Fuzzy comprehensive assessment was applied, for the first time, to investigate the sediment environmental quality and compare the historical variations of heavy metal pollution in Daya Bay and Jiaozhou Bay, which are representative for sub-tropical and temperate zone of China, respectively. Results shown the Daya Bay had undergone three contrasting stages in the past 100 years. Before 1980s, the sediment was not contaminated by metals and its quality generally conformed to class I of China National Standard for marine sediment quality. During from 1980s to 2000s, however, Daya Bay’s environment had experienced significant deterioration. The metal concentrations were significantly higher than the background values, suggesting that there was a sharp increase of metal input. The category of sediment quality fell to class II and class III. Copper was the dominant pollutant during that time. The good thing is sediment quality of Daya Bay has improved to class I since 2000s, and chromium turned to be the major pollutant. As for the Jiaozhou Bay, enrichment of heavy metal was generally not detected and the sediment quality strictly conformed to class I during the recent 90 years. Chromium and zinc were the major pollutants in this bay.

Urban air pollution is one of the most important environmental problems. Lichens are good bioindicators in air pollution studies because of their dependence on the atmospheric deposition for nutrition. The present study focused on the effects of urbanization on the composition of atmospheric deposition inputs and physiological parameters of transplanted epiphytic lichen Ramalina farinacea. The status of lichens responded to urban pollutants related to vehicle and industrial activity (NO₃⁻, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, NO₂, PM₁₀). The content of chlorophyll and FV/FM were positively related to the amount of precipitation (mm) and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The increase in lipid peroxidation and electrolyte conductivity, indicating damage to the cell membrane, was found in lichens transplanted to the urban environment. The high variability in electrolyte conductivity indicated that cell membrane injuries were characteristics of the investigated study area.

This article describes the water quality scenario of freshwater springs of Baramulla district of Kashmir Valley in light of pollution threats and predicted climate change consequences for Himalayan ecosystems. The study was designed to have insights to what extent the community is relying on the spring water and what policy initiatives and planning perspectives at the government level are currently in vogue for sustainable management of these freshwater springs. Our results indicated that the springs are mild hard water type with nitrate concentration, conductivity, and iron values ranging from 19 to 675 μg/L, 185 to 811 μS/cm, and 1 to 308 μg/L respectively. Water quality index (WQI) revealed that the majority of the springs have excellent to good water quality category, while as in few springs like Aboora (26), Harwan (27), Fugipora (29), and Goigam (30), it was falling under poor to very poor category. Principal component analysis (PCA) generated mainly three components (VF1, VF2, and VF3) with higher Eigen values of 2.0 or more (2.23–6) accounting for 56.92%, 28.85%, and 10.64% of the total variance respectively. The survey highlights revealed the dependence of a large proportion of population for drinking water besides other uses, but no signs of involvement from the government level. Keeping in view the importance of these springs, it is necessitated that this situation should catch the attention of government and policy makers for the management of freshwater springs which can play an important role in fulfilling the UN (United Nations) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of access to safe drinking water.

Silver contamination of soil systems has been shown to have significant negative effects on soil microbial communities and key functional processes. However, few studies to date have addressed the influence that soil physico-chemical characteristics may have on silver toxicity. In this study, the influence of soil pH soil was investigated on the toxicity of both silver nano-(NP) and micron-(MP) particles to microbial communities and community functioning in a pastureland soil. An acidic soil, pH 5.1, was harvested from an agricultural pastureland and divided into two batches, one of which was adjusted with calcium carbonate to a neutral pH of 7. The effect of 50 mg kg⁻¹ of AgNP and AgMP amendment on the acidic soil and the neutral soil microbial communities was then examined in a microcosm-based experiment. Our results found dehydrogenase activity, which was used as a proxy measure for microbial activity, to be far more susceptible to both AgNP and AgMP contamination in the acidic soil than in the neutral soil. Additionally, both AgNPs and AgMPs significantly affected bacterial and fungal community structures in the acidic soil; however, community structures in the pH-neutral soil amended with AgNPs and AgMPs remained similar to those in the unamended control. The results from this study indicate that soil pH was an influential factor affecting AgNP toxicity in our soil system with the acidic soils far more susceptible to silver contamination than the neutral soil.

Ground level ozone is a major air pollutant with known toxic effects on humans. The research field is well established with many scientists from developed and developing countries contributing original research articles. Strict regulations for ozone air pollution are being implemented worldwide based on supporting scientific literature. In this scientometric analysis, we have analyzed the research trends in the field of ozone air pollution during 2011–2019. The collected SCOPUS data was analyzed using common scientometric analysis methods for known indicators to identify top ten rankings and scientific collaborations important for the field. Our result demonstrates that the USA is leading the field as USEPA and American regulatory authorities have funded most of the research. Two scientists, Russell A.G. and Schwartz J., working in American institutions, are leading with the most publications. Our assessment of ozone and PM together shows a significant impact on research direction in the last years to accommodate the study of both air pollutants together. In addition, we have analyzed the possible disease trends in the field for the last 3 years and identified that cardiovascular system, nervous system, and diabetes are upcoming disease areas that would be studied in the coming future.

One of the limitations compromising the utilization of enzymes for the remediation of phenolic wastewaters is enzyme activity loss during the treatment. Some surface active additives have the potential to protect enzymes and, thus, improve their performance. In this study, the removal of bisphenol A from synthetic wastewater samples by laccase has been studied in the presence of rhamnolipid biosurfactant (RL), polyethylene glycol (PEG), Triton X-100, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS). The results demonstrated that the addition of 1 ppm RL provides the highest removal rate and removal extent of BPA. In the case of PEG and Triton X-100, the results showed that both additives have almost similar positive effects on the enzymatic remediation of BPA. However, unlike RL, the positive effects of PEG and Triton X-100 were appreciable only at higher concentration (i.e., 25 ppm). On the other hand, the addition of the two ionic surfactants (SDBS and CTAB) resulted in a negative effect on the enzyme activity and, thus, the remediation of BPA, demonstrating the undesirable interactions of these ionic surfactants with laccase. The negative effect of the charged additives was more pronounced for the case of the positively charged additive (i.e., CTAB).

Tianbao reservoir in southern China (surrounded by Eucalyptus plantation) serves as a source of drinking water for the inhabitants. However, the reservoir water experiences black water (BW) of which the cause remains unclear. In this study, field observation and simulated laboratory experiment were conducted to understand the cause of the BW. The diffusive gradient in thin-film (DGT) device monitored the spatial changes in concentration of iron (Fe²⁺), manganese (Mn²⁺), sulfide (S²⁻), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) at the SWI. The planar optode (PO) showed that hypoxia contributed immensely to the high positive fluxes Fe²⁺, Mn²⁺, and S²⁻ measured, which co-precipitated to form black materials (FeS and MnS) at the SWI. The co-precipitation between Fe–S and Mn–S was supported by their significant positive correlation (Fe–S: r > 0.05, p < 0.05, Mn–S: r > 0.2, p < 0.05). Significant reduction (p < 0.05) in tannins concentration from November (strong thermal stratification) to December (weak thermal stratification) indicated that Fe²⁺ and tannins reacted during the mixing of reservoir water in December due to weak stratification. The simulated experiment confirmed that fresh Eucalyptus leaves produces a significant (p < 0.05) amount of tannins during hypoxia and reacts with Fe²⁺ to produce black water. A high positive correlation (r > 0.8) between Fe²⁺ and DOC demonstrated that Fe²⁺ and DOC combined and contributed to the reservoir water blackening. The study provides a better understanding on the impact of Eucalyptus plantation on water quality and provide guidance for scientific planting of Eucalyptus plantation in reservoir basins in southern China to ensure safe drinking water.

Industrial parks play an extremely important role in the rapid development of China’s economy. However, as the backbone of China’s economic development, industrial parks also consume huge energy resources and cause serious pollution to the environment, making China face greater pressure on environmental issues. This article takes the Yongcheng Economic and Technological Development Area, a typical energy-intensive industrial park in Henan Province, as the research object to analyze its energy saving and emission reduction potential. Three scenarios (baseline scenario, energy cascade utilization scenario, and energy efficiency technology enhancement scenario) are set to quantify the energy-saving potential and air pollutant emission reduction of the park under different scenarios. The results show that in the energy cascade utilization scenario, by realizing the recycling of waste heat resources from heat source enterprises, it can bring energy saving of 6385 TJ, and reduce 0.35 kt SO₂, 0.79 kt NOₓ, 0.067 kt PM₁₀, and 0.035 kt PM₂.₅. And CO₂ emission reductions have reached 604 kt. In the energy efficiency technology enhancement scenario, by eliminating relatively backward technologies and adding advanced energy-saving technologies, 7306 TJ energy saving could be achieved. SO₂, NOₓ, PM₁₀, PM₂.₅, and CO₂ emission reductions are 0.37, 0.82, 0.038, 0.071, and 719 kt, respectively. The results of the CALPUFF model indicate that the pollutant concentrations of SO₂, NOₓ, PM₁₀, and PM₂.₅ in the spring and autumn are relatively high, while those in the summer and winter seasons are relatively low. In four seasons, the highest 1-h average concentration and dispersion range of four pollutants have been reduced both in the energy cascade utilization scenario and in the efficiency technology enhancement scenario.

Pervious concrete (PC) provides multiple benefits, including reducing stormwater runoff, purifying water, recharging groundwater, and reducing the heat island effect. This study aims to determine an effective way to reuse municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) fly ash (FA), MSWI bottom ash (BA), and rice husk ash (RHA) as single or binary partial replacements for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) in PC. The ashes and PC specimens were characterized via X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, field emission-scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The compressive strength, water permeability, and toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP)-released metals were investigated to evaluate the PC quality. The main components of the ashes were similar to those of OPC, suggesting that the ashes could be reused as cement materials; however, the cementitious activity of the ashes, especially MSWI FA, was relatively low. All ashes except 1100 °C MSWI FA met the standard requirements and can be applied as pozzolanic materials. The three PC specimens with binary replacements containing RHA (550, 700, and 900 °C) and MSWI BA (1100 °C) showed a synergistic effect and exhibited a higher 90-day compressive strength than the other specimens with single and binary ash replacements containing RHA (550 and 900 °C). The water permeability ranged between 0.106 and 0.391 cm/s, and the TCLP-released metal concentrations from all specimens met the regulatory standards of Taiwan. The results indicated that replacement with MSWI BA and RHA in cement materials provides an acceptable compressive strength and water permeability.

In leather industries, raw hides/skins are always preserved before being processed into leather. Salting method of preservation is the general and age old popular practice of preservation used in these industries. The main drawbacks of this method are the generation of huge amounts of pollution load, in terms of total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended salts (TSS), and chlorides; and ecological damage which occurs as a result of these waste effluents being discharged into the ground. Therefore, finding cheaper and eco-friendly methods of preservation has become a major necessity for these industries. In this manuscript, we have used ethanolic extract of Aegle marmelos for preservation which totally eliminates salt. The efficacy of this method was assessed by evaluating parameters such as microbial count, nitrogen content, and collagen content of the skin samples, and biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), TDS, and TSS of the waste effluents collected during processing of leather. It was found that this method showed a remarkable reduction in pollution loads like BOD (46%), COD (3-fold), TDS (many folds), and increased values of collagen content. Thus, we could conclude that preservation using A. marmelos was found to be more effective and eco-friendly.