Ni-Al-CO₃-layered double hydroxide (LDH) with Ni:Al ratio (3:1) and their nanocomposites with alginate and chitosan beads were prepared and examined for their efficiency in removal of Cd²⁺ and Cu²⁺ ions from wastewater. Different parameters such as contact time, pH value, adsorbent weight, and heavy metal ion concentration on the removal efficiency were examined and reported. The prepared beads were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), TEM, SEM, and FTIR. Our results revealed a successful preparation of the LDH in rhombohedral hexognal crystal form and the alginate-LDH-chitosan beads. The optimized batch experiment conditions in ambient room temperature were found to be 2 g/L adsorbent dose, 50 mg/L initial concentration of meal, contact time of 2 h, and pH ~ 5 and 6 for removal of Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺, respectively. The adsorption process was well fitted with Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models (higher R²), with trivial advantage for Freundlich approach. Kinetic studies showed that the adsorption of both Cd²⁺ and Cu²⁺ followed the pseudo-second-order. The current study demonstrated that the Ni-Al-CO₃ LDH and their novel alginate-chitosan-based nanocomposite could be further tailored and used as efficient adsorbents for the uptake of heavy metals from wastewater.

To evaluate the association between the presence of asthma and allergy, and airborne endotoxin in homes of school-age children in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, with a case–control study design by matching the age and class exposure. Data collection of home visits included an interviewer-administered questionnaire and air sampling of participants’ homes for endotoxin, bacteria, and fungi, as well as temperature and relative humidity measurements. Endotoxin was detected in all air samples with a median value of 0.67 EU m⁻³. In the adjusted logistic regression model, household airborne endotoxin was associated with higher prevalence of asthma and allergy; OR = 4.88 (95% CI 1.16–20.55) for Q3 (between 0.67 and 1.97 EU m ⁻³) vs. Q1 (< 0.31 EU m ⁻³), with statistical significance. Airborne fungi were associated with higher prevalence of asthma and allergy; OR = 4.47 (95% CI 1.13–17.69) for Q3 (between 314 and 699 CFU m ⁻³) vs. Q1 (< 159 CFU m ⁻³) in adjusted logistic regression models. Airborne endotoxin and fungi were significantly associated with children’s asthma and allergy.

Eco-degradative features associated with the modern agriculture due to utilization of toxic agro-chemicals and intensified technologies need an urgent attention. Considering this need for eco-curativeness and eco-efficiency, current has for the first time employed an integrated farming system (IFS) through designing an appropriate assemblage of vegetables, poultry, and fish (VPF) and investigated its applied scale practicability in addition to the its role in the enhancement of the productivity and environmental quality maintenance. The practical employment of VPF model resulted in the remarkable improvement of soil fertility through an increment in the essential nutrient quantity. Physicochemical analysis of the soils expressed an improvement in the treated samples, i.e., pH (7.31), EC (0.92 dS/m), organic matter (2.97%), nitrogen (2.1 mg/kg), phosphorous (120.3 mg/kg), potassium (322 mg/kg), calcium (1482.0 mg/kg), and magnesium (471.5 mg/kg). Furthermore, ecological detoxification was expressed in form of lower heavy metals (HM) in the experimental soils. At the early plantation stage, HM concentration in the soils modified with nutrient-rich water signified considerably lower pattern with trend, i.e., Cd < Zn < Ni <Pb< Cu < Fe. The morphological growth of the vegetable plants, i.e., Lycopersicon esculentum L., Capsicum annum, and Abelmoschus esculentus, and fish species, i.e., Lobeo rohita and Clarias gariepinus, in the current investigation was remarkably good. Currently employed VPF model expressed a duality in completion of sustainability goals through production of good-quality vegetables in addition to environmental integrity boosting by complete elimination of need for toxic chemical inputs. Results of this research can be adopted for large-scale employment for production of augmented agricultural production in a completely sustainable manner.

In this study, an internal circulation biological aerated filter (ICBAF) reactor was applied to pretreat refinery wastewater containing large amounts of organic pollutants. According to the composition change of inlet-and-outlet water, the main organic pollutants, including micromolecular organic-acids, aldehydes, ketones, phenols, and so forth, degraded well in ICBAF unit. The concentration of organic acids, alcohols, and esters changed from 648 to 90 mg/L, 130 to 90 mg/L, and 158 to 228 mg/L, respectively. The average removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biological oxygen demand (BOD₅) reached 54.62% and 83.64%, respectively. It was clear that the concentration of effluent organic acids in the ICBAF unit decreased significantly. The degradation process of organic acids, alcohols, and esters (among others) and the degradation pathway of organic acids were also discussed. Straight chain organic acids and naphthenic acids were degraded by α-oxidation, β-oxidation, α- and β-combined oxidation, or aromatization. The study demonstrates the potential of the ICBAF as an alternative for the high-efficiency pretreatment of refinery wastewater.

The feasibility of coordinated use of water-based drilling cuttings (WDC), fly ash, and phosphogypsum (PG) as raw materials for the preparation of WDC non-autoclaved aerated concrete (WNAAC) was evaluated by laboratory experiment. The results showed that the pozzolanic reaction of the multi-component cementitious system containing 40% (in mass) of WDC is significantly promoted. Newly formed C-S-H gel and ettringite with the uniform distribution of fibrous and flake-like shape occur, presenting a denser and interlock microstructure. In addition, after cured by steam at 80 °C for 24 h, the mechanical property and unit weight of the WNAAC prepared with 40% WDC fully meet the B06, A3.5 grade of China state standard (GB/T11968-2006). Environmental performance tests confirm that the WNAAC prepared with 40% WDC does not create any secondary contamination.

In this study, element content and health risk of the most popular herbs from Iran were evaluated. The samples of raw materials from 30 different herbs were purchased from the local markets of Iran. The concentration levels of some elements including macroelements (N, P, K, Ca, and Mg), micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, and Na), and heavy metals (Cd, Ni, and Pb) of studied herbs were evaluated. The potential of health risks was calculated by Estimated Daily Intake (EDI), Target Hazard Quotient (THQ), and Hazard Index (HI). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to test a hypothesis about differences between the mean values. The highest levels of Ca (20,000 ± 26.3 mg/kg), Mg (9600 ± 45.4 mg/kg), N (59,955 ± 11.55 mg/kg), P (6544 ± 20 mg/kg), and K (56,563.2 ± 18 mg/kg) were found in Zataria multiflora, Malva sylvestris, Acasia arbus, Cannabis sativa, and Amomum subulatum, respectively. In addition, the highest concentration levels of Fe (987 ± 75.27 mg/kg), Zn (1187.5 ± 10 mg/kg), Cu (64.2 ± 2 mg/kg), Mn (272.3 ± 66.62 mg/kg), and Na (2658.8 ± 20.3 mg/kg) were recorded in Bunium persicum, Peganum harmala, Papaver somniferum, Alpinia officinalis, and Cuminum cyminum, respectively. Acasia arbus, Anethum graveolens, and Malva sylvestris showed the highest concentration of Ni (6.07 ± 0.04 mg/kg), Cd (1.64 ± 0.16 mg/kg), and Pb (9.27 ± 0.25 mg/kg). Based on performed health risk assessment on the studied plants, EDI, THQ, and HI values of all of them were less than 1. This study indicated that there were several harmful elements in the herbs. The healthier plant species are those with the least concentration of Pb, Ni, and Cd, which include Vitex agnus-custus and Teucrium polium. On the other hand, the toxic plants with a higher concentration of Pb, Ni, and Cd included Malva sylvestris, Acasia arbus, and Anethum graveolens. In addition, evaluation of human risk assessment is an important factor for investigating the concentration of heavy metals harmful for human beings.

Currently, there is an overexploitation of natural resources worldwide due to the need to build various types of civil engineering infrastructure, such as buildings, bridges, housing and, in particular, roads. A large number of countries, including Mexico, additionally do not apply adequate treatment to the material resulting from the demolition of this type of work. Both situations generate significant environmental damage and contribute to the non-sustainability of the road construction sector. This research assesses the linear viscoelastic (LVE²) behavior of asphalt concrete specimens made with different combinations of mineral aggregate and construction and demolition waste (CDW). Complex dynamic modulus tests were performed in compression on cylindrical samples at different temperatures and frequency loading. The ANOVA analysis of test results indicate that the stiffness of the different asphalt concretes evaluated, represented by the complex dynamic modulus, tends to decrease with the temperature and increase with load frequency, which are typical of materials with viscous characteristics. The stiffness of the asphalt concrete evaluated does not show significant changes as the CDW aggregate content varies.

Colony formation in Microcystis aeruginosa played important roles in blooms formation. To study the effects of plant allelopathy on colony formation in M. aruginosa, unicellular M. aeruginosa was cultivated under laboratory conditions treated with various extract concentration of Carex cinerascens. The growth of M. aeruginosa in the treatments with 0.05 and 0.1 mg L⁻¹ extract of C. cinerascens was promoted but the growth in the treatments with 1.5, 3.0, and 6.0 mg L⁻¹ C. cinerascens extract was inhibited. Obvious colony formation in M. aeruginosa was observed in all treatments while no colony formation was detected in the control. The cell number per colony at the first day was the largest and decreased along with culture time. The cell number per colony in the control ranged from 3.0 to 4.0 during the experiment. However, the values in the five treatments at the first day were 33, 80, 58, 41, and 30, respectively. A positive exponential relationship between cell number per colony of M. aeruginosa and extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) content was found as well. Compared the fold-increase in cell number per colony and the fold-increase in total biomass of M. aeruginosa at various day, it was found that colony formation induced by extract of C. cinerascens was primarily dependent on promotion of cell adhesion during the first 2 days. The cell number per colony decreased afterward was due to the increasing proportion of single cells in the culture because single cells had a great higher growth rate than M. aeruginosa colonies under culture condition. Our results suggested that plant allelopathy be one of the major factor contributing to colony formation in M. aeruginosa.

Picotechnology development in vast disciplines is mainly attributed to the research and development (R and D) on nanotechnology. Being a parent technology, nanotechnology is the cornerstone of picotechnology. Like nanotechnology, the reference standard for picotechnology is nature, the cellular and subcellular functioning. Some studies have highlighted that the functional margin of similar type of molecules at picoscale (10⁻¹²) goes higher than at nanoscale (10⁻⁹). In this review, the potential applications of picotechnology have been evaluated especially in the disciplines of biomedical and environmental sciences. Extended surface area and improved electrical, chemical, optical, and mechanical properties make picotechnological products even better than nanomaterials. The fundamental objective of this study is to bring the attention of the scientific world towards the picoscale interventions and to highlight the wide scope of picotechnology as a newly emerging technology with applications in numerous sectors. Picotechnology has made it possible to measure very small structure in advance biomedical and environmental sciences studies. Adequate developments in picotechnology will certainly change human lives in near future because it will make possible for the research world to dive into systems and structures on picoscale. It will render a platform through which explorers can travel into ultra-small areas, which will lead to the creation of new dimensions as well as new opportunities. Eventually, in future, the picotechnology will become smaller enough to give birth to femtotechnology (10⁻¹⁵) in real-world applications.

Environmental monitoring, using the techniques of remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS), allows the production of time efficient, cost-effective, and reliable surveillance and tracking data. Anthropogenic activities appear to be the major trigger of environmental changes, including land use and land cover (LULC) changes, while natural causes have only a minor impact in most cases. The Omayed Biosphere Reserve (OBR) stands as one of the Egyptian protected areas most highly affected by massive unplanned human activities. Thus, the main objective of this study is to determine the spatio-temporal changes in the OBR over a 35-year period using five Landsat (5 ETM images and 8 OLI-TIRS) imageries, with the specific aim of measuring change rates, trends, and magnitudes of LULC changes between 1984 and 2019 with the topography for planning and selection of developmental strategies. The Normalised Difference Vegetation Index is used to identify the vegetation characteristics of different eco-regions and delivers useful information for the study of vegetation health and density. Normalised Difference Built-up Index can likewise be used to quote built-up areas. Unsupervised classification was used to classify LULC patterns. Six classes were recognised: water bodies, coastal sand, urban areas, cultivated land, newly reclaimed areas, and bare soil. Our results reveal that about 33.55% of OBR land cover has transformed into other forms. Cultivated land and urban regions increased by about 143.5 km² and 56.17 km² from 1984 to 2019, respectively. Meanwhile, bare soil decreased to around 209.5 km² in 2019. In conclusion, the conversion of bare soil into urban land and cultivated areas is the major change in the last 35 years in the OBR. Over the past three decades, the OBR has faced radical and imbalanced changes in its natural habitats. Therefore, monitoring and management of LULC changes are crucial for creating links between policy decisions, regulatory actions, and following LULC activities in the future, especially as many potential risks still exist in the remaining regions of the OBR.