bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The DPSIR framework for integrating the Ecosystem Services in River Nestos lagoons- Greece.
Authors: Kagkalou Ifigenia , Pournara Anthi , Mirli Anastasia , Latinopoulos Dionyssis
Published: November 2022

It is well documented that conservation and management of water resources are directly related to the sustainable living, i.e. to social, economic and environmental aspects. There has been much effort by the European research community to provide tools to support the implementation of freshwater sustainability and management policy instruments. In this context the DPSIR model was used as an analytical framework for determining pressures and impacts under the WFD as it is considered as an effective tool for both society and policy makers concerning water resources management. There is also an increasing interest about the importance of key ecosystem services in maintaining of human well being sustaining also water related services. Thus, there is much political and scientific drive to embrace the “Ecosystem Services” (ES) based approach. Based on the linking of these processes we present an integration of the DPSIR model with the ES concept using as case-study the River Nestos lagoons (Greece). According to the DPSIR approach the major driving forces leading to pressures were the agriculture, the irrigation, the unrestrained livestock, the industry and the urban wastewater.We outline the main changes in the State and in the Ecosystem Services which are essential to support sustainability. Our results show that integrating pressure analysis with Ecosystem Services we provide a useful tool for implementing management policies.
WATER SUSTAINABILITY: EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE WATER SUPPLY METHODS IN GREEK AND EUROPEAN ISLANDS
Authors: KONDILI EMILIA , TSESMENTZIS GEORGE , KALDELLIS JOHN
Published: November 2022

Water is a very valuable natural resource absolutely necessary for life. Lately water resources are facing very high pressure from continuously increasing demand. Besides, various areas face water shortage due to decrease of precipitation, irrational use, losses and other reasons.
Furthermore the importance of water resources is getting more and more obvious after realising that the water availability is not any longer guaranteed as it was used to be considered until recently.
Various water supply methods are applied in different cases in order to satisfy water demand, such as dams, desalination units and water transport. Each of these methods however has different environmental and social impacts.

The objective of the present work is to investigate the issues and parameters that identify the water sustainability. To that effect, a detailed literature review for the already defined water sustainability indexes is carried out. Then, the various alternative water supply methods are analysed in terms of technical and economic as well as feasibility characteristics taking also into account their sustainability.

A set of indicators has been suggested in the literature to assess the resource sustainability. One of the results of the present work is the comparative evaluation of these indicators.
Finally, a multicriteria optimisation model is developed for the selection of the best water supply method in each different case.
Water Availability: A factor of sustainability and adaptation of agriculture to climate change
Authors: Charchousi Despoina , Papadopoulou Maria P.
Published: November 2022

Climate change is expected to negatively affect agriculture. The effects of climate change on agricultural production are widely studied and adaptation strategies have already been proposed and even applied and assessed in many cases. A key component on agriculture vulnerability to climate change is water availability. The aim of the present study is to enlist and review representative proposed water management schemes and adaptation strategies related to agricultural water proposed in literature. Changes in technologies used, infrastructure, irrigation and crop patterns have been considered as adaptation procedures in order to prevent or reduce climate change impacts to agriculture. The choice of the most preferable measures should not be limited to their performance against water shortage but also on the assessment of their economic and social impacts. The suitability of each adaptation method is also depended on the scale of intervation; farm, river basin or national level.
COMBINING PHYTOREMEDIATION WITH BIOENERGY PRODUCTION: DEVELOPING A MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION MATRIX FOR PLANT SPECIES SELECTION
Authors: Purchase Diane , Jones Huw , Garelick Hemda , Amabogha Obed
Published: November 2022

COMBINING PHYTOREMEDIATION WITH BIOENERGY PRODUCTION:
A MULTICRITERIA DECISION MATRIX FOR PLANT SPECIES SELECTION

O.N. Amabogha. D. Purchase*. H. Garelick, H. Jones.

Department of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Middlesex University. The Burroughs London NW4 4BT United Kingdom.

*Corresponding author: D.purchase@mdx.ac.uk

Abstract

The use of plants to extract heavy metal contaminants from soils has been proposed as a cost-effective means of remediation; and utilizing energy crops for this phytoextraction process is a useful way of attaining added value from the process. To simultaneously attain both these objectives successfully, the kind(s) of species selected is crucial. The species selected needs to satisfy certain important criteria including translocation index, metal and drought tolerance, fast growth rate, high lignocellulosic content, good biomass production, adequate calorific value, second generation attribute and a good rooting system. It is therefore necessary to develop a set of comprehensive selection criteria to select the most appropriate plant species suited to attaining the desired objectives.
In this study, we used a systematic review approach to develop a multicriteria decision matrix for species selection. Eight species (sunflower, Indian mustard, soybean, willow, poplar, Typha, Miscanthus, switch grass) were selected on the basis of amount of hits on a number of scientific search databases. We identified the relevant criteria required for these species and obtained corresponding data from the literature. We aggregated these raw data and normalize them by estimating their Z-score values and their suitability was analysed and compared. These criteria/indicators were weighted based on stipulated research objectives/priorities to form the basis of a final overall utility scoring. When values of the different parameters for all eight species were computed, analysed and compared, the results showed that soybean has the best translocation index rate; Miscanthus and switchgrass were the fastest growers; switchgrass, willow and poplar have a significantly higher metal tolerance index compared to the rest. On their bioenergy potentials, the results showed the lignocellulosic biomass percentage of poplar and sunflower are highest; with sunflower having the highest biomass production in tonnes per acre and poplar having the best calorific value among the species. When we applied our subjective priority ratings to these values, sunflower and Miscanthus emerged the top two candidates. These species will be further explored as candidates for phytoextraction of metals and energy recovery via pyrolysis and the findings will further seek to validate the multicriteria decision matrix. Our subsequent validation results will reveal the best candidates for a field based phytoextraction and bioenergy generation exercise.
Catalytic Pyrolysis of Plum Seed
Authors: Pehlivan Eylem
Published: November 2022

In this study, pyrolysis and catalytic pyrolysis of the plum seed was investigated. For this purpose, the characteristics of the raw materials were determined by proximate analysis (moisture, ash, volatile matter, fixed carbon), structural analysis (holocellulose, hemicellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, oil, protein and extractive material) and ultimate analysis .The pyrolytic behavior of the feedstocks was studied by thermogravimetric analysis. Then pyrolysis temperature, which is a significant pyrolysis parameter, investigated the effect of heating rate on pyrolysis product yields. When the pyrolysis temperature is 550°C, the nitrogen flow rate is 100 cm3/min and the heating rate is 100°C/min, the highest liquid product yield is achieved. In order to improve the quality of the liquid product obtained as the next process, catalytic pyrolysis of the raw material in optimum conditions is carried out. Catalytic pyrolysis experiments were carried out by adding 10% of Purmol CTX-1 catalyst to the raw material. Liquid products are characterized with spectroscopic and chromatographic methods such as GC-MS, FT-IR, 1H-NMR.
Plastics in WEEE screens: difficulties and opportunities to improve the recycling rate
Authors: Arduin Rachel , Grimaud Guilhem , Charbuillet Carole , Laratte Bertrand , Perry Nicolas
Published: November 2022

Nowadays the screens collected by the official e-waste schemes in France are mostly comprised of Cathode Ray Tube (CRT). Nevertheless, Flat Panel Display (FPD) collection should increase in the following years. Among other differences in material compositions, FPD screens have higher plastic content. In order to keep complying with the recycling targets for screens, as well as to increase the recycling performance per material, it is necessary to improve plastics recycling. The goal of this study is to quantify the plastic flows in screens generated, collected and recycled in France and to identify the current scenario of plastic recycling. The presence of flame retardants and additives in the plastics, the variety of polymer types, as well as the high volumes of black plastics are among the main challenges in plastics sorting and recycling. From the economic outlook, it is necessary to develop the market that uses secondary raw materials to ensure the profitability of the WEEE chain.
Membrane Distillation Treating a Petrochemical Reverse Osmosis Concentrate
Authors: Venzke C. , Giacobbo A. , Rodrigues M. A. , Bernardes A.
Published: November 2022

This study investigated the applicability of Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD) process for the treatment of a petrochemical industry effluent, intending to recover water from the concentrate produced by reverse osmosis (RO). In DCMD, the experiments were accomplished with a feed and permeate-inlet temperature of 60 °C and 20 °C, respectively. Four commercial microporous hydrophobic flat-sheet membranes made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), with or without a support layer, laminated or not with butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), having different thickness, pore size, effective porosity and contact angle, were evaluated. All evaluated membranes presented a very satisfactory water recovery ratio (~90%), getting high rejection factors (above 99.5%) for all analysed parameters and producing a high-quality water having a very low electrical conductivity (around 2 μS cm–¹). The membrane with BHA in its composition presented the lowest permeate flux decay that occurred gradually along the experimental runs, representing a productivity loss of only 14% for a water recovery ratio near 90%. These results indicate that this membrane has a low propensity to fouling and scaling when treating a wastewater with characteristics like the ones evaluated in this work.
Effect of iodine containing irrigation water on plant physiological processes of bean and potato cultivated in different soils
Authors: Dobosy Péter , Vetési Viktória , Kröpfl Kriszta , Sandil Sirat , Óvári Mihály , Rékási Márk , Záray Gyula
Published: November 2022

Iodine deficiency is a well known environmental health problem in several regions of the world. Fruits and vegetables have been proven to be an effective way to increase iodine intake for humans by iodine enriched edible plants.
In our study plant physiological processes of potato and bean plants cultivated on three different soils (sandy, silty sand, silty soil) applying potassium iodide containing irrigation water in concentration of 0.10 and 0.50 mg/L were investigated. After the harvest the plant parts (root, aerial parts and fruits) were dried and their mass were determined. The homogenized plant parts were mineralized by microwave-assisted acidic digestion. Iodine and essential element concentrations were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer.
In case of bean fruits the iodine addition (0.50 mg/L) resulted in considerable reduction (20-50%) of biomass, while the relative change of potato mass amounted to only -10% - +10% depending on the soil type. Results showed, that applying 0.50 mg/L iodine concentration in the irrigation water, the highest iodine concentration in edible parts of bean and potato plants were 1.6 mg/kg (silty soil) and 0.8 mg/kg (sandy soil), respectively.
Current state and challenges in WEEE recycling industry in Serbia - case study
Authors: Berežni Isidora , Batinić Bojan , Stanisavljević Nemanja , Marinković Tijana
Published: November 2022

Waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is defined as a special waste flow due to the fact that it contains hazardous materials and should not be mixed and treat with other waste streams. In order to ensure adequate environmental protection and proper management of this waste flow, Serbia has harmonized its legislation in this field with EU WEEE Directive. However, main objectives are still not implemented, mainly because undeveloped separate collection scheme and lack of advanced treatment technologies. Also, EPR principles are still not fully established, including issues in ensuring stabile financial support for treatment operators. In this paper will be given an overview of the current situation, as well as problems and challenges in the management of WEEE in Serbia, with the focus on recycling industry, technology that is used for his treatment, assasment of the potencial for recycling, so as current numerical state of recycled WEEE in the country. Case study of recycling plant shows that to the the year of 2016. is recycled 70 000 tons of electronic and electrical waste and 500 000 cooling devices (mostly refrigerators). Beside that it is exported 70 tons of freon and treated 3 500 tons of hazardous glass.
Environmentally friendly disinfection of air and surfaces in medicine
Authors: Pintarič R. , Henigman U. , Janković L. , Pintarič Š.
Published: November 2022

Hospitals are faced with increasingly resistant strains of microorganisms. When it comes to disinfection, individual parts of electronic equipment of angiology diagnostics such as patient couches of computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners prove to be very hard to disinfect. Disinfectants of choice are therefore expected to possess properties such as rapid, residue-free action without any damaging effect on the sensitive electronic equipment. This paper discusses the use of the neutral electrolyzed oxidizing water (EOW) as a biocide for the disinfection of diagnostic rooms and equipment, without residues and environmental effects.
CrVI contaminated groundwater in the Mediterranean: Case study from Mersin, Turkey
Authors: HATIPOGLU-BAGCI Zubeyde , BAYARI Celal , CANAKCI Arzu
Published: November 2022

Increasing population, industrialization, agricultural and tourism activities in Mediterranean countries not only increase the water demand but also led to deterioration of water quality. Water quality degredation is a common problem in all circum-Mediterranean countries and there is an increasing need for development of a common approach in tackling water resources management problems. ERANETMED CrITERIA project aims to assist the water resources management organizations with an optimization tool that includes documentation and database for decision support. Greece, Italy, Turkey, Cyprus, Jordan and Omman are the partners of the project.
The project area in Turkey covers Mersin city and its surrounding. This region is located on the Mediterranean coast and consist of two main hydrogeological parts; the Coastal Aquifer and the Hillside Aquifer. The Coastal Aquifer is represented by a deltaic environment and The Hillside Aquifer is composed mainly of sedimentary and ophiolitic rocks. Within the scope of the study, surface and groundwater samples were collected from the region in May 2017, October-November 2017 and May-June 2018. About 50 sites were sampled in each period. It is determined that none of the samples has above the 50 µg/L limit of EU drinking water standard for total Cr, but some of the samples have CrVI contents above 10 µg/L. CrVI is regarded as a potential carcinogen.
Life cycle assessment of the use of biomass as energy source in Northern Greece
Authors: Klontza Eleftheria , Dounavis Athanasios , Karamanos Lazaros , Lekkas Demetris-Francis
Published: November 2022

Decrease of fossil fuel consumption in the energy sector is an important step towards more sustainable energy production. On the other hand, domestic and imported biomass or biofuels which are used as energy sources play an important role in many future energy scenarios and national policies. Biofuels have been evaluated as an ecologically benign alternative to fossil fuels. The aim of this paper is the life cycle assessment of the biomass used as energy source. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) was applied to a pellet factory, which operates in the area of Kozani (Western Macedonia, Greece). A feasibility study was carried out (including the calculation of all the costs, pollutant emissions, solid and liquid waste production, from the birth of the raw material to final consumption of pellets based on the characteristics, dynamics and customer base of the plant pellet production.
Adsorption of heavy metals (hexavalent chromium, lead, manganese and cadmium) on multiwall carbon nanotubes
Authors: Mpouras Thanasis , Papadaki Sofia , Dermatas Dimitris , Papassiopi Nymphodora
Published: November 2022

Nanotechnology holds great potential in the sector of water/wastewater treatment since it is considered as an advanced technology for improving water quality. Carbon nanotubes is a carbonaceous material that shows exceptional adsorption capacity for the removal of heavy metals due to their novel properties. Thus their application for the treatment of industrial wastewater or contaminated groundwater exhibits high interest. In this study the efficiency of multiwall carbon nanotubes as adsorbent for hexavalent chromium, manganese, lead and cadmium removal as a function of pH and the initial concentration of heavy metal is investigated. In addition, the occurrence of any competitive effects amongst the aforementioned metals during adsorption is investigated. For this reason batch experiments are performed keeping constant the concentration of multiwall carbon nanotubes (2 g/L) and the contact time (5 h).
Hydrothermal pretreatment optimization for enhanced anaerobic digestion of willow sawdust
Authors: ANTONOPOULOU GEORGIA , ALEXANDROPOULOU MARIA , PAPADOPOULOU KONSTANTINA , LYBERATOS GERASIMOS
Published: November 2022

Lignocellulosic biomass including agricultural and forestry residues such as willow sawdust could be used as feedstock for anaerobic digestion (AD). Hydrolysis has been shown to be the rate-limiting step in the case of AD of such substrates. Although being abundant, since the annual world production of biomass residues exceed 220 billion tons, the main obstacles of their use are the low yields attained, due to the recalcitrant nature of their lignocellulosic content. The application of a pretreatment process prior to AD could improve the hydrolysis and the total methane yield.
In this study, hydrothermal pretreatment alone or in combination with HCl, at a chemical loading of 2 g /100 g TS was carried out as a pretreatment method to enhance anaerobic digestion of willow sawdust, through biochemical methane potential (BMP) experiments. For both pretreatment approaches, various temperatures (130.5-229.5 oC) and process times (15.6 -59.4 min) were studied. Following pretreatment, the insoluble solids and the hydrolysates were separated by filtration and fully characterized in terms of their structural and chemical characteristics. BMP experiments showed that the hydrothermal pretreatment alone or in combination with the acid enhanced the methane yields and the higher the temperature or process time, the higher the yields which were obtained.
Mercury in Eisenia fetida and soil in the vicinity of a natural gas treatment plant in northern Croatia during the last ten years
Authors: Prevendar Crnić Andreja , Zgorelec Željka , Srebočan Emil , Kisić Ivica
Published: November 2022

In this study total mercury concentrations in earthworms and in different soil types at the same locations from the surroundings of four boreholes were analyzed by ICP-MS method, as a part of a comprehensive monitoring of the eco-system in the vicinity of the natural gas production and treatment plant Molve in northern Croatia. The aim of this study was to determine the concentration of mercury in the collected samples from 2009 to 2019, monitor its changes over a last ten years period and determine the bioaccumulation of total mercury in earthworms from the soil. During the last ten years total mercury concentrations in earthworms (boreholes Molve 9-12) ranged within 0.118 and 0.675µg gDW-1 depending on the location and time of sampling, while total mercury concentrations in different soil types at the same locations ranged within 0.020 and 0.515 µg Hg g-1 of soil. The calculated mercury bioaccumulation factor ranged between 0.6 and 16.9. Comparing our results with those from the previous research period and also with results published in available literature it can be concluded that investigated area near Molve belongs to low mercury contaminated region.
The mitigation of environmental impacts of high polluted effluents from tuna canning industry through eco-efficiency strategies
Authors: Gutierrez M. , Etxebarria S. , Revilla M. , Ramos S. , Ciriza A. , Sancho L. , Zufia J.
Published: November 2022

Food industry use high volume of water and energy to carry out their processes. Specifically, the fish canning industry generates effluents with high organic and saline loads, which complicates their suitable treatment before discharging to water bodies. The LIFE VERTALIM project has demonstrated the efficiency of a holistic solution (including technical, legislative, social, and environmental aspects) for the controlled integration of food industry wastewater from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the urban sanitation system. The implementation of low-cost innovative solutions, through the clean and eco-efficient production and wastewater pretreatment for fish canneries, has led to on average a reduction of 30% of the wastewater discharges to the environment and a reduction of food losses of up to 0.1%. Moreover, there has been a reduction of between 40% and 90% related to high organic load. These results allow the canneries to dispose their pretreated effluents to the urban sanitation system, avoiding the high costs of an industrial wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). During the project, a physical-chemical quality control has been achieved in the river waters as well as in the marine water surrounding the urban WWTP. In fact, a remarkable improvement of the river water quality has been measured.
Improving the quality and quantity of source-separated household food waste in areas of different socio-economic characteristics: A case study from Lübeck, Germany
Authors: Koerner Ina , Walk Steffen , Deegener Stefan , Wardle David
Published: November 2022

A method aiming at improving source-separation performance of household food waste (FW) was investigated in two areas with different socio-economic characteristics in Lübeck, Germany. This included the test of a new FW collection system including the distribution of small collection buckets to each household. In addition, an information event was organized and households were provided with information material including a waste sorting guide. The study also aimed at assessing the FW avoidance potential. A method for waste composition analysis for FW from households was applied for the assessment. Both areas showed an increase of the source-separation of FW from 17.4% to 60.3% (A, socio-economic low area) and from 16.6% to 65.7% (B, socio-economic medium area) respectively. Compared to the waste composition in the bio-waste (BW) bin prior the investigation, macro-impurities (including paper waste) reduced from around 6.1% to 0.6% (A) and from 13.6% to 1.2% (B). In this respect, the investigated collection system showed a significant improvement to the regular waste collection system.
Influence of microbial fuel cell integration on organic matter and nutrient removal in a constructed wetland for wastewater treatment
Authors: Gonzalez Thais , Miranda Juan Pablo , Vidal Gladys
Published: November 2022

The combination of constructed wetlands (CWs) and microbial fuel cells (MFCs) has emerged in recent years with the purpose of enhancing wastewater treatment efficiency of CWs while simultaneously generating electricity. Taking the above into account, the aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of MFC integration on organic matter and nutrient removal in a constructed wetland. The results showed that NH4+-N concentration reduced from 66.5 ±9.4 at day 0 (influent) to 4.5±0.4 mg/L and 7.03±3.93mg/L for the integrated system and control system, respectively. In terms of the NH4+-N removal efficiency, an enhancement of the nitrification rate (Ni) was observed when MFC was integrated in VSSF (120.6±1.5 mg/m2 d for control system and 166.8±2.3 mg/m2 d for integrated system). The average COD removal efficiencies were 89.36±2.67% and 94.2±5.9% in the CW and CW-MFC, respectively, obtaining a voltage close to 250 mV. The maximum power density generated was 4.75 mW/m2. In conclusion, the removal efficiencies of COD and NH4+-N in VSSF were 89.4 and 88.4%, respectively, while in CW-MFC were 94.3 and 93.2 %. Therefore, the integrating of a MFC into CW does not have adverse effects on the capacity of the CW to efficiently domestic wastewater treatment.
The Intensity – duration (I-D) curves towards to a spatially distributed flood early warning tool (F-EWT)
Authors: Feloni Elissavet , Baltas Evangelos
Published: November 2022

Attica region suffers from rainfall events of high intensity, inducing flash-floods and significant damages in the urbanized areas. This analysis concerns the determination of the maximum intensity-duration thresholds regarding flooding (F) or non-flooding (NF) regime, using the available precipitation records and the dataset of Fire Service operations in ﬂooded properties for the period 2005-2016. Each event is classified as ‘F’ or ‘NF’ in case of flooded properties or not, respectively. As expected, ‘F’ events prevail for the higher rainfall intensities. Based on this characteristic, it was found that when excluding outlies in these two groups of events, then two clear limits of I-D are determined using a power-law equation. The first one (‘lower limit’) defines the area below which floods are absent and above which flood occur or not, while the second (‘upper limit’) defines the minimum limit of maximum intensities above which only events linked to flooding are observed. Based on these limits, a Flood Early Warning Tool (F-EWT) that provides the corresponding limits of cumulative precipitation as a function of the event’s duration is defined and evaluated indicatively for the severe flood event of October 24, 2014.
Biosolids as soil-amendment: evaluation of nutrient leaching in loamy-silty soil
Authors: Venegas Maria , Fernandez Gabriela , Vidal Gladys
Published: November 2022

Municipal sewage sludge is a by-product of wastewater treatment. The amount of sewage sludge has increased with the construction and expansion of wastewater treatment plants, while stricter policies have limited its disposal. Anaerobic digestion is a worldwide technology used in sewage sludge stabilization and pre-treatment step is used to improve its biodegradability. Once sewage sludge is stabilized they are named biosolids. Biosolids composition makes them attractive as a soil amendment. But also, biosolids could be a source of contamination. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the nutrient leaching in loamy-silty soil of biosolid stabilized with advanced anaerobic digestion. Previous results showed that these biosolids could be applied as a soil amendment considering metal content and phytotoxicity assay. Thus, two biosolids from conventional and advanced anaerobic digestion was evaluated in a soil leaching columns using loamy-silty soil to evaluated phosphorus and nitrogen flux. The columns are 25 cm high and 7.2 cm of diameter. Every 48 h a rain simulation flux of 15 mL of distillated water was added. Then the leaches were collected and analyzed. Preliminary analysis of the results shows a decrease in chemical oxygen demand and apparent stationary state in the first 11 weeks.
Research on the ability of urban trees to retain heavy metals. A silvicultural approach.
Authors: Vordoglou Maria , Samara Theano , Tsitsoni Thekla
Published: November 2022

The purpose of the present research was to study the ability of urban trees’ leaves to retain heavy metals. Three major heavy traffic streets of Thessaloniki were chosen. Two tree species were studied: Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle and Catalpa bignonioides Walt. and 360 leaf samples were collected from 20 trees. The selection of the species was carried out according to their leaf morphology and silvicultural characteristics. Also, for each tree were measured: breast diameter, tree height, crown height, crown’s diameter and then crown volume was calculated. Two treatments were applied (washed and unwashed leaves). The following heavy metals were measured: iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and lead (Pb) and the metal concentration was determined with the use of ICP-OES inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The concentrations of heavy metals were significantly related to the species for the heavy metals: iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb). Catalpa bignonioides captured the highest concentrations of heavy metals. Finally, the morphological characteristics of leaves and not the silvicultural characteristics of species are the factors that influence their ability to retain heavy metals.
Cavitation based Advanced Oxidation Processes for Wastewater Treatment – comparison of hydrodynamic and sonocavitation systems
Authors: Boczkaj Grzegorz , Gągol Michał , Fedorov Kirill , Cako Elvana
Published: November 2022

Cavitation based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), are a promising alternative to currently used wastewater treatment technologies [1-2]. Amplified interest in this “hot” topic results in increased number of research on several aspects relating to formation of cavitation phenomena and its utilization for wastewater treatment as well as hybrid processes based of application of external oxidants effectively converted to radical species in cavitation conditions. The paper discusses a state of the art of cavitation based AOPs, as well as presents recent developments in this field of our research group. The principles of cavitation combined with AOPs will be presented followed by evaluation of their effectiveness in oxidation of organic contaminants and comparison of hydrodynamic and acoustic cavitation processes used for same type of pollutants. An examples of degraded particular pollutants will include chlorinated and nitro derivatives as well as other emerging environmental pollutants. Applications for disinfection of water will be also addressed. The paper will present also results of studies on degradation of pharmaceuticals as well as pre-treatment of real post-oxidative effluents formed during bitumen production as an examples of possible implementation of cavitation based processes in real industrial scenario [3-5].

Keywords: AOP; wastewater treatment; hydrodynamic cavitation; sonocavitation; acoustic cavitation

References

1. Boczkaj G., Fernandes A. (2017), Wastewater treatment by means of Advanced Oxidation Processes at basic pH conditions: A review, Chem. Eng. J., 320, 608-633.
2. Gągol M., Przyjazny A., Boczkaj G. (2018), Wastewater treatment by means of advanced oxidation processes based on cavitation – A review, Chem. Eng. J., 338, 599-627.
3. Gągol M., Przyjazny A., Boczkaj G. (2018), Highly effective degradation of selected groups of organic compounds by cavitation based AOPs under basic pH conditions, Ultrason. Sonochem., 45, 257-266.
4. Gągol M., Przyjazny A., Boczkaj G. (2018), Effective method of treatment of industrial effluents under basic pH conditions using acoustic cavitation – a comprehensive comparison with hydrodynamic cavitation processes, Chem. Eng. Process., 128, 103-113.
5. Boczkaj G., Gągol M., Klein M., Przyjazny A. (2018), Effective method of treatment of effluents from production of bitumens under basic pH conditions using hydrodynamic cavitation aided by external oxidants, Ultrason. Sonochem., 40, 969-979.
Groundwater quality and hydrogeochemical characterization of Khetri copper mining region, India
Authors: Punia Anita , Bharti Rishikesh , Siddaiah Neelam
Published: November 2022

The impact of copper mine on groundwater quality in the semi-arid region is evaluated, and also characterized for hydrogeochemical processes. Groundwater samples (post monsoon and pre monsoon) from Khetri copper mine region of Rajasthan, India were studied. In majority of groundwater samples, the values of analyzed parameters such as EC, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, HCO3- and Cl- exceed the WHO (2011) and Bureau of Indian Standards (2012) permissible limits. Higher concentrations of ions were observed near the mining activities (mines, tailings, overburden rocks and abandoned mine) and in the downstream of groundwater flow from mines suggesting significant influence of mines on water quality. High concentration of major ions is attributed to oxidation of sulfides or acid mine drainage (AMD). The Gibbs plot for cations and anions as a function of TDS indicates the evolution of groundwater from rock-water interaction in both seasons. Thus, increased major ions concentration is due to dissolution of minerals by AMD.
New generation of patterned membranes for water treatment
Authors: Sadrzadeh Mohtada , Asad Asad , Sameoto Dan
Published: November 2022

Membrane technology is an energy-efficient separation process that is expected to dominate the water treatment industry. However, the high vulnerability of membranes to fouling has limited the expansion of sustainable and energy-efficient membrane processes. Surface patterning has been proven to be an effective method to improve the performance of membranes by increasing the permeate flux and lowering the attachment of fouling materials on membrane surfaces. In this study, a new generation of patterned membranes was prepared using a novel hydrogel facilitated phase separation (HFPS) method. Hydrogel contains a high water content which initiates phase separation as a nonsolvent upon contact with the polymer solution. Structuring a hydrogel mold provides the ability to control the location of the skin layer on the patterned side of the membrane. The performance of the patterned and the unpatterned membranes made with HFPS was examined in a cross-flow filtration system; a significant increase in the pure water flux (~100%) was observed for the patterned membrane. Moreover, a fouling experiment with bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution showed that the patterned membranes maintained 76% higher flux after 90 minutes of operation.
Hyperspectral imaging based cascade detection applied to paper, cardboard, plastics and multilayer packaging sorting
Authors: Bonifazi Giuseppe , Gasbarrone Riccardo , Serranti Silvia
Published: November 2022

Recycling of post-consumer packaging wastes involves a complex chain of activities, usually based on three main stages, that is: i) collection from households or recovery from MSW, ii) sorting and, finally, iii) mechanical recycling. This paper investigate the sorting logics, hyperspectral imaging based, to apply to implement and to set up in order to perform an automatic separation of paper, cardboard, plastics and multilayer packaging.
Biotechnological conversions of crude glycerol, residue deriving from biodiesel production facilities, by strains of the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica
Authors: Papanikolaou Seraphim , Diamantopoulou Panagiota , Sarris Dimitris , Aggelis George
Published: November 2022

Aim of the present study was to assess the ability of four Yarrowia lipolytica strains (ACA-DC 50109, LFMB Y-20, ATCC 20460 and LMBF Y-45) to grow on biodiesel-derived crude glycerol, the principal residue-stream deriving from biodiesel manufacture. Initial trials were carried out in shake-flasks under nitrogen limitation (initial glycerol Glol0~40 g/L, initial nitrogen ~0.35 g/L), that favor the production of cellular lipids and/or extra-cellular secondary metabolites like citric acid (CA). All strains produced appreciable dry cell weight (DCW) quantities (up to 13.0 g/L). The strain ACA-DC 50109 produced CA in concentrations up to 16.0 g/L, while lipid in DCW values of ~15% w/w were recorded. In the next stage, this strain was cultured on media with higher nitrogen limitation (Glol0~50 g/L, initial nitrogen ~0.15 g/L) in batch-bioreactor and shake-flask experiments, and comparable DCW (up to 8.0 g/L) and CA (25-28 g/L) quantities were reported for these trials. Lipid production was higher in the batch-bioreactor experiment. In fed-batch bioreactor trials performed thereafter, a maximum CA quantity of 66.1 g/L (conversion yield 0.66 g per g of glycerol) was obtained. Cellular lipids of all tested strains were mainly composed of the fatty acids Δ9C18:1, Δ9,12C18:2 and C16:0.
Clean Electro-mobility Solutions Only Using Green Energy Input
Authors: KALDELLIS JOHN , SPYROPOULOS GEORGE , KONDILI EMILIA , TRIANTAFYLLOU ATHANASIOS
Published: November 2022

The utilization of electrical cars is considered as the new tool against the serious problems resulting from the oil products consumption of the transportation sector. Actually, many people believe that the adoption of electro-mobility, especially in the urban areas or small-medium size islands, is the only solution for significant reduction of the environmental impacts of our society. In this context the current work first estimates the real world electricity consumption of commercial electrical cars, including charging and discharging loss, using long term experimental measurements. Accordingly, on the basis of the total electricity consumption and using the electricity generation fuel mix (mainland vs. remote islands) the corresponding air pollutants are predicted.

On the other hand, one may estimate the air pollutants emissions of the contemporary private cars using experimental measurements and data provided by the cars’ manufacturers and other external accreditation bodies. For this purpose several internal combustion engine-based cars are analyzed according to the technology used. Moreover the engine size and the year of construction are also embodied in the proposed analysis.

According to the results obtained one may clearly state that the current electrical cars may surcharge the environment by higher volume of pollutants than the corresponding ICE-based ones, especially when coal-based and oil-based electricity is used to charge the batteries of the electrical car.

Recapitulating, in order to improve the air quality of our environment and minimize the transportation sector impact on the climate change it is more than necessary to avoid the utilization of fossil fuels for providing electricity at the EVs charging point. On the contrary, only by using renewable energy sources (wind/solar/hydro potential/geothermy, etc.) to charge batteries of EVs it is evident that the environmental impact -due to air pollution- of electrical cars is minimal.
A novel types of compound for surface treatment of carbon nanotubes for more effective application in polymers
Authors: Hangyási Krisztina , Varga Csilla , Nagy Roland , Simon-Stőger Lilla
Published: November 2022

Nowadays, beneficial management of plastic and rubber waste from different sources and environmentally friendly ways of recycling is becoming an increasing challenge. A possible solution for that issue could be to produce plastic composites usually consisting of heterogeneous phases. That fact and the interface between phases, and characteristics of components all play important roles in development of properties of end-product. By using a compatibilizing additive a chemical bridge can be created between the plastic composite components requiring reactive functional groups.
In case of carbon nanotube containing composites particular attention must be paid to the formation of suitable interactions between the dispersed material and the matrix that can be carried out by impregnating the surface of carbon nanotubes with dispersed additive in hydrocarbon solution or in aqueous surfactant containing composition. We have applied O/W typed emulsion techniques for carbon nanotube impregnation, bearing in mind the importance of environmental regulations for the conditions of treatment. Compatibilizing additives have been classified by various analytical measurements (total acid number, saponification value measurement, size exclusion chromatography, FT-IR measurements, adhesive strength, conditions of emulsification) to identify the possible structure of the additive and to study interactions with the reinforcing material.
Analysis of the content of germanium, tellurium and thallium in the grounded waste of electronic equipment
Authors: Fornalczyk Agnieszka , Willner Joanna , Jablonska-Czapla Magdalena , Rachwal Marzena
Published: November 2022

The article draws attention to the problem of the presence in waste electrical, electronic equipment (WEEE) of selected metals from the group of critical metals (germanium), strategic metals (tellurium) and highly toxic elements (thallium). Due to low content of these metals in e-waste, they are usually ignored during e-waste analysis, therefore they belong to the least-known metals in the literature. Their presence in WEEE can cause them to be concentrated in the environment during improperly e-waste processing. In the article the important applications of Ge, Te, Tl in electronic equipment, quantities identification of these metals in a variety of electronic equipment elements, paying special attention to the ability to accumulate/concentrate Ge, Te, Tl in individual fractions after the e-waste shredding and grinding process are presented. This approach is aimed at determining the possibility of these metals getting into the environment, during the storage and processing of e-waste (especially in the unit processes of disassembly, separation, shredding), in the case of uncontrolled electronic waste handling and disposal.
The research project received funding from the National Science Centre of Poland on the basis of the decision number UMO-2018/29/B/ST10/01522.
Remarkable role of experimental olefin-maleic-anhydride copolymer based compatibilizing additives in PET bottle recycling
Authors: Nagy Bianka , Varga Csilla
Published: November 2022

Over the past 50 years demand for plastics drastically increased worldwide resulting in plastic wastes causing serious environmental problems. The main market sector of european plastics industry is the packaging industry most of which is polyolefins and poly(ethythylene-terephtalate). Polymer blends based on waste resources can solve the issues of recycling. We have studied rheological and tensile properties of three types of PET/engineering thermoplastic blends (PET/PC, PET/PA and PET/ABS) produced with different processing techniques. Miscibility of components of blends is limited leading to weak mechanical properties such as low tensile strength and/or elongation at break. Due to that phenomenon compatibilizing additives are also required. As compatibilizing additives olefin-maleic-anhydride copolymer based additives have been used in our experiments. Structure of additives differed from each other both in ratio and length of carbon chains of compounds linked to maleic-anhydride groups . Blends have been studied with PET content ranging from 10 % to 90 %. As an outstanding result we have managed to achieve improving mechanical properties, for example almost 400 % growth was observed in elongation at break of extruded 80/20 PET/PA blends in the presence of 0.2 % compatibilizing additive compared to the sample without additive, meanwhile its strength has also improved.
QuEChERS methodology combined with high performance liquid chromatography-UV/DAD for the determination of common pesticides in honey
Authors: BOTI VASILIKI , GOTSI ERMIONI , ALBANIS TRIANTAFYLLOS
Published: November 2022

Over the past few decades, honey products have been found to contain residues of a variety of contaminants. Among them pesticides residues resulting from treatments applied either inside beehives or in the agricultural environment have become an issue of great awareness. In this work, a modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) extraction method is proposed for the simultaneous quantification of amitraz, bromopropylate, coumaphos and tau-fluvalinate, which are the most frequently used insecticides to control varroatosis and ascospherosis in hives. Analyses were performed by high performance liquid chromatography on a C18 reversed-phase column with UV/diode array detection (HPLC-UV/DAD). An isocratic elution system was used with acetonitrile-water (80:20 v/v) containing 0,01 M acetic acid as the mobile phase while the selected compounds, amitraz, bromopropylate, coumaphos and τ-fluvalinate were detected at 249, 233, 313 and 254 nm, respectively. Overall recovery rates from honey samples ranged from 78% (bromopropylate) to 103% (amitraz), with correlation coefficients >0,99 in all cases. The proposed methodology was successfully applied to the analysis of 19 commercial honey samples.
Biorecovery of metal sulfides from leachates obtained through zinc-carbon battery recycling
Authors: Retka Jacek , Uhrynowski W , Zhendong Y , Karczewska-Golec J , Bajda T , Drewniak L , Debiec-Andrzejewska K
Published: November 2022

One of the most commonly used methods of recycling of spent zinc-carbon batteries is hydrometallurgical leaching with sulfuric acid. The technology is highly efficient and enables the recovery of the majority of deposited metals. Unfortunately it also generates leachates that remain after the treatment. The leachates are characterized by low pH (0.5-1.0) and relatively high concentrations of sulfates (20-30 g/l) and metal ions (even up to 25g/l of Zn and 10g/l of Mn).
Herein we present a biotechnology for the management of effluents generated during the hydrometallurgical recycling of spent zinc-carbon batteries and for the recovery of metals (in the form of sulfides), which have typically been considered off-balance material. The main driving force of the biotechnology are sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), which generate alkalinty (by organic compound decomposition) and produce sulfides (as a result of sulfate reduction) that co-precipitate with metals. To maximize the efficiency of metal sulfide biorecovery by SRB, the leachates are pretreated with sodium hydroxide and ammonia produced by urea-degrading bacteria. Titration with NaOH leads to pH adjustment to 3.5 and subsequent precipitation of iron compounds. In turn, the addition of biogenic ammonia contributes to a further pH increase up to 5.0 and the reduction of the effluent toxicity.