The study implemented Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques and multivariate hydrogeochemical analysis to evaluate the spatial-temporal and seasonal variation in the groundwater quality of Patna, India. For this purpose, sixty groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for major anions and cations during the pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons of 2019-2020. The physicochemical parameters such as pH, EC (Electrical Conductivity), TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), TH (Total Hardness), Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, HCO3-, Cl-, SO42- were considered to evaluate the water quality index. The result revealed degradation in groundwater quality from pre-monsoon (49.21) to post-monsoon (74.48). EC, TDS, TH, Mg2+, Na+, Ca2+, K+, and HCO3- ions were found accountable for high WQI values at various sampling sites during different seasons. Spatial maps showed that 45 % of the sampling stations exhibited poor quality in all three seasons, where the eastern part of the studied region was revealed to be the most affected area. The application of multivariate statistical methods and hydrogeochemical investigation has clearly defined the dominant role of the weathering process, and reverse ion exchange mechanism in controlling the aquifer’s ionic chemistry. Moreover, poor seepage system, and waste leachate from the surface have been found as the main cause of high levels of Na+, K+, and Cl- in the eastern part of Patna.

Outdoor air pollution causes a lot of health problems for humans. Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5), due to its small size, can enter the human respiratory system with ease and cause significant health effects on humans. This makes PM2.5 significant among the various air pollutants. Hence, it is important to measure the value of PM2.5 accurately for better management of air quality. Algorithms for deep learning and machine learning can be used to forecast air quality data. A model that minimizes the prediction error of the PM2.5 forecast is needed. In this paper, a PM2.5 concentration estimation model using Bi-LSTM (Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory) with meteorological data as predictor variables is proposed. For a better estimation of PM2.5 values, the hyperparameters of the Bi-LSTM model used are tuned using the Osprey Optimization Algorithm (OOA), a recent meta-heuristic algorithm. The model that works with the optimal values of hyperparameters identified by OOA performed better than the other models when they are compared based on evaluation metrics like Mean-Squared Error and R2.

This study presents a comprehensive investigation into the production of amylase, a crucial enzyme with wide-ranging industrial applications, using locally sourced substrates from Kachchh, Gujarat. The research employed the Bacillus licheniformis strain and substrates such as coconut, rice husk, wheat bran, paddy straw, and maize straw. The study found paddy straw to be the most promising substrate for amylase production. The research also systematically optimized various process parameters for amylase production in Solid-State Fermentation (SSF) using the One Variable at a Time (OVAT) method. These parameters included incubation period, temperature, inoculum level, additional carbon sources, starch concentrations, additional nitrogen sources, initial pH, different mineral salt ions, initial moisture level, and surfactants. The results showed that the optimal conditions for maximum amylase yield were an incubation period of 48 hours, an incubation temperature of 35°C, an inoculum level of 10%, starch as the additional carbon source, a starch concentration of 2.5%, yeast extract as the additional nitrogen source, an initial pH of 7, NaCl as the mineral salt, an initial moisture level of 75%, and Tween 80 as the surfactant. This research provides a reliable and sustainable approach to enzyme production, offering valuable insights for the optimization of the solid-state fermentation process for maximum amylase production.

The purpose of the research work is to explore the objective and competence of COP (Conference of Parties) in the context of environmental issues and climate change management and this is performed by evaluating respective articles published in the context of the subject. COP is found efficient in empowering global nations to be aligned with the objective of sustainable growth by making corrective negotiations and agreements as per the current and future environmental issues like the greenhouse effect and air pollution. COP helps ensure environmental issues are fixed by conducting benchmark index-based performance reviews and analyses. It has been observed that the agenda significantly contributes to the green economy, as it promotes sustainable change and development in the environment, society, and economy. A significant innovative strategy was developed at the conference to reduce global temperatures and emissions. In this context, the development of the EV sector plays a crucial role in mitigating environmental impact. The COP28 conference is addressing the climate and nature crisis, considering it a global health emergency. Methodology states that the literature search is conducted from peer-reviewed journal articles from authentic sources like Wiley’s Online Library and Science Direct Pages. Only the journals that were published after the year 2019 have been used in the study. Also, it is seen that COP28 (2023) conventions focused on global warming, climate change, and the production of a green economy, which is continuously being considered, and also, the implications and steps that are required to be taken are discussed.

Climate change is a global threat to the environment and human health. Two of the main greenhouse gases that cause the greenhouse effect and raise global temperatures are carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. In this review paper, we investigated the effects of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides on climate change and the effects of climate change on Afghanistan. We found that high concentrations of carbon dioxide, which is now CO2 levels, have increased by 50% than before the Industrial Revolution, contributing to a rise in global temperature and precipitation. At the same time, Nitrous oxide is an important greenhouse gas, with 310-fold higher potential for global warming than CO2 and leads to the depletion of stratospheric Ozone and other Nitrogen oxides, has a significant impact on plant health, including effects on chlorophyll levels, oxidative stress, and antioxidant responses. Afghanistan’s climate change is predicted to increase the country’s prevalence of illnesses linked to dust storms and poor air quality, especially in Kabul, the nation’s capital. In addition, air pollution in Kabul is also likely to increase as a result of climate change. The alarming impacts of air pollution, with more than 3,000 deaths attributed to air pollution annually. Additionally, at least 700,000 individuals in Kabul have experienced various respiratory diseases. Due to climate change, Afghanistan’s total glacier area has shrunk by 13.8%. In 2023, Afghanistan experienced early snow melt and below-average precipitation, causing second-season and irrigated crops to have less access to water. Reducing emissions and coping with the changing climate are essential steps towards tackling the complex issues these gases present and their wider effects on the environment and human health.

Isotopes are atoms of an element having the same atomic number but different mass numbers. Isotopes in hydrology and water resources are used for identifying its occurrence, movement, residence times, recharge, and discharge process. Stable isotopes of hydrogen(δ2H) and oxygen(δ2O) are used for identifying the surface and groundwater interactions as they constitute hydrogen and oxygen. In this study oxygen and hydrogen stable isotopes are used to identify surface and groundwater interaction in Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) regions of Chengalpattu district. The precipitation, lake, surface, and groundwater were collected during pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons. The collected sample is analyzed for stable isotopic compositions of oxygen and hydrogen seasonal-wise. The measured stable isotopic compositions during pre-monsoon season of stable oxygen are -4.29 to -2.00 and stable hydrogen are -29.39 to -24.67. The isotopic compositions during monsoon season range from -4.72 to -4.00 and for hydrogen ranges from -29.39 to -23.50. During monsoon season the depletion of isotopic composition is seen and the enrichment of isotopic composition is observed during pre-monsoon season. The variation in stable isotopic composition of oxygen and hydrogen are observed. A Groundwater Water Meteoric Water Line (GMWL) is developed for the study area, and it is compared with a Local Meteoric Water Line (LMWL) for better interpretation of the results. A slight deviation is observed from that of GMWL to LMWL mostly due to isotopic depletion and evaporation effects. From the analysis, a good correlation exists between precipitation and surface water in the study area indicating about recharge mechanism existing in the study area. The groundwater recharge is observed during monsoon seasons and discharge is more towards the pre-monsoon seasons.

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.

River dredging is crucial for mitigating the risk of floods by enhancing the water-carrying capacity of rivers. Nevertheless, the key difficulty lies in the appropriate disposal of dredged material, resulting in escalated costs. Predominantly consisting of silt, the dredged material demonstrates constrained bearing capacity and strength. Nonetheless, there is a prospect to derive value from excavated sediments, with potential applications in diverse public works projects. The processed product derived from dredged material can serve diverse purposes, such as filling railway and highway embankments, as well as the subgrade of pavements. The comprehensive study involved analyzing the fundamental properties of the dredged material collected from the Allochibagh flood channel of the Jhelum River. The analysis focused on determining the basic geotechnical properties of the soil mass. The tests unveiled the fine and cohesive nature of the dredged soil. To enhance its properties, sand was introduced as a stabilizing agent in varying proportions. The investigation revealed an initial augmentation in compressive strength as the proportion of sand increased, attaining an optimal mixture whereafter the strength declined. This study explores the utilization of sand as a stabilizing agent for dredged soil to enhance its strength and optimize its application. The process of stabilizing dredged soil with sand demands a thorough examination of hydrogeological processes, the specific characteristics of the dredged soil, and the intricate transport of contaminants. This formal and multidisciplinary effort seeks to elevate the overall stability of the soil.

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.

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.