This study reports the synthesis and characterization of composite nitrogen and fluorine co-doped titanium dioxide (NF-TiO₂) for the removal of contaminants of concern in wastewater under visible and solar light. Monodisperse anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles of different sizes and Evonik P25 were assembled to immobilized NF-TiO₂ by direct incorporation into the sol–gel or by the layer-by-layer technique. The composite films were characterized with X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, environmental scanning electron microscopy, and porosimetry analysis. The photocatalytic degradation of atrazine, carbamazepine, and caffeine was evaluated in a synthetic water solution and in an effluent from a hybrid biological concentrator reactor (BCR). Minor aggregation and improved distribution of monodisperse titania particles was obtained with NF-TiO₂-monodisperse (10 and 50 nm) from the layer-by-layer technique than with NF-TiO₂ + monodisperse TiO₂ (300 nm) directly incorporated into the sol. The photocatalysts synthesized with the layer-by-layer method achieved significantly higher degradation rates in contrast with NF-TiO₂-monodisperse titania (300 nm) and slightly faster values when compared with NF-TiO₂-P25. Using NF-TiO₂ layer-by-layer with monodisperse TiO₂ (50 nm) under solar light irradiation, the respective degradation rates in synthetic water and BCR effluent were 14.6 and 9.5 × 10⁻³ min⁻¹ for caffeine, 12.5 and 9.0 × 10⁻³ min⁻¹ for carbamazepine, and 10.9 and 5.8 × 10⁻³ min⁻¹ for atrazine. These results suggest that the layer-by-layer technique is a promising method for the synthesis of composite TiO₂-based films compared to the direct addition of nanoparticles into the sol.

Concentrations of 22 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were estimated for individual particle-size distributions at the airport apron of the Taipei International Airport, Taiwan, on 48 days in July, September, October, and December of 2011. In total, 672 integrated air samples were collected using a micro-orifice uniform deposition impactor (MOUDI) and a nano-MOUDI. Particle-bound PAHs (P-PAHs) were analyzed by gas chromatography with mass selective detector (GC/MSD). The five most abundant species of P-PAHs on all sampling days were naphthalene (NaP), phenanthrene (PA), fluoranthene (FL), acenaphthene (AcP), and pyrene (Pyr). Total P-PAHs concentrations were 152.21, 184.83, and 188.94 ng/m³ in summer, autumn, and winter, respectively. On average, the most abundant fractions of benzo[a]pyrene equivalent concentration (BaPeq) in different molecular weights were high-weight PAHs (79.29 %), followed by medium-weight PAHs (11.57 %) and low-weight PAHs (9.14 %). The mean BaPeq concentrations were 1.25 and 0.94 (ng/m³) in ultrafine particles (<0.1 μm) and nano-particles (<0.032 μm), respectively. The percentages of total BaPeq in nano- and ultrafine particulate size ranges were 52.4 % and 70.15 %, respectively.

Region-specific contaminant prioritisation is an important prerequisite for sustainable and cost-effective monitoring due to the high number of different contaminants that may be present. Surface water and sediment samples from the Sava River, Croatia, were collected at four locations covering a 150-km-long river section characterised by well-defined pollution gradients. Analysis of contaminant profiles along the pollution gradients was performed by combining toxicity screening using a battery of small-scale or in vitro bioassays, which covered different modes of action, with detailed chemical characterisation based on gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS). A large number of contaminants, belonging to different toxicant classes, were identified in both analysed matrices. Analyses of water samples showed that contaminants having polar character occurred in the highest concentrations, while in sediments, contributions from both non-polar and amphiphilic contaminants should be taken into account. Estimated contributions of individual contaminant classes to the overall toxicity indicated that, besides the classical pollutants, a number of emerging contaminants, including surfactants, pharmaceuticals, personal care products and plasticizers, should be taken into consideration in future monitoring activities. This work demonstrates the importance of the integrated chemical and bioanalytical approach for a systematic region-specific pollutant prioritisation. Finally, the results presented in this study confirm that hazard assessment in complex environmental matrices should be directed towards identification of key pollutants, rather than focusing on a priori selected contaminants alone.

Municipal solid waste compost can be used to cropland as soil amendment to supply nutrients and improve soil physical properties. But long-term application of municipal solid waste (MSW) compost may result in accumulation of toxic metals in amended soil. Phytoremediation, especially phytoextraction, is a novel, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly approach that uses metal-accumulating plants to concentrate and remove metals from contaminated soils. Ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) was applied to metal-contaminated soil to increase the mobility and phytoavailability of metals in soil, thereby increasing the amount of toxic metals accumulated in the upper parts of phytoextracting plants. The objectives of this study were (1) to investigate the accumulation and spatial distribution of toxic metals (Cd, Cr, and Pb) in mulberry from MSW compost with the application of EDTA and (NH₄)₂SO₄, (2) to examine the effectiveness of EDTA and (NH₄)₂SO₄ applied together on toxic metals (Cd, Cr, and Pb) removal by mulberry under field conditions, and (3) to evaluate the potential of mulberry for phytoextraction of toxic metals from MSW compost. The tested plant—mulberry had been grown in MSW compost field for 4 years. EDTA solution at five rates (0, 50, 100, 50 mmol L⁻¹ + 1 g L⁻¹ (NH₄)₂SO₄, and 100 mmol L⁻¹ + 1 g L⁻¹ (NH₄)₂SO₄) was added into mulberry root medium in September 2009. Twenty days later, the plants were harvested and separated into six parts according to plant height. Cd, Cr, and Pb contents in plant samples and MSW compost were analyzed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. In the same treatment, Cd, Cr, and Pb concentrations in mulberry shoot were all higher than those in root, and Cd and Pb concentrations in shoot increased from lower to upper parts, reaching the highest in leaves. Significant increases were found in toxic metal concentration in different parts of mulberry with increasing EDTA concentration, especially when combined with (NH₄)₂SO₄. Mulberry exhibited high ability to accumulate Cd with bioconcentration factors (BCFs) higher than 1. EDTA application also significantly increased Cd BCFs. More than 30 % of metal uptake was concentrated in mulberry branches (stem of above 100 cm height) and leaves. Results presented here show that mulberry is a woody plant that has the potential of Cd phytoextraction from MSW compost by removing leaves and cutting branches. The application of EDTA combined with (NH₄)₂SO₄ significantly enhanced the efficiency of mulberry in removing Cd from the compost medium. Adding (NH₄)₂SO₄ into the compost will lower the risk of the exposure of environment to excessive non-biodegradable EDTA in a large-scale EDTA-assisted phytoextraction by reducing the dosage of EDTA. In China, the need for sod is increasing day by day. Sod is often produced on arable soil and sold together with soils. This would lead to the soil being infertile and the soil layer thin. After several times’ production, the soil can no longer be used for cultivating crops and be destroyed. In order to fully utilize MSW compost resources and save valuable soil resources, MSW compost can be used to replace arable soil to produce sod after extraction of toxic metals in it.

The photocatalytic degradations of 4-chlorophenol (CP), 4-chloro-2-methylphenol (CMP), 4-chloro-3,5-dimethylphenol (CDMP) and 4-chloro-2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol (CIMP) were investigated in water and in simulated soil washing wastes containing Brij 35 (polyoxyethylene(23)dodecyl ether) in the presence of TiO₂ dispersions. A neat inhibition of substrate decomposition proportional to their growing hydrophobicity was observed in the washing wastes for CP, CMP and CDMP, whereas CIMP showed a different behaviour. The mineralization of the organic chlorine of CP and CIMP was relatively fast and complete, whereas it was much slower for CMP and CDMP. Micellar solubilization and substrate adsorption onto the semiconductor play opposite roles on the degradation kinetics, and a breakpoint between the corresponding induced effects was evidenced when the pollutants become completely bound to the micellar aggregates.

This study proposes a method for evaluating livable urban environments using the analytic hierarchy process, a survey of public opinions (n = 1,075), and gray relational analysis with a pollutant standards index to estimate the weights of weather, air pollution, and environment aspects and each respective factor. This study investigates the positive or negative correlation of these factors and their effects on livable environment. A value of 100 was designated as the perfect living condition. Results show that the weights of weather, air pollution, and environment aspects were 0.288, 0.395, and 0.317, respectively. The weight ranges of three weather factors, five air pollution factors, and ten environmental factors were 0.311-0.358, 0.191-205, and 0.081-0.116, respectively. The monthly livable index of 28 districts in Taichung City and of 20 cities/counties in Taiwan ranged from 81.1 to 92.4 and from 83.1 to 90.8 in different months, respectively, showing that environmental aspect played a key role. These results demonstrate that the proposed method can provide a quantification index of living conditions in each region, thereby establishing the governmental improvement policy firmly. This study also presents a discussion on improvement strategies, especially on the apportionment rate of governmental construction funds for livable urban environments.

The main objective of this atmospheric study was to determine the major sources of PM1 (particles having aerodynamic diameter <1.0 μm) within and near the city of Kanpur, in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Day and night, 10 h long each, filter-based aerosol samples were collected for 4 months (November 2009 to February 2010) throughout the winter season. These samples were subjected to gravimetric and quantitative chemical analyses for determining water-soluble ions (NH4 (+), F(-), Cl(-), NO3 (-), and SO4 (2-)) using an ion chromatograph and trace elements using an inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer. The mean PM1 mass concentrations were recorded as 114 ± 71 μg/m(3) (day) and 143 ± 86 μg/m(3) (night), respectively. A significantly higher diurnal contribution of ions (NH4 (+), F(-), Cl(-), NO3 (-), and SO4 (2-)) in PM1 mass was observed during the fog-affected days and nights throughout the winter season, for which the average values were recorded as 38.09 ± 13.39 % (day) and 34.98 ± 12.59 % (night), respectively, of the total PM1 mass. This chemical dataset was then used in a source-receptor model, UNMIX, and the model results are described in detail. UNMIX provided a maximum number of five source factors, including crustal material, composite vehicle, secondary aerosol, coal combustion, and iron/steel production and metallurgical industries, as the dominant air pollution sources for this study.

The treatment process described in this research explores the impact of exposing water samples containing fecal coliforms to the radiation produced by single ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) operating at 265 nm. UV LEDs are long lasting, compact in size and produce more efficient light output than traditional mercury-vapour bulbs, making them ideal for application in point-of-use disinfection systems, such as in remote areas. In this study, contaminated water samples containing either a pure culture of Escherichia coli or tertiary effluent from the City of Regina Wastewater Treatment Plant were used to study the application and efficiency of using UV LEDs for water disinfection. The results indicate that bacterial inactivation was achieved in a time-dependent manner, with 1- and 2.5-log E. coli reductions in water following 20 and 50 min of UV LED exposure, respectively. Ultraviolet radiation was less effective in reducing coliform bacteria in wastewater samples due to the elevated turbidity levels. Further work remains to be completed to optimize the application of UV LEDs for point-of-use disinfection systems; however, the results from this study support that bacterial inactivation using UV LEDs is possible, meriting further future technological development of the LEDs.