The relationship between industrial structure and carbon emissions has been widely identified as a critical research topic by international organizations and academics. Using bibliometrics analysis, this study aimed at dissecting the global characteristics and trends of research on industrial structure and carbon emissions. Based on the 806 documents from 2004 to 2019 in Web of Science, this work was implemented from four aspects, including basic characteristics analysis, country/territory and institution analysis, category and journal analysis, and reference and keyword analysis. The results of this study showed rapid growth trends of research on industrial structure and carbon emissions from 2015 to 2019. The collaborations among countries and institutions were extensive worldwide with China, the USA, and the UK as the main participants. Furthermore, the corresponding research topics, research priorities, and research paths were summarized according to the references co-citation analysis and keywords cluster analysis, which from the perspective of the correlation between different types of industry with carbon emissions. Finally, the timezone view of the top 100 keywords indicated that the emerging trends in the research on industrial structure and carbon emissions were regional analysis, industrialization, and environmental efficiency, and prediction of carbon emissions peak and the spatial distribution in different types of industries were the hotspots in recent years. The findings provide a better understanding of global characteristics and trends that have emerged in this field, which can also offer reference for future research.

Riparian vegetation has a fundamental role in protecting water bodies due to its ability to retain potential contaminants. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the quality of water according to the different land uses and state of conservation of forest vegetation in springs of tropical climate basins (Bahia, Brazil). Eighteen points at ten rural communities were selected in the Jacuípe and Joanes river basins. In relation to the degree of conservation, the areas were classified as preserved, disturbed or degraded. All the evaluated parameters presented values above the legal standards defined both by international legislation (USEPA and Decree-Law no 152/2017) and also by Brazilian legislation (CONAMA Resolution 357/05) for “degraded” zones. The aluminum concentration (Al³⁺) presented a variation of 0.01 to 4.20 mg L⁻¹, iron (Fe) of 0.01 to 4.50 mg L⁻¹, nitrogen (N) of 0.00 to 5.20 mg L⁻¹, nitrate (NO₃⁻) of 0.00 to 14.50 mg L⁻¹, nitrite (NO₂⁻) of 0.01 to 2.50 mg L⁻¹, phosphorus (P) of 0.00 to 2.22 mg L⁻¹, orthophosphate (PO₄³⁻) of 0.00 to 6.80 mg L⁻¹ and the pH presented a variation between 4.30 and 6.80. In general, it was observed that the values of water quality parameters are directly related to the state of conservation of the riparian zone. Based on this, it is concluded that the water quality monitoring permits to evaluate the influence of changes in the environment and the role of riparian zones in the protection of those water bodies.

Novel adsorbent, phosphoric acid-modified Paeonia ostii seed coats (PA-PSC) were successfully prepared by low-temperature pyrolysis to effectively remove Cu(II) from aqueous solution. The results revealed that equilibrium adsorption capacity (qₑ) of PA-PSC for Cu(II) was notably enhanced up to 4-folds compared with the raw PSC. FT-IR and XPS analyses suggested that the adsorption of Cu(II) by PA-PSC was primarily ascribed to electrostatic forces and complexing effects. Besides, equilibrium and kinetic studies demonstrated that Freundlich and pseudo-second-order models were the actually fairly good approximations of Cu(II) adsorption. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that the adsorption of Cu(II) onto PA-PSC was a chemical, endothermic, and spontaneous process. Lastly, reusability study further confirmed the applicability of PA-PSC as a promising adsorbent for removing Cu(II) from aqueous solution.

The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals ketoprofen, meloxicam, and tenoxicam were degraded by photo-assisted peroxidation (hv/H₂O₂) and photo-Fenton processes under simulated solar radiation (sunlight) and UV-C. Preliminary studies showed that the processes under UV-C and sun-photo-Fenton radiation showed similar degradation results. The sun-photo-Fenton was less sensitive to the concentration variation of the H₂O₂ oxidant. Given that, in general, the highest percentages of degradation were achieved using the sun-photo-Fenton system and that this radiation resembles solar radiation, this process was selected for further studies. From the results of a factorial design 2³, in duplicate, the highest degradation condition within the studied levels was 400 mg L⁻¹ of [H₂O₂], 1.75 mg L⁻¹ of [Fe], and pH at 3–4 range. The kinetic degradation curve, monitored by the chemical oxygen demand (COD), could be represented by the pseudo-first-order model, and after 120 min the COD concentrations reached values below 2% of the initial demand. Degradation products from the three drugs were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography with coupled mass spectrometry (UCLAE-EM) and verified the toxicity of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritidis bacteria and of lettuce seeds (Lettuce Veneranda), indicating the formation of compounds that have lower molecular mass and can be more easily degraded, using this process as one of the stages of a system of treatment.

A robust method is provided to analyze 18 hydrophilic and hydrophobic biocides in both dissolved and particulate fractions of five types of urban and surface waters using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. The linearity, accuracy, and intermediate precision were validated. The target biocides were enriched by solid-phase extraction using Chromabond HR-X 200-mg cartridges and eluted with methanol, ethyl acetate, and dichloromethane. Suspended matter was extracted by microwave-assisted extraction in methanol and dichloromethane. Recoveries and variability (respectively > 75% and < 30% for most of the target biocides and matrices) made it possible to quantify biocides at a trace level in all matrices. Limits of quantification were in the range of nanograms per liter in the dissolved fraction and in the range of nanograms per gram of dry weight in the particulate fraction for most of the biocides and matrices, and were generally lower than those reported in previous studies. The method was successfully applied to surface waters, treated and untreated wastewater, combined sewer overflows, and stormwater, providing unique data in these matrices for some substances, in particular with respect to particle contamination. In urban waters, concentrations of most of the biocides ranged from 10 to 200 ng/L. Diuron, isothiazolinone, and benzalkonium concentrations could reach 0.9, 0.9, and 20 μg/L respectively. In rivers, most of the biocides were measured at less than 10 ng/L, but higher concentrations were observed for benzalkoniums (up to 200 ng/L) or after rain events, which indicates biocide transfer from urban surfaces into the aquatic environment during wet weather.

Corrosion has made petrochemical infrastructure becomes a significant hazard of the surrounding environment. It is an excellent approach to reduce the risk of environmental pollution by improving the accuracy of determining the leakage probability of the equipment system. In this work, a reliability-based methodology was proposed to assess the system leakage probability with multiple pipe segments under the common cause failure (CCF). Specifically, the existence of FD between the pipe segments was examined under the CCF so that a system leakage assessment model was developed considering the FD. Thereby a novelty corrosion-induced leakage risk management framework was developed. After leakage evaluation for an oil pipeline, it was found that the results obtained were too conservative if ignoring FD, which will develop a wasteful maintenance plan. Overall, the findings in this work may be an opportunity for managers to improve maintenance efficiency.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC) are a wide group of chemicals that interfere with the endocrine system. Their similarity to natural steroid hormones makes them able to attach to hormone receptors, thereby causing unfavorable health effects. Among EDC, bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol S (BPS), and nonylphenol (NP) seem to be particularly harmful. As the industry is experiencing rapid expansion, BPA, BPS, and NP are being produced in growing amounts, generating considerable environmental pollution. White rot fungi (WRF) are an economical, ecologically friendly, and socially acceptable way to remove EDC contamination from ecosystems. WRF secrete extracellular ligninolytic enzymes such as laccase, manganese peroxidase, lignin peroxidase, and versatile peroxidase, involved in lignin deterioration. Owing to the broad substrate specificity of these enzymes, they are able to remove numerous xenobiotics, including EDC. Therefore, WRF seem to be a promising tool in the abovementioned EDC elimination during wastewater treatment processes. Here, we review WRF application for this EDC removal from wastewater and indicate several strengths and limitations of such methods.

The presented work is devoted to the study of the ecological potential of Spirulina Arthrospira platensis to absorb copper ions from the water polluted by given heavy metal. The obtained data reveal the ability of Spirulina in a short time, in particular for 3 days to diminish 70% of Cu²⁺ ions of the initial incubation medium (100 ppm). The physiological parameters of Spirulina under the influence of copper on algae were also studied the highest concentration of Cu²⁺ ions cause inhibition of biomass accumulation by 15% and decrease of chlorophyll content by 30%. The presented results underline the capacity of Arthrospira platensis for the purification of water contaminations by copper.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) and the consumption of non-renewable energy have been on the increase in the coastal Mediterranean countries (CMCs) over the last few decades. Both trigger growth, but the environmental impact could be far-reaching as environmental distortions are mainly human-induced. This study examines the environmental issues facing CMCs. Specifically, we investigate whether the pollution haven hypothesis holds for CMCs. We employ a quantile panel data analysis for CMCs to account for heterogeneity and distributional effects of socioeconomic factors. The result reveals that the influence of FDI on environmental degradation is a function of the indicators utilized and also depends on the initial levels of environmental degradation. The results suggest that the pollution haven hypothesis does not hold for CMCs. However, we also find that energy consumption significantly increases environmental degradation for all indicators and across the observed quantiles. The effects of economic growth and urbanization on the environment were mixed for the different indicators and across quantiles. We recommend that it is pertinent for CMCs to limit their “dirty” energy sources and substitute them with renewables to promote environmental sustainability.

To prevent the collapse and settlement of fine granular soil during earth pressure balance (EPB) tunneling or tunneling balance machine (TBM) operations, foaming agent mixing is one of the most efficient techniques. This work focuses on the stability of loose sandy-clay soil conditioned with the foaming agent. Four reconstituted loose sandy-clay soils were conditioned with the foaming agent CLB F5/AC. Using optical observation, Turbiscan analysis, and foam volume determination, the stability of foam mixed with fine soils was studied based on drainage coalescence and coarsening phenomena that occurred over time. Additionally, foam stability under gravity drainage was analyzed through a (one-dimensional) 1D column experiment. Variation in the FIR (foam injection ratio) shows that there is a limit FIR value from which the foam begins to be observed in the soil sample, involving a discontinuous porosity increase to the detriment of the continuous porosity decrease. An approach that considered this discontinuous porosity generated by the inclusion of gas bubbles was used to describe foam bubble degradation. Tests carried out on foam alone showed its rapid degradation compared with that of the foam added and mixed in the soil. Fine particles of clay allow foam stability even in the soil mixture. The foam volume in the soil decreases according to constant volume stages separated by a fast volume decrease. Both drainage and coalescence phenomena have occurred significantly for high values of FIRs. From the 1D column experience, foam bubbles modify the drainage kinetics by accelerating the drainage velocity compared with that of unconditioned soil. The foam behavior evolution over time when mixed with the soil can be analyzed using the same theory of the behavior of the foam alone.