Electrokinetic remediation of groundwater pollutants uses electrical fields to draw contaminants towards electrodes, where they are removed through diverse mechanisms. Conventional electrodes are installed in discrete positions in the soil. Here, we develop unconventional electrodes for the electrokinetic remediation of Cr(VI). Our electrodes are fluids comprised of sodium alginate and graphene particles in aqueous solution and can therefore be injected in the location of interest to facilitate their installation. The subsequent injection of CaCl₂ solutions induces gelation (as demonstrated by shear rheology), forming a conductive material (as demonstrated by voltammetry experiments). This material sorbed Cr(VI), as demonstrated in sorption experiments conducted under no-flow conditions and even without any applied electric potential. Therefore, it could be placed downstream of the pollutant to act as a barrier, controlling Cr(VI) migration and providing protection for human or ecological receptors. In a saturated model sandy aquifer, Cr(VI) was drawn towards our unconventional electrode barrier using a 12 V differential voltage, thereby decreasing its concentrations by approximately 70% in 30 min (starting from 0.35 mM Cr(VI), as demonstrated using a spectrophotometer). The net reduction of Cr(VI) concentrations in water was achieved without its extraction from the electrode proximity, because our graphene-alginate electrodes sorbed Cr(VI). Our findings provide a proof of concept of a novel remediation approach, which combines electrokinetic remediation with injectable barriers.

Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) are a representative class of emerging contaminants. This study aimed to investigate the PPCP removal performance and application safety of a biochar fabricated using the invasive plant Alternanthera philoxeroides (APBC). According to scanning electron microscopy and pore size analyses, APBC exhibited a porous structure with a specific surface area of 857.5 m²/g. A Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis indicated the presence of surface functional groups, including phosphorus-containing groups, C=O, C=C, and –OH. The adsorption experiment showed that the maximum removal efficiency of ibuprofen was 97% at an initial concentration of 10 mg/L and APBC dosage of 0.8 g/L. The adsorption kinetics were fitted by the pseudo-second-order model with the highest correlation coefficient (R² = 0.9999). The adsorption isotherms were well described by the Freundlich model (R² = 0.9896), which indicates a dominant multilayer adsorption. The maximum adsorption capacity of APBC was 172 mg/g. A toxicity evaluation, based on Chlorella pyrenoidosa and human epidermal BEAS-2B cells, was carried out using a spectrum analysis, thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide assay, and flow cytometry. The results of the above showed the low cytotoxicity of APBC and demonstrated its low toxicity in potential environmental applications.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is always considered the last and sometimes the most important safety shield against pesticides’ hazards health risks. The spread of pests and low-quality pesticides, especially in developing countries, has increased health hazard potential among farmers. The present study aimed to assess farmers’ health risks when using PPE (composite index) by exploring its most important predictive factors. A sample of 370 farmers in Ardabil province, Iran, was selected based on the multistage sampling method. The results reveal that most farmers use three types of PPE when applying pesticides. Based on their perception of pesticides’ health risk, the number of PPE used differs. The highest health hazard in using PPE and the minimum perception of health risks caused by pesticides among farmers are related to the pesticides Paraquat and Chlorpyrifos. Also, the most important predictive factors of the composite index were found to be farm size, pesticides’ health risk perception, previous experiences with harmful effects of chemical pesticides on health (especially among large-scale farmers), training courses, and ability to afford PPE-related costs, respectively. Accordingly, farmers’ safety and health programs in the region should focus on reducing or replacing the mentioned high-risk pesticides. Reducing government subsidies for high-risk pesticides, establishing government subsidies for farmers’ PPE, providing extension training (especially for small-scale farmers), and receiving ongoing training feedback to improve farmers’ health risk perception of pesticides and the need to use PPE will effectively reduce farmers’ health risks.

The amount of CO₂ embodied in trade has substantially increased over the last decades. We contribute to understanding the reasons for this evolution by studying the trends and some drivers of the carbon intensity of trade over the period 1995–2009 in 41 countries and 35 sectors. Our empirical analysis relies on the World Input-Output Database (WIOD) to compute embodied carbon emissions. Our main findings are the following. First, average emission intensity of traded goods is higher than average emission intensity of final demand. Second, relatively “dirty” countries tend to specialize in emission-intensive sectors. Third, the share of goods produced in emission-intensive countries is rising. Finally, we find that coal abundance (measured as fuel rent and controlling for reverse causality) leads both to a specialization in “dirty” sectors and to an increase in emissions per output when controlling for sector structure, which amounts to a fossil fuel endowment effect. These findings suggest trade liberalization may increase global emissions and therefore highlight the importance of considering trade when designing CO₂ reduction strategies.

Acetamiprid (ACE) is one of the widely used neonicotinoid insecticides. In mammals, in spite of the low-affinity nAChRs, neurotoxic effects following the Acetamiprid exposure have recently been reported, which suggests some concerns regarding the impacts on the nervous system of mammals. This study aims to investigate the effect of Acetamiprid on spatial memory and possible vulnerability of hippocampal glutamatergic system following the Acetamiprid exposure. 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg doses of Acetamiprid were administered to male rats by gavage once per day for 28 days. The spatial memory was examined with the Morris water maze apparatus. The amount of Acetamiprid in the serum and hippocampus was measured. In addition, glutamate level and changes in the expression of NR1, NR2, and NR2B genes were measured in the hippocampus; also, the hippocampus tissue was histologically evaluated. A significant increase in training parameters which consist of escape latency and traveled distance was observed on the first and second day of training in Acetamiprid-treated groups (20 and 40 mg/kg) compared to the control group (p < 0.001). In the probe test, rats in all Acetamiprid-treated groups significantly spent less time in the target quadrant compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Acetamiprid concentration dose dependently increased in the serum and in the hippocampus followed by Acetamiprid exposure. In all Acetamiprid-treated groups, a significant reduction of glutamate level in the hippocampus was observed (p < 0.05). The reduction of NR1, NR2A, and NR2B gene expression in the hippocampus was observed at a dose of 20 mg/kg. The histological evaluation showed neural degeneration in the dentate gyrus area of the hippocampus at a dose of 40 mg/kg in the Acetamiprid-treated group. The results of the present study indicate that Acetamiprid impairs memory consolidation through the reduction of glutamate and the expression of NMDA receptor subunits in the hippocampus at low doses, along with the loss of neural cells in dentate gyrus at high dose.

Dust migration from bauxite residue causes serious occupational diseases and dramatic pollutions to on-site workers and the surrounding environment. In order to investigate the enhancement of mechanical properties and wind erosion behavior of non-traditional stabilizers in mitigating bauxite residue dust pollution, this paper carried out mechanical tests and wind tunnel simulations to reveal the independent and cooperative effect of mechanical properties on dust control performance and the effect of particle size on the accuracy of dust control evaluation strategy. Results illustrated the great significance of stabilizer concentration and particle size on both mechanical properties and dust control performance of treated samples. The penetration resistance was more accurate and effective in predicting dust control performance for lignosulfonate stabilizers, while unconfined compressive strength is more competitive as a key predicting index for polymer stabilizers. Particle size is critical to the evaluation of the dust control effect.

Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) are compounds that are used in the bottle as the main plasticizers. Therefore, the possibility of releasing phthalate esters into beverages is very high and there is a concern to consumer health and monitoring organizations. The aim of this research was to assess the phthalic acid esters (di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), bis(di-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and total PAEs) in bottled non-alcoholic malt beverages (n = 120) by multi-walled carbon nanotubes were magnetized with iron (MWCNT-Fe₃O₄) using gaschromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that the highest and the lowest levels of total phthalate esters in samples were 9483.93 and 2412.50 ng/L, respectively. The mean of DEHP which has also been found to be carcinogenic in all samples was lower than 5944.73 ng/L. The highest concentration of DEHP in four samples was upper than 8957.87 ng/L. Perceived limit of detection (LOD) ranged from 13 to 30 ng/L and the limit of quantification (LOQ) ranged from 39 to 90 ng/L. Multivariate techniques and heat map visualization were used to assess the correlation among the type and levels of PAEs with the brand, color, product date, pH, sugar, volume, and gas pressure. Therefore, based on heat map and principal component analysis (PCA) results, the DEHP and total PAEs were the closest accessions, indicating that these variables had similar trends. Based on the results, it can be stated that due to the low average of total phthalate esters in non-alcoholic malt beverages, there is no serious health hazard of these compounds for humans.

To look for new refrigerants replacing R134a, environmentally friendly refrigerants R1234yf and R1234ze(E) were chosen as the alternatives in an ejector refrigeration system. The tested system contained a single-phase ejector, and numerical analysis regarding the performance of the ejector was done by CFD. The entrainment ratio, static pressure and Mach number were chosen as indicators revealing the ejector performance. Changes of the indicators of ejector utilizing a given refrigerant under varying operating temperature conditions were analysed. With the increasing condenser temperature, the shocking position moved upstream until it combined with the first series of oblique shocks. With the increasing generator temperature, the entrainment ratio increased firstly and decreased subsequently. With the increasing evaporator temperature, the primary-fluid jet expansion weakened. Comparisons of the indicators of ejector utilizing three working fluids (R134a, R1234yf and R1234ze(E)) under a given operating temperature condition were also made. The results showed that R1234yf had a greater entrainment ratio than R134a and R1234ze(E). But the shocking position of R1234yf was also closer to the upstream than the other two refrigerants, which caused the smaller critical mode region. Compared with the entrainment ratio close to 1.4 times, the critical temperature difference of only 3 °C could not weaken the advantages of R1234yf. Besides, heat transfer inside the ejector was considered and not much different trends with the three working fluids were found. Therefore, R1234yf could be the better candidate for R134a in the ejector refrigeration system.

This research measures the relationship between green innovation and the performance of financial development by using an econometric estimation during the year of 2000 to 2018 in 28 Chinese provinces. It is intended to explore the relative role of green technological innovation in driving green financial development in the west and central China, as well as how it influences economic growth in these regions. Ordinary least square (OLS) framework was utilized in mainland China to perform empirical studies by using an econometric estimation. This study claims that China has adopted research-based education system, while those for economic growth and expenditure in the regions while the innovation parts results shows that the tertiary education were 12.42% and 13.53% versus the 10.50% and 10.6% in the eastern area. The research-based education increases the patents in green innovation and boosts the environmental policy. The financial development led to green technological development and innovation. Green innovation and financial development decrease the emissions, and it is apparent that as environmental regulations stimulate technical development, the superiority of human resources increases. The findings indicate that green financing reduces short-term lending, thus limiting clean energy overinvestment, while the long-term loans have little impact on renewable energy overinvestment, and the intermediary effect is unmaintainable. Meanwhile, the green financial growth will reduce renewable energy overinvestment and increase renewable energy investment productivity to certain amount.

The theme of the environmental upgrades and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations is “Better Environment, Better tomorrow.” This study uses regulatory quality (RgQ) and energy consumption per capita (EC) as explanatory variables and foreign direct investment (FDI) as an integrating variable with RgQ and EC and examines their impacts on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 2001 to 2018 in panel Asian economies. The findings indicate that EC negatively impacts GHG emissions, while RgQ positively promotes the reduction of GHG emissions in Asia. In addition, FDI has an integrating role, as sufficient FDI inflows significantly enhance clean energy use and EC efficiency. Such inflows also support and improve Asia’s regulation quality by upgrading standardization investments and technology deployment to enhance institutional quality and achieve SDGs. FDI inflows have thus been vital in environment upgrading in Asia and regional sustainable environmental development.