Good quality activated charcoals were prepared from areca nutshell and coconut shell using phosphoric acid as a chemical activating agent at 400oC. Physico-chemical properties like iodine number, methylene blue number, and surface area of two activated charcoals were measured to assess the porous nature. A special test called acetic acid number was devised to understand the quality of functional groups on charcoal surfaces. Proximate analysis and physical properties of the two activated charcoals closely matched those of a commercial sample, confirming the good quality of samples prepared in the laboratory. Adsorption of isolated caramel from waste stream obeyed Freundlich isotherm, and the data could be explained based on the physisorption of large size molecules on the walls of mesoporous solid surface. Adsorption of methylene blue involving Coulombic attraction towards the areca nut shell-derived activated charcoal could be predicted and confirmed based on the acetic acid number for the first time.

This research aimed to quantify the effects of biochar derived from corn straw on soil thermal conductivity, capacity, and diffusivity. Firstly, the amount of biochar application (w/w) added to light sierozem soil was 0% to 5%, and the mixtures were packed into soil columns at a consistent bulk density (1.20 g.cm-3). Secondly, soil columns with a consistent biochar addition rate (5%) were packed to different bulk densities of 1.30, 1.25, 1.20, 1.15, and 1.10 g.cm-3. Soil thermal characteristics were measured under the control of soil moisture content from 0% to 40%. Under consistent bulk-density conditions, biochar could significantly reduce soil thermal conductivity and diffusivity. Still, there wasn’t a significant influence on soil heat capacity in most soil moisture content levels. With the decrease of soil bulk density, soil thermal conductivity, capacity, and diffusion coefficient reduced significantly. As soil water content increased, all the indexes of thermal properties largely improved, and the effects were much more significant than those of biochar amendment and bulk density change on soil thermal performances. This research could supply an implication to evaluate the influence of biochar amendment on soil thermal performances.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is the air quality within and around buildings and structures, particularly regarding building occupants’ health and comfort. IAQ assessments were performed using an objective measurement of molecular gaseous pollutants to determine the IAQ profile in the hospital’s critical areas. It also analyses the effects on patients in different environments and the sources that result in deviations from approved criteria. This comparative study is aimed to investigate the concentration of different compounds in different critical departments in the hospital and propose solutions to the related problem as an improvement in indoor air quality. The data was compared with the standards and regulations. It was found that the TVOC level in the CCU department, specifically in the fluoroscopy room, has exceeded the allowable limit. A few suggestions have been raised to lower the exceeded value. The risks and symptoms held by the occupants in the hospital buildings if they face poor indoor air quality were discussed. Further study can be conducted to relate the short and long-term health issues among medical staff to poor indoor air quality.

Water pollution caused by oil spills at sea and industrial and daily wastewater discharges are causing serious damage to the ecological environment, not only in terms of economic losses but also in terms of human health and survival, a problem that needs to be addressed urgently. Oil/water separation is a global challenge, and while these problems are frequent, various oil/water separation strategies have been extensively investigated in recent years. The efficiency of the materials prepared is a key factor, as are the environmental friendliness and low cost of the methods and raw materials used in the experiments. This work reviews methods and materials applied in oil/water separation in recent years, including natural textile materials, metal meshes, synthetic membranes, particulate adsorbent materials, foams, sponges, aerogels, smart controllable special wettable separation materials.

Global agricultural production cannot catch the increasing population’s exigency. At different times, the world has faced food crises of varying intensity. Many steps have been taken after that to encounter the rising concerns. Nowadays, nanofertilizers are being experimented with as an alternative to conventional fertilizers. Nanofertilizers can be classified as macronutrients and micronutrients nanofertilizers. Synthesis of macronutrient nanofertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, etc.) and micronutrient nanofertilizers (iron, boron, zinc, copper, silicon, etc.) can be done using chemical and green synthesis methods, which involves reducing agents, capping agents, dendrimers, microbial synthesis, solvents, and others. Composition of the nanofertilizers can be done using top-down and bottom-up approaches incorporating hydrocarbon polymer, dendrimers, microbes, etc., which decides their usage in various crops depending upon the requirement of the plant. Engineered nanofertilizers can improve crop yield by mitigating environmental pollution, environmental stress, and plant diseases. However, the unsystematic use of nanofertilizers can be a hurdle in its utilization. This article discusses various types of nanofertilizers with their unique properties and applications. Each category of nanofertilizers is explained considering their composition, particle size, concentrations applied, benefited plant species, and plant-growth enhancement aspects.

Microscopic examination was used to begin investigating the changes in geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) specimens that had been hydrated with two separate solutions: pure water and a 50 percent concentration NaCl solution. After already being hydrated with NaCl aqueous solution, the GCL samples were examined under an electron microscope. Even though the treated GCL samples’ surfaces mirrored those of the untreated GCL, a crystal deposit was found there. It was found that the bentonite particles in the GCL sample appeared more solid after being hydrated with distilled water as opposed to the NaCl solution using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). It seems that wetting the salt solution decreases the bentonite particles’ tendency to swell. Additionally, it was demonstrated by the energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) data that distilled water hydration had no impact on the distribution of the elements identified in the GCL samples. On the other hand, the presence of bound chlorine demonstrated that the bentonite particles had absorbed the NaCl solution. The hydrated GCL sample’s hydraulic conductivity showed some variation as well.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed in the Ganga River water samples collected from three cities. Jajmau (Kanpur), Dala Khera (Fatehpur), and Kara Kachar (Kaushambi) of Uttar Pradesh, India. At Jajmau (Kanpur), out of sixteen PAHs, eight were found in the Ganga river water in concentration (μg.L-1) order: acenaphthylene (3.8356) > pyrene (0.5878) > fluorene (0.5752) > anthracene (0.2806) > benzo(b)fluoranthene (0.1960) > phenanthrene (0.0526) > benzo(a)pyrene (0.0234) > naphthalene (0.006). In contrast, in Dala Khera (Fatehpur), two PAHs: anthracene (0.2806) and fluorene (0.07894), were observed. In Kara Kachar (Kaushambi), only single phenanthrene (0.04507) was detected. It was noticed that the three-ring types of PAHs occur commonly in all three sites. It is concerning because the river water sampled had PAH concentrations, namely Acy, Flu, Phe, and Pyr, that were relatively higher than those recommended (0.05 μg.L-1) by WHO (1998) in surface water. In contrast, the amounts of Nap, Ant, BbF, and Bap were recorded within the safe levels in Kanpur, while in the other two cities (Fatehpur and Kaushambi), Phe and Ant were detected lower than their permissible limit. Flu was measured as higher than its recommended value by WHO (1998). Similarly, the concentration of Acy, Ant, Pyr, BbF and BaP in river water samples at Jajmau, Kanpur were higher than their safe limits suggested by RIVM report 607711007/2012 for inland surface water while Nap, Flu, and Phe were lower than their recommended values. However, at, Dala Khera and Kara Kachar (Fatehpur and Kaushambi respectively), the concentrations of Ant, Flu and Phe were lower than their prescribed limits given by RIVM 607711007/2012.

The present study was done on the hypothesis that excess sodium chloride (NaCl) in the soil decreases the growth and yield of Cichorium intybus L. To investigate this hypothesis, a pot experiment was conducted in which chicory seeds were sown in garden soil-filled earthen pots and treated with three different doses of sodium chloride (45, 75, and 105 mM kg-1 soil) except the control, and each treatment was replicated three times. The results revealed that all the saline treatments significantly (p≤0.05) reduced the vegetative (including root and shoot length, dry weight, number of leaves, leaf area, number of branches, and photosynthetic pigments) and reproductive (mean fruit number/plant, mean seed number/fruit, and total seed yield/plant) growth parameters of Cichorium intybus. On increasing NaCl concentration in the soil, chlorophyll content significantly (p≤0.05) decreased while proline content in the fresh leaves increased significantly (p≤0.05). From the results, it is concluded that Cichorium intybus L. can tolerate a moderate level of sodium chloride stress (45-75 mM NaCl kg-1 soil) but is sensitive to high doses of sodium chloride stress (105 mM NaCl kg-1 soil).

The increasing volume and complexity of waste associated with the modern economy pose a serious risk to ecosystems and human health. Due to the intensive increase in computation, Machine learning is popular. Intelligent solid waste management motivates the Swachh Bharat mission to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of astrapita Mahatma Gandhi. In the context of smart city development, an innovative means of implementing smart solid waste collection is to improve daily solid waste collection at the household level. An intelligent solid waste collection system will be implemented in the Smart City to improve solid waste collection. It is required to educate households about solid waste handling. Municipal Corporation can implement an innovative PPP model as part of an independent India campaign to motivate startup ntrepreneurs, which will generate jobs in India. The city of Pune is in a phase of intelligent urban mobility development to improve citizens’ living standards. Ensure safe traffic management, adequate water supply, smart amenities, and services such as the intelligent collection, transport, and processing of solid waste. RFID and IoT base IT solutions have the potential to develop sustainable, innovative technology to achieve 100% household collections and transportation and treatment of waste so that to minimize waste to send landfill side.

Medical facilities, such as hospitals, clinics, and locations where diagnosis and treatment are administered, create dangerous waste that predisposes individuals to deadly infections. Medical waste management aims to improve health and prevent public health and environmental threats. Questionnaires, interviews, site visitations, and observations were utilized to determine the management strategies implemented in the three hospitals and evaluate the efficacy of waste management. The hospitals under review are Afe Babalola University Multi-system Hospital (AMSH), Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), and Federal Teaching Hospital Ido-Ekiti (FETHI). Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was utilized for the statistical analysis of the questionnaires, and the mean assessment was utilized to compute the waste per bed each day. The results revealed that the three hospitals’ sharp, infectious, and pharmaceutical waste is the most sorted. All hospitals burn their medical waste in incinerators but dispose of the ashes in dumpsites. The mean evaluation of all hospitals’ medical waste was weighed to establish the overall amount generated. The total amount of medical waste created at AMSH, EKSUTH, and FETHI is 31.5 kg, 53.6 kg, and 135.1 kg, respectively. The medical waste generated per bed per day in AMSH, EKSUTH, and FETHI is 0.61 kg, 0.74 kg, and 0.73 kg, respectively. It was determined that the proper management and disposal of waste is a critical obligation of healthcare facilities. There should be a provision for educating personnel about the consequences of inappropriately disposing of medical waste.