The waste tyre and waste cooking oils have a great potential to be used as alternative fuels for diesel engines. The aim of this study was to convert light fractions of pyrolysis oil derived from Pakistani waste vehicle tyres and waste soybean oil methyl esters into valuable fuel and to reduce waste disposal-associated environmental problems. In this study, the waste tyre pyrolysis liquid (light fraction) was collected from commercial tyre pyrolysis plant and biodiesel was prepared from waste soybean oil. The fuel blends (FMWO10, FMWO20, FMWO30, FMWO40 and FMWO50) were prepared from a 30:70 mixture of waste tyre pyrolysis liquid and waste soybean oil methyl esters with different proportions of mineral diesel. The mixture was named as the fuel mixture of waste oils (FMWO). FT-IR analysis of the fuel mixture was carried out using ALPHA FT-IR spectrometer. Experimental investigations on a diesel engine were carried out with various FMWO blends. It was observed that the engine fuel consumption was marginally increased and brake thermal efficiency was marginally decreased with FMWO fuel blends. FMWO10 has shown lowest NOx emissions among all the fuel blends tested. In addition, HC, CO and smoke emissions were noticeably decreased by 3.1–15.6%, 16.5–33.2%, and 1.8–4.5%, respectively, in comparison to diesel fuel, thereby qualifying the blends to be used as alternative fuel for diesel engines.

In the present work, a biosorbent was produced through the alkaline washing of Brazilian ironwood fruits. Infrared and thermogravimetric analyses showed changes in the obtained biosorbent with the removal of extractives, whose micrograph presents a more fibrous structure for the treated material. The biosorption behavior of the methylene blue dye shows efficiency at pH above five, and at alkaline pH, it reaches removal efficiency of up to 90% for five successive cycles. Adsorption kinetics is fast and fits the pseudo-second-order model, which, with the best fit of the Langmuir isotherm model, indicates a chemical adsorption mechanism. The thermodynamic trials express the spontaneity of biosorption and enthalpy and entropy variations of − 10.47 kJ mol⁻¹ and 51.84 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹, respectively. The maximum biosorption capacity is of 125.2 mg g⁻¹ for the temperature of 25 °C, consisting in a low-cost alternative for the removal of this type of contaminant from an aqueous medium.

This study aims to understand the influence of salinity and labile organic matter removal on the fate and behavior of metals in coastal technosols. Two technosol cores were collected near the Lebanese shore. The cores were sectioned into layers; each layer was characterized for pH, salinity, electric conductivity, labile and total organic matter, grain size, and total and oxalate-extractable metals. Consequently, two saline solutions were used in desorption experiments to understand the role of ionic strength and labile organic matter on metal release. The results showed that the technosol layers were highly heterogeneous; most layers were enriched with Fe, Zn, Pb, and Cu. The mineralogical investigations showed that the metals, notably Fe, were not present as crystalline minerals, rather big percentages of the metals were found in amorphous or poorly crystalline phases. Desorption experiment showed that Mg release was dependent on salinity and organic matter in both technosols, while Pb release was dependent on both factors only in one. Additionally, Zn and Cu were associated to organic matter, and their release was conditioned by the removal of labile organic matter; iron was primarily found as amorphous or poorly crystalline phases, and salinity had a major role in its release. The role of ionic strength and labile organic matter removal on the behavior of metals in technosols was demonstrated. Finally, understanding metal dynamics between the solid and liquid compartments in technosols, especially where salt deposition occurs, is important to reduce unwanted metal leaching to groundwater or seawater and transfer to biota.

Phytoremediation of metal(loid)s by conifers is not widely studied, although conifers may be interesting, particularly in temperate-cold areas and/or on acidic soils. In this study, seeds of Douglas fir were sown in greenhouse and cultivated for 3 months on two Technosols highly contaminated with different concentrations of Pb, As and Sb and collected in two French old former mines located in massif Central or close to it: a mine of gold at La Petite Faye and a mine of lead and silver at Pontgibaud. Two amendments, a nutrient solution (NS) and composted sewage sludge (CSS), were tested in order to stimulate Douglas fir growth and to reduce the metal(loid)s mobility and phytoavailability. The speciation determined by sequential extractions as well as mineralogy highlight different geochemical behaviours of Pb, As and Sb as a function of the Technosol. In all cases, CSS amendments significantly reduced Pb phytoavailability as well as the uptake and translocation of Pb and As. Moreover, CSS stimulated the growth of Douglas firs highlighting that this amendment could be a good strategy for a better phytostabilisation of these metal(loid)s.

In this study, water temperature and meteorological data in Lake Taihu from June 11 to July 6, 2013, are collected to calibrate and verify the unstructured grid finite-volume community ocean model (FVCOM) coupled with a heat exchange module. The spatial and temporal variations of potential energy anomalies (PEA) in the lake, simulated by the calibrated FVCOM, are analyzed to explore the stratification and de-stratification processes in water body. The temporal variation of PEA primarily follows the diurnal cycles of solar radiation, while the spatial heterogeneity of PEA is jointly determined by solar radiation and vertical shear of horizontal velocity coupled with the topography of the lake. The maxima of PEA in the lake are not greater than 4 J/m³ in the summer and even smaller along shore regions and near the Pingtaishan station. This study is helpful to improve understanding of the effect of physical processes on the algae bloom in Lake Taihu.

In the original publication, the numbers 289 and 290 were added in Table 1 footnote. The table footnote should read “Flow-rates are shown as the mean value (n = 5) ± standard deviation. USWR urban storm-water runoff”.

In this study, photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) was investigated using two types of catalysts (TiO₂ and ZnO) with various metal ion concentrations and amounts of added H₂O₂. A kinetic test was performed to observe the changes of BPA over time under UV irradiation in a photocatalytic reactor. Experimental results demonstrated that degradation efficiency of ZnO was higher than that of TiO₂. The degradation rate increased as catalyst dosage increased until reaching optimum dosage, after which degradation rate decreased. The addition of H₂O₂ improved the degradation efficiency of BPA, with the degradation efficiency increasing with the amount of H₂O₂. All metal ions, including Fe²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Cu²⁺, inhibited the degradation of BPA by ZnO at natural pH, whereas Fe²⁺ and Ni²⁺ enhanced degradation efficiency of BPA at acidic pH. Comparison of BPA degradation with H₂O₂ only, ZnO/H₂O₂, Fe²⁺/H₂O₂, and ZnO/Fe²⁺/H₂O₂ revealed that Fe²⁺/H₂O₂ was more efficient than other processes at lower pH (pH = 3.44), whereas ZnO/H₂O₂ the most efficient at higher pH (pH = 6.44). These results indicate that ZnO/H₂O₂ process was observed to be the most efficient of all processes. Degradation efficiency of BPA by ZnO was also influenced by additional parameters, including H₂O₂ concentration, metal ions, and solution pH.

Effects of graphene oxide (GO) on phosphorus removal characteristics and mechanisms of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) were investigated in controlled batch tests. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) image results showed that the surface of AGS appeared wrinkled with coccus and bacillus brevis being wizened and the fungal mycelium being cut into pieces in AGS with 0.06 g/L GO. The anaerobic and aerobic batch tests suggested that the net phosphorus uptake of AGS was 2.60 mg/L for AGS with GO, compared with the value (4.38 mg/L) without GO, and the maximum release and uptake phosphorus rates also remarkably decreased. Intracellular and extracellular phosphorus contents were reduced to 64.67 and 19.74% of that without GO, indicating the nanoparticle might have great effects on extracellular phosphorus. The standards, measurements, and testing (SMT) analysis suggested that the inorganic phosphorus (IP) and organic phosphorus (OP) content decreased compared with the values without GO. The summation of phosphorus fraction associated with Ca (Ca-P) and the phosphorus fraction associated with Al, Fe, and Mn (Fe/Al-P) were 82.09% (without GO) and 94.27% (with GO), suggesting the presence of GO resulted in the decrease of content and species of IP. The extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were reduced from 173.68 mg/g MLVSS to 137.55 mg/g MLVSS when AGS contacted with GO. The results of this assay had uncovered that 0.06 g/L GO could inhibit the bioactivity of phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAOs), which resulted in the decrease of Ca-P, Fe/Al-P, and OP. EPS played an essential role on the phosphorus removal and granular stability. The decrease of EPS, which was produced by microorganisms, was contributed to decrease of extracellular phosphorus. This study provided an extensive insight into the influence of GO on phosphorus removal mechanism by AGS. Graphical Abstract The influence of graphene oxide on the extracellular polymeric substances and phosphorus species

Indirect carbon emissions account for a large ratio of the total carbon emissions in processes to make the final products, and this implies indirect carbon emission flow across industries. Understanding these flows is crucial for allocating a carbon allowance for each industry. By combining input–output analysis and complex network theory, this study establishes an indirect carbon emission flow network (ICEFN) for 41 industries from 2005 to 2014 to investigate the interrelationships among different industries. The results show that the ICEFN was consistent with a small-world nature based on an analysis of the average path lengths and the clustering coefficients. Moreover, key industries in the ICEFN were identified using complex network theory on the basis of degree centrality and betweenness centrality. Furthermore, the 41 industries of the ICEFN were divided into four industrial subgroups that are related closely to one another. Finally, possible policy implications were provided based on the knowledge of the structure of the ICEFN and its trend.

The ubiquitous presence of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in indoor air, dust, and even in human tissue could be attributed to their emissions from BFR-containing products. Nevertheless, the emission behavior of BFRs, especially novel BFRs from consumer materials, to the indoor environment has still not been well understood. To evaluate the effects of chemical content, temperature, and time on the emissions of BFRs, we used a batch of small glass chambers to conduct emission tests on carpet, computer casings, sound insulation, circuit boards, decorative laminate, and PVC floors at temperatures from 20 to 80 °C, as well as different emission times of up to 35 days. Seven BFRs were extracted from the tested materials with contents ranging from 50 to 35,803 μg g⁻¹, and four BFRs were detected with emission rates between 5.9 and 418 pg g⁻¹ h⁻¹ at room temperature (20 °C); 1,2,5,6,9,10-hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) was considered to be the dominant compound, which was found in and could be emitted from all of the tested materials. Emission rates are significantly and positively correlated with both the contents of tested materials and the elevated temperature. These results indicate that BFR-containing products have the potential to be a major source of indoor contamination.