biological treatment has resulted in COD and BOD reduction of 96.42% and 99.0% respectively. Whereas in the case of MBR + RO + O3, the values of pH, BOD, COD, TSS, and sulfide have been observed as 8.32, 2.0 mg.L-1, 14.0 mg.L-1, 1.0 mg.L-1 and 0.0 mg.L-1 respectively and 98% recovery of treated effluent, thus saving 44 KL.day-1 of freshwater resulting into significant financial benefits of Rupees 12.59 acs annually, which otherwise was outsourced through tankers."

Oil spills can have varying degrees of impact on the aquatic environment depending on factors such as the type of oil spilled, the volume released, and the ecosystem affected because crude oil and refined petroleum contain harmful substances such as hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and toxic chemicals. When released into the water, these substances can have immediate and long-term effects on marine life. This research aims to find the factors affecting the degree of pollution from oil spills on the aquatic environment and the areas adjacent to the Qayyarah refinery in northern Iraq. Combines the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method and the analytical hierarchy process to evaluate the degree of pollution from oil spill incidents in the areas adjacent to the refinery. The statistical analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences and that the value of the correlation coefficient was positive between exchanged cadmium, residual cadmium, exchanged lead, where the lead exchange rate ranged correlation coefficient at a minimum R² 0.674 and a clear increase in the number of bacteria indicating contamination the total number of bacteria coli, fecal coliform bacteria, and fecal strep bacteria (where the numbers of coliform bacteria ranged 102 × 102- (cells/011 mL, and fecal coliform bacteria were between 160 × 102 cells/011 mL. These rates are environmental and vital indicators of the presence of significant levels of organic pollution and evidence of the presence of microorganisms dangerous to the health of residents and living organisms.

This study aimed to analyze the microplastic contamination of fresh and pindang fish and its health impact on the coast of Muncar, Banyuwangi Regency, Indonesia. In this study, a total of 115 respondents participated, providing questionnaire data on their fish consumption habits and health problems. Subsequently, spearman’s correlation coefficient, a non-parametric statistical test, was used to analyze the questionnaire data. This study also included 100 samples of marine fish, consisting of 89 fresh fish and 11 pindang fish from various types of marine species. The content of microplastic polymers detected through FTIR (Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) was around 3-5 microplastic polymers/fish samples, and the most dominant were Polyethylene, Polyester, Polycaprolactam (Nylon 6) and Polyamide. This study showed that 94 percent of fish samples contained microplastics and only 6 percent of samples did not contain microplastics. The intensity of pindang fish consumption was positively correlated with respondents’ health symptoms and problems. Subsequently, implementing effective waste management systems and educational programs in the coastal areas is crucial in reducing the pollution of seawater resulting from inadequate waste disposal practices.