Environmental Science
M.I. Moreno Pallares; M.A. Bonilla Gómez; G.H. Guillot Monroy; A.C. Torregroza-Espinosa
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Odonate larvae play an important role in macroinvertebrate trophic networks and are excellent proxies for wetland quality. However, despite their ecological importance, research on odonates and how they interact with their environment is scarce. This study aims to assess macroinvertebrate ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Odonate larvae play an important role in macroinvertebrate trophic networks and are excellent proxies for wetland quality. However, despite their ecological importance, research on odonates and how they interact with their environment is scarce. This study aims to assess macroinvertebrate composition as determinants of larval abundance in Miathyria marcella (Odonata: Anizoptera: Libellulidae).METHODS: 29 samples were collected from six wetlands with different hydrological influence using standardized invertebrate sampling techniques in the Department of Atlántico, northern Colombia. Standardized invertebrate sampling techniques were used in 29 sampling points. Obtained data were used to analyze invertebrate abundance and a non-parametric multidimensional scaling analysis was applied. In addition, a correlation analysis was conducted between macroinvertebrate composition and Miathyria marcella larval abundance.FINDINGS: A total of 2586 larvae, and 12925 individual macroinvertebrates were collected, distributed in 25 orders and 58 families. The most abundant orders were Neotaenioglossa (26 percent), Odonata (15 percent) Calanoida (10 percent) and Diptera (8 percent). Heatmap and scaling analysis indicated different macroinvertebrate compositions in the sampled wetlands. A high positive correlation between Miathyria marcella and the orders Odonata (R2 = 0.84, p-value ≤ 0.05), Coleoptera (R2 = 0.52, p-value ≤ 0.05), Basommatophora (R2 = 0.60, p-value ≤ 0.05) and Hemiptera (R2 = 0.50, p-value ≤ 0.05).CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the abundance of Miathyria marcella responds to the accompanying macroinvertebrates, the composition of which depends on the type of hydrological influence. Approaches focused on the relationships between macroinvertebrate taxa are important conservation tools for biodiversity assessment. Results from this study will serve as a baseline to propose monitoring and follow-up strategies on the environmental sustainability in wetlands in this region.
Environmental Science
H. Janadeleh; A. Hosseini Alhashemi; S.M.B. Nabavi
Abstract
The major aim of the present study was to investigate element (Fe, Ni, Pb, V, Zn) concentrations in sediment and different tissues of Phragmities australis and Typha latifolia in Hor al-Azim Wetland Southwest Iran. Sampling of sediments and aquatic plants was carried out during spring and summer 2014. ...
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The major aim of the present study was to investigate element (Fe, Ni, Pb, V, Zn) concentrations in sediment and different tissues of Phragmities australis and Typha latifolia in Hor al-Azim Wetland Southwest Iran. Sampling of sediments and aquatic plants was carried out during spring and summer 2014. Results showed that the mean concentrations of elements in Phragmities australis in root and stem-leaf were as follows: Iron:4448 mg/kg, Nickel: 28 mg/kg, Lead:8 mg/kg, Vanadium:10 mg/kg and Zinc 15.5 mg/kg in root and: Fe:645 mg/kg, Ni:15 mg/kg, Pb:4 mg/kg, V:4 mg/kg and Zinc 16 mg/kg respectively. Also, the mean concentrations of Fe, Ni, Pb, V and Zn in roots of Typha latifolia were 8696 mg/kg, 34 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg, 19 mg/kg and 27 mg/kg respectively. The mean concentrations of Fe, Ni, V, Pb, Zn in stem-leaves of Typha latifolia were as follows: 321 mg/kg, 3 mg/kg, 7 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg and 14 mg/kg respectively. The mean concentrations of Fe, Ni, V, Pb and zinc were as: 40991 mg/kg, 65 mg/kg, 60 mg/kg, 31 mg/kg, 60 mg/kg respectively in surface sediment of study area. Concentration pattern of elements in sediment were as: Fe>Ni>Zn>V>Pb. The highest concentration of elements in the plant was seen in the roots. Also, Typha latifolia can uptake more concentration of elements than Phragmities australis. Based on the enrichment factor, Ni in summer had the highest EF values among the elements studied and it has a moderate enrichment.
Environmental Management
T. Kalashnikova; І. Кoshkalda; O. Тrehub
Abstract
The sectoral structure of most agricultural enterprises is unbalanced and uncoordinated, which underlies the need in deepened research of its improvement. This paper is dedicated to the formation and evaluation of the sectoral structure with the use of mathematical methods of data processing. Mathematical ...
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The sectoral structure of most agricultural enterprises is unbalanced and uncoordinated, which underlies the need in deepened research of its improvement. This paper is dedicated to the formation and evaluation of the sectoral structure with the use of mathematical methods of data processing. Mathematical economic modeling based on optimization and simulation models has been applied for the formation and evaluation of sectoral structure in agricultural enterprises. The approbation of the aforementioned models has been carried out in a certain agricultural enterprise. The simulation modeling has been used to develop a production model by the types of products that enterprise does not produce (milk, fish products and honey). The optimization model has been developed taking into account the rational use of the enterprise’s land with the prospect of livestock sector development. Obtaining the maximum net income (proceeds) from products sales has been chosen as the optimality criterion. According to calculations, the maintenance of cows is unprofitable; the production of fish and honey is profitable. Due to the diversification of the sectoral structure, the enterprise’s profitability level will increase from 16.6 to 45.8 percent. The implementation of optimization and simulation models allows to assess the existing level of sectoral structure in agricultural enterprise and to form its optimal sectoral structure with ensuring the rational use of resources and obtaining profit.
Environmental Management
S.M. Hatefi
Abstract
Today, urban transportation has attracted urban planners’ and researchers' attention because of air and noise pollution problems associated with it. In Shahrkord city in Iran, no plans have been made for sustainable transportation, and the available poor transportation infrastructure is not responsive ...
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Today, urban transportation has attracted urban planners’ and researchers' attention because of air and noise pollution problems associated with it. In Shahrkord city in Iran, no plans have been made for sustainable transportation, and the available poor transportation infrastructure is not responsive to the growing population of the city. This issue has inflicted the city with serious problems, including environmental pollution, traffic jams, and car accidents. Therefore, it is necessary for urban managers and planners to conduct necessary planning and analysis for the development of urban transportation system through a strategic perspective. In this study, the strengths and weaknesses as well as the opportunities and threats of Shahrkord transportation system are identified using strength, weakness, opportunity, threat (SWOT) analysis. Status of the city's transportation system is determined through evaluation of internal and external factors. The results of SWOT analysis and the matrix of internal and external factors indicate that the internal and external evaluation factors are equal to 2.330 and 3.367, respectively, which means that Shahrekord transportation system holds a conservative situation. Considering the identified status, several strategies are proposed to improve the status quo. Finally, the proposed strategies are evaluated based on sustainable development indices, namely economic, environmental, and social indices, by using the fuzzy complex proportional assessment (COPRAS) method. The results show that the best proposed strategy is attraction of private investors to set up pedestrian bridges equipped with escalators and the concession of using them for the establishment of environmental advertisement.
A. Oglanis; M. Loizidou
Abstract
The effective and sustainable environmental performance of a business is a result of various factors and most important the integrated outcome of the environmental management. Likewise, the integration of environmental protection into the armed forces functions has also gain interest for the military ...
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The effective and sustainable environmental performance of a business is a result of various factors and most important the integrated outcome of the environmental management. Likewise, the integration of environmental protection into the armed forces functions has also gain interest for the military sector internationally. Therefore, the environmental management system (EMS) is recognized as one of the most widely used tools. This study provides a review on environmental management issues related to the military activities and their assessment globally. The multitasking characteristics of the defence sector result in the need for the eco-friendly related issues to be directed in a holistic and integrated way, with the help of a certified environmental management system. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) itself and NATO countries, like USA, UK, Canada, Holland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Greece, as well as non-NATO countries like Sweden and Australia have an environmental management system structure in place to assist military environmental management and studies reveal that the armed forces could anticipate positive outcomes from environmental management system. A case-by-case approach, of the above, is examined and based on the results, appropriate recommendations are presented, which may contribute to the environmental management system considerations as the most important tool for effective management framework and most importantly to evaluate its effectiveness as a structure for the defence sector’s activities.
Environmental Management
O. Gryshchenko; V. Babenko; O. Bilovodska; T. Voronkova; I. Ponomarenko; Z. Shatskaya
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Environmental guidelines and principles of sustainable development are becoming increasingly popular and are a priority for most business areas. One of the widely developing eco-destinations is green tourism, which is gaining a profitable and priority status, especially for ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Environmental guidelines and principles of sustainable development are becoming increasingly popular and are a priority for most business areas. One of the widely developing eco-destinations is green tourism, which is gaining a profitable and priority status, especially for lower middle-income countries. The purpose of the article is to determine the strategic marketing support for the development of green tourism on the example of Ukraine and its regions based on an approach to its assessment in terms of environmental and tourism competitiveness.METHODS: The authors used general scientific and specific methods: comparative, critical and system analysis, synthesis to search and group indicators of ecological and tourism competitiveness. Distance method, ranking, economic and statistical analysis were implemented to analyze the green tourism potential in each region in Ukraine and reveal the leaders and outsiders among them. For the accumulation, processing, visualization of data and forming the matrix of green tourism, based on data for 2015-2019, potential Microsoft Excel, Figma and Canva tools, Harrington scale were applied.FINDINGS: The approach to estimate the green tourism potential based on the ecological and tourism regional competitiveness according to the author’s list of 37 indicators were proposed, the matrixes of green tourism potential of Ukrainian regions in 2019 and 2020 were developed, and strategic marketing support according to sustainable development for green tourism business were proposed. Strategic marketing support of green tourism development in Ukrainian regions was defined based on ecological and marketing strategies.CONCLUSION: The author's approach makes it possible to systematically assess the potential of green tourism using up-to-date statistical information. According to the tourism and environmental competitiveness rating, the regions with the most significant and worst potential were found. The positive dynamics of the development of green tourism in 2019-2020 were revealed. The results are the basis for providing comprehensive environmental and marketing support to ensure sustainable development and gain additional competitive advantages in the green tourism business.
A. Cruz-Salomón; E. Ríos-Valdovinos; F. Pola-Albores; S. Lagunas-Rivera; R. Meza-Gordillo; V.M. Ruíz-Valdiviezo; K.C. Cruz-Salomón
Abstract
The expanded granular sludge bed bioreactor appears today as a cheap, robust and more popular technology because it operates using a fluidized bed, which allows increasing in organic load and in cell retention times, generating higher treatment efficiencies (up to 95 %) and renewable energy (i.e., biogas, ...
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The expanded granular sludge bed bioreactor appears today as a cheap, robust and more popular technology because it operates using a fluidized bed, which allows increasing in organic load and in cell retention times, generating higher treatment efficiencies (up to 95 %) and renewable energy (i.e., biogas, biomethane, and biohydrogen). Nevertheless, the efficiency of this bioreactor mainly depends on the operating conditions. Thus, the content presented in this review paper focuses on the analysis of the operating conditions and performance of expanded granular sludge bed bioreactor for treating different types of industrial, agro-industrial and domestic wastewaters (e.g., agro-food, beverage, alcohol distillery, tannery, slaughterhouse, chemical, pharmaceutical, municipal sewage, among others). Because of this reason, this study aimed to analyze the operating conditions and type of substrate, which has been used in these bioreactors to improve future research to wastewater treatment and renewable energy production. According to the review, it is concluded that the EGSB bioreactor is a novel sustainable alternative to treat different types of wastewaters and consequently change the paradigm of wastewater management from "treatment and disposal" to "beneficial use" as well as "profitable effort".
Environmental Science
M. Tadjuddah; . Abdullah; S. Kamri; N.I. Wianti
Abstract
Wakatobi National Park has a tropical marine ecosystem with typically dynamic aquatic resources, and it also has a potentially massive number of groupers such as red (Plectropomus leopardus) and black groupers (Plectropomus areolatus). However, the sustainability of the grouper resources has not been ...
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Wakatobi National Park has a tropical marine ecosystem with typically dynamic aquatic resources, and it also has a potentially massive number of groupers such as red (Plectropomus leopardus) and black groupers (Plectropomus areolatus). However, the sustainability of the grouper resources has not been managed effectively and environmentally friendly. This study aims to determine the susceptibility level of red and black groupers in the research area based on the productivity and susceptibility analysis. This study was conducted from May to November 2018, in which the data were collected from the grouper’s fishermen using hand line with simple random methods as a fishing gear in Wanci and Tomia islands of Wakatobi. Based on the collected data, productivity attribute of red groupers is at 1.8, and the susceptibility level is at 2.08, while the black groupers have 1.7 for the productivity attributes and 2.0 for their susceptibility level. Based on the susceptibility index of both types of fish, it indicates that red groupers are at 1.61, and the black groupers’ susceptibility level is at 1.64. This study implies that the susceptibility index of red and black groupers at Wakatobi National Park is moderate which means that the groupers as a matter of fact experience fishing pressure. Therefore, some sustainable efforts to effectively and environmentally friendly manage the fishing activity in the island need to be done in the future.
Environmental Science
G. Manjarrez Paba; R. Baldiris Ávila; D. Baena Baldiris
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:The objective of this study isto present a description of the main characteristics of azo dyes and the different treatment methods used to remove them from water. There is a special emphasis given to the benefits associated with biological treatment, predominantly those related ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:The objective of this study isto present a description of the main characteristics of azo dyes and the different treatment methods used to remove them from water. There is a special emphasis given to the benefits associated with biological treatment, predominantly those related to the use of bacteria, which has to do with its competitive advantages over other microorganisms in the dye degradation processes.METHODS: The topic to be addressed was first defined through workshops with the research group. The literature review was carried out following several inclusion/exclusion criteria: the year of publication, as the selection was limited to studies published between 2010 and 2020, the focus of the investigation, which had to be related to the efficiency of different techniques for the remediation of ecosystems contaminated with azo dyes and, lastly, that the studies also discussed the use of environmental bacteria in dye degradation processes.FINDING: The efficiency of bacteria to degrade azo dyes ranges from 63-100%, the most efficient being: Marinobacter sp, Sphingobacterium sp, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus casseliflavus. The bacteria that, reportedly, have greater efficiency for simultaneously removing the dye-metal complex are Bacillus circulans and Acinetobacter junii.CONCLUSION: Traditional strategies for the treatment of effluents contaminated with azo dyes are limited to physical and chemical processes that have a high energy and economic cost. For these reasons, current challenges are focused on the use of environmental bacteria capable of transforming dyes into less toxic compounds.
F.S. Alavipoor; S. Karimi; J. Balist; A.H. Khakian
Abstract
This study recommends a GIS-based (Geographic Information Systems) and multi-criteria evaluation for site selection of gas power plant in Natanz City of Iran. The multi-criteria decision framework integrates legal requirements and physical constraints related to environmental and economic concerns. It ...
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This study recommends a GIS-based (Geographic Information Systems) and multi-criteria evaluation for site selection of gas power plant in Natanz City of Iran. The multi-criteria decision framework integrates legal requirements and physical constraints related to environmental and economic concerns. It also builds a hierarchy model for gas power plant suitability. The methodologies used for site selection include analytic hierarchy process (AHP), fuzzy set theory and weighted linear combination. The AHP (analytic hierarchy process) is a multi-criteria approach which is used to establish the relative importance of criteria. The AHP makes pair-wise comparisons of relative importance between hierarchy elements categorized by environmental decision criteria. In the next step, the fuzzy set theory is used to standardize criteria through different fuzzy membership functions and fuzzy layers are formed by using fuzzy operators in ArcGIS environment. Subsequently, they are categorized into 6 classes using Reclassify Function. Weighted linear combination is used to combine the criteria layers. Finally, the two approaches are analyzed in order to locate the most suitable site to establish a gas power plant. According to the results, using GAMMA fuzzy operator is considered suitable for this site selection.
S. Daliry; A. Hallajisani; J. Mohammadi Roshandeh; H. Nouri; A. Golzary
Abstract
Due to its abundance and also flexibility of cultivation conditions, Chlorella vulgaris microalgae is one of the most ideal options available in order to production of microalgae based biodiesel. Since vulgaris cultivation for fuel production needs economic considerations to be taken, and in first place ...
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Due to its abundance and also flexibility of cultivation conditions, Chlorella vulgaris microalgae is one of the most ideal options available in order to production of microalgae based biodiesel. Since vulgaris cultivation for fuel production needs economic considerations to be taken, and in first place providing biomass and lipid production costs is important, wide researches have been conducted in this field, and this study aims to spot the best condition for cultivation of this valuable specie by reviewing the whole research conducted. So far, Researchers' efforts show that, the best condition for vulgaris cultivation is mixotrophic regime which is done in a bubble column photobioreactor. Glucose as carbonic source and nitrate as nitrogen source, have the most efficacy among nutrition conditions. It is known the best results obtain in amounts glucose and nitrate of 20 and o.5 g/L respectively. Alkaline medium (pH 9 to 10), non-continuous illumination, 5 to 7 Klux and a 200 mL/min aeration flow rate, indicated the best physical conditions. The most vulgaris biomass amount produced was 3.43 g/L, and the best lipid productivity was measured 66.25 mg/L/day.
K. A. Ullah; J. Jiang; P. Wang
Abstract
Surface waters are the most important economic resource for humans which provide water for agricultural, industrial and anthropogenic activities. Surface water quality plays vital role in protecting aquatic ecosystems. Unplanned urbanization, intense agricultural activities and deforestation are positively ...
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Surface waters are the most important economic resource for humans which provide water for agricultural, industrial and anthropogenic activities. Surface water quality plays vital role in protecting aquatic ecosystems. Unplanned urbanization, intense agricultural activities and deforestation are positively associated with carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous related water quality parameters. Multiple buffers give robust land use land cover and water quality model and highlight the impacts of land use land cover characteristics on water quality parameters at various scales which will guide watershed managers for particular application of best management practices to enhance stream health. Traditionally, water quality data collections are based on discrete sampling and were analyzed through statistical techniques which were designed for spatially isolated measurements. Traditional multivariate statistical approaches uncover hidden information in water quality data but they are unable to expose spatial relationship. The complexity of information in water quality data needs new statistical approaches which uncover spatiotemporal variability. This review briefly discusses influences of land use land cover characteristics on surface water quality, effects of spatial scale on land use land cover- water quality relationship, and water quality modeling using various statistical approaches. Every statistical method has unique purpose, application and solves different problems. This review article pinpoints that how statistical approaches in combination with spatial scale can be applied to develop statistically significant land use land cover- water quality relationship for better water quality evaluation.
J.J.C. Garces
Abstract
The study was conducted to assess the native and alien plant species in one of the highly disturbed forest (S1) and less disturbed forest (S2) in Mt. Manunggal, Cebu Island, Philippines. Twenty-four quadrats with a size of 20mx20 m were established using a quadrat sampling technique to identify and record ...
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The study was conducted to assess the native and alien plant species in one of the highly disturbed forest (S1) and less disturbed forest (S2) in Mt. Manunggal, Cebu Island, Philippines. Twenty-four quadrats with a size of 20mx20 m were established using a quadrat sampling technique to identify and record all plant species. Diversity indices were utilized to determine species abundance, richness, evenness, and diversity. There was also the characterization of sites concerning anthropogenic activities and economic uses of native and alien plant species. Results showed that there was apparent domination of alien plants in terms of species richness and abundance in both sites (S1; R=62 species; N=10519; S2; R=55; N=32739). However, there was higher species richness (S1; R=62 and S2; R=30) and diversity (S1; H’=2.76, D=0.10 and S1; H’=2.41, D=0.11) but lower abundance (S1; N=10519 and S2; N=32739) and evenness (S1; PE=0.67 and S2; PE=0.73) in S1 than in S2. The high abundance and evenness of alien plant species in S2 could be due to high anthropogenic activities and its economic value. These factors indirectly assist in the introduction and persistence of alien plant species in disturbed ecosystems by increasing alien plant invasion which usually results in a higher diversity of alien plant species in highly disturbed sites. Assessment on the negative impacts to native plant species by alien plant invasion, enhanced by anthropogenic activities, must, therefore, serve as bases in future directions and implication for restoration and conservation of the remaining forests of Mt. Manunggal, Cebu Island, Philippines.
Environmental Management
A.A. Shayesteh; O. Koohshekan; F. Khadivpour; M. Kian; R. Ghasemzadeh; M. Pazoki
Abstract
Due to the growth of population and industrialization, a great number of problems associated with producing industrial wastes have been created for both the environment and human beings. The industrial waste management in Brujen industrial park, located in the western part of Iran, has been investigated ...
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Due to the growth of population and industrialization, a great number of problems associated with producing industrial wastes have been created for both the environment and human beings. The industrial waste management in Brujen industrial park, located in the western part of Iran, has been investigated in this study using the environmental rapid impact assessment matrix technique. For this purpose, the effective activities and components were classified. The determination of the best scenarios with the least impact on the environment was performed by developing the scenarios for possible industrial waste disposal and making calculations by the rapid impact assessment matrix method. The components of the environment were first classified into physical/chemical, economic/operational, biological/ecological, and social/cultural items. Afterward, with respect to the criteria of the rapid impact assessment matrix method, the importance of environmental impacts was determined by standard scoring of the developed scenarios. Ultimately, the environmental score of each component for the scenarios was calculated using the rapid impact assessment matrix method, and the best scenario with the least environmental impacts was selected through a quantitative comparison. According to the results, scenario 3 (pyrolysis) and scenario 1 (recycling) were found to have the most negative impact and the most positive impact on the environment. Scenario 4 (incineration), with its severe air pollution, obtained a high negative score and was excluded from the options. As a result, two systems of recycling (scenario 1) and the sanitary landfill (scenario 2) were identified as complementary to each other and were selected as a solid waste management method.
Environmental Engineering
Y. Zehtab Yazdi; N. Mansouri; F. Atabi; H. Aghamohammadi
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Sand and gravel product plants are among the significant sources of dust pollutants. This study was conducted to estimate dust concentrations released from these plants in a mineral complex in the southwest of Tehran.METHODS: Initially, the amount of silt and moisture content ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Sand and gravel product plants are among the significant sources of dust pollutants. This study was conducted to estimate dust concentrations released from these plants in a mineral complex in the southwest of Tehran.METHODS: Initially, the amount of silt and moisture content of the samples taken from these plants were determined according to the American Society for Testing and Materials C136 and D2216 methods, respectively. Accordingly, the rates of particulate matter emissions from these plants were determined by the AP-42 dust emission estimation methods published by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Next, a Gaussian model was used to estimate the particulate matter concentrations in the surrounding residential areas. Finally, the simulated concentrations were compared with the United States Environmental Protect Agency and World Health Organization standards.FINDINGS: Results showed that hauling operations, with producing 70%, 86%, and 90% of total PM2.5, PM10 and total suspended particulates, respectively, were the major sources of dust emission in the sand and gravel product plants. The lowest dust emission was related to stockpiling handling, producing 0.24%, 0.33%, and 0.16% of the total PM2.5, PM10 and total suspended particulates. The results of the presented model indicated that 24-hour average concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, and total suspended particulates produced by mining activities were about 36, 183, and 690 µg/m3 in the working zone and less than 30, 100, and 400 µg/m3 beyond the mineral complex boundary, respectively. Thus, annual average dust concentrations were negligible. The concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 produced by these plants in the mineral complex ambient air were higher than the standard average values recommended by the United States Environmental Protect Agency and World Health Organization. However, the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 from these plants in the residential areas around the complex, were below the standard limits proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.CONCLUSION: Sand and gravel mining activities increased the concentrations of particulate matter in the air of the surrounding areas and, to some extent, farther cities. PM2.5 and PM10 resulting from the sand and gravel mining activities could damage the workers in the mineral complex. They exceeded the 24-hour average permissible limits proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency about 1 and 33 µg/m3, respectively. This study showed the necessity of changing the industrial policies adopted to decrease dust emission rates. The results of this study can help the air pollution experts develop proper strategies for improving the air quality in the vicinity of surface mines.
Environmental Management
. Sunarti; J.H. Tjakraatmadja; A. Ghazali; B. Rahardyan
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Resident participation in waste management is essential to overcome waste problems effectively. In many developing countries, the local government has been struggling to encourage resident involvement in the waste management process, but the participation rate is still ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Resident participation in waste management is essential to overcome waste problems effectively. In many developing countries, the local government has been struggling to encourage resident involvement in the waste management process, but the participation rate is still low. Thus, it requires a system that can encourage residents to participate effectively and sustainably. Therefore, this study aimed to determine what determinant factors, either extrinsic or intrinsic, significantly improve resident participation by changing behaviour toward waste management.METHODS: This study tried to get insights from previous studies about key determinant factors affecting resident behaviour toward waste management to improve participation, significantly using a literature review method.FINDINGS: Educational setting for residents is crucial to improve waste management participation by cultivating key intrinsic factors with support from extrinsic factors that lead to changing behaviour. This study identified eight types of key contents shared in the educational setting to ensure its improvement. Key intrinsic factors should be cultivated, including six kinds of knowledge and five emotional domain factors. The six critical types of knowledge include technical experience, waste management performance knowledge, perception of benefits, environmental awareness, understanding of individual and social responsibility, and understanding the social norms and regulations. The five intrinsic factors in the emotional domain include environmental efficacy, motivation, personal moral norms, PBC, and Attitude toward waste management. All the critical determinant factors, including intrinsic and extrinsic factors, should support each other to improve residents’ behaviour, leading to sustainable participation.CONCLUSION: Relevance of educational content to the residents is crucial to ensure educational intervention effectiveness. With full support from the antecedent factors, waste management behaviour can be nurtured sustainably, significantly increasing the participation rate. Combining extrinsic and intrinsic factors is recommended to ensure the effectiveness of the improvement of resident participation.
M. Yousefpoor; T. Rostamie Shahraji; A. Eslam Bonyad; M. Salahi
Abstract
In order to evaluate the possible correlation between the tree density and the human population density, the forested area in Nav Asalem district located in Guilan Province was selected. The descriptors of tree number and basal area per hectare as well as the stand density index were used to determine ...
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In order to evaluate the possible correlation between the tree density and the human population density, the forested area in Nav Asalem district located in Guilan Province was selected. The descriptors of tree number and basal area per hectare as well as the stand density index were used to determine the tree density, which was conducted from a 2014 forest inventory including 62 cluster (558 plots) systematically scattered over 30 % of the forest area. In addition, to determine the density of the human population, circular buffers at intervals of 1 to 7 km from the center of each cluster was considered and population density of each layer was calculated using buffering functions. Statistical results showed that the average basal area, average number of trees and the average stand density index was 23.16 m2/ha, 243 per ha and 178.25 respectively and also different human population density in each buffer. Using Pearson correlation test indicated a significant negative correlation between the stand density index and basal area (DBH≥ 15 cm) with human population density. There was no significant relationship between the number of trees per hectare and the human population density except at 7 km. This findings support studies regarding the disturbance has strong correlative with the number of residents per unit area at up to 7 km from clusters and greater control on anthropogenic interventions should be the main priority of sustainable forestry in Hyrcanian forests of northern Iran. Due to the existence of an effective relationship between the components of the tree density and human population in the forest, policy-makers and planners of natural resources could benefit management patterns appropriate to above components to achieve sustainable management.
M. Memarianfard; A.M. Hatami; M. Memarianfard
Abstract
Most parts of the urban areas are faced with the problem of floating fine particulate matter. Therefore, it is crucial to estimate the amounts of fine particulate matter concentrations through the urban atmosphere. In this research, an artificial neural network technique was utilized to model the PM2.5 ...
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Most parts of the urban areas are faced with the problem of floating fine particulate matter. Therefore, it is crucial to estimate the amounts of fine particulate matter concentrations through the urban atmosphere. In this research, an artificial neural network technique was utilized to model the PM2.5 dispersion in Tehran City. Factors which are influencing the predicted value consist of weather-related and air pollution-related data, i.e. wind speed, humidity, temperature, SO2, CO, NO2, and PM2.5 as target values. These factors have been considered in 19 measuring stations (zones) over urban area across Tehran City during four years, from March 2011 to March 2015. The results indicate that the network with hidden layer including six neurons at training epoch 113, has the best performance with the lowest error value (MSE=0.049438) on considering PM2.5 concentrations across metropolitan areas in Tehran. Furthermore, the “R” value for regression analysis of training, validation, test, and all data are 0.65898, 0.6419, 0.54027, and 0.62331, respectively. This study also represents the artificial neural networks have satisfactory implemented for resolving complex patterns in the field of air pollution.
Environmental Science
A.S. Deshpande; R. Kumari; A. Prem Rajan
Abstract
A multitude of microbes are involved in the solubilisation of minerals and metals as this approach offers numerous advantages over traditional methods. This strategy is preferred as it is eco-friendly and economical, thus overcoming the drawbacks of the traditional approach of pyrometallurgy. Many different ...
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A multitude of microbes are involved in the solubilisation of minerals and metals as this approach offers numerous advantages over traditional methods. This strategy is preferred as it is eco-friendly and economical, thus overcoming the drawbacks of the traditional approach of pyrometallurgy. Many different types of bacteria are employed in the process of Bioleaching, which are collectively grouped under chemolithotrophs, as they derive their energy from inorganic compounds. Bioleaching is the mobilization of metal cations from insoluble ores by microorganisms. All chemolithotropic bacteria are extremophiles since they have the ability to survive in extreme conditions. They carry out the process of Bioleaching through three mechanisms: Indirect, contact/ direct and cooperative bioleaching. This review gives a sneak peek into the different strains of chemolithotrophs which are used in bioleaching, and some recent work in the field. It also gives an insight into the general process and mechanism of Bioleaching, the study of which will pave way for developing better and efficient industrial bioleaching operations.
F. Rostami; S. Feiznia; M. Aleali; M. Heshmati; B. Yousefi yegane
Abstract
Grupi and Kashkan marl formations comprise a considerable part of Zagros region. These formations have a considerable erodibility and sedimentation potential because of their special geological and mineralogical characteristics. The objective of this study was to compare the erosion and sediment ...
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Grupi and Kashkan marl formations comprise a considerable part of Zagros region. These formations have a considerable erodibility and sedimentation potential because of their special geological and mineralogical characteristics. The objective of this study was to compare the erosion and sediment yield of Kashkan and Grupi formations in Merk watershed located in southeast Kermanshah, using the Modified Pacific Southwest Inter-Agency Committee model. This model is suitable for estimating erosion and sediment intensity within each geomorphologic unit comprising nine effective environmental factors as geological, pedological, climate, runoff, topography, land cover, land use, surface, and river erosion factors. The results indicated that Kashkan formation comprises siltstone, sandstone, shale, and conglomerate, and Grupi formation contains shale, clay, and limestone with a high erodibility potential. Field measurements and soil samples analyzed for effective factors releaved that sediment yield for Merek watershed was 18080.6 m3/ha/y. Furthermore, field measurement and soil samples analyzed for effective factors releaved that sediment yields for Kashkan and Gurpi were 7243.3 and 10837.5 m3/ha/y, respectively. The reasons for erosion intensity and sedimentation in the two mentioned formations are slopes, vegetation and land use in addition to the type of rocks in Kashkan and Gurpi formations which are predominantly marl and shale.
Environmental Management
P.C. Emenike; D.O. Omole; B.U. Ngene; I.T. Tenebe
Abstract
The expensive nature of metal ions detoxification from wastewater have restricted the use of conventional treatment technologies. Cheap, alternative measures have been adopted to eliminate metal contamination, and adsorptions using agricultural adsorbents seem to be the way forward. The use of agricultural ...
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The expensive nature of metal ions detoxification from wastewater have restricted the use of conventional treatment technologies. Cheap, alternative measures have been adopted to eliminate metal contamination, and adsorptions using agricultural adsorbents seem to be the way forward. The use of agricultural adsorbents for cadmium (II), copper (II) and lead (II) ion removal has gained more interest in literature due to the level of contamination in water bodies. This review shed lights on the removal proficiency of various low–cost agricultural adsorbent for the elimination of cadmium (II), copper (II) and lead (II) ions, considering performance, surface modification, equilibrium adsorptive studies, kinetic characteristics, coefficient of correlation (R2) and reuse. Furthermore, these agricultural adsorbents have displayed better performance when rivaled with commercial/conventional adsorbent. Observations from different adsorptive capacities presented owe their performance to surface area improvement/modification, pH of the adsorbent, ionic potential of the solution, initial concentration and elemental component of the adsorbent. However, gaps have been identified to improve applicability, sorption performance, economic viability, optimization, and commercialization of suitable agricultural adsorbents.
C.A. Odiji; O.M. Aderoju; M.C. Ekwe; D.T. Oje; J.O. Imhanfidon
Abstract
Runoff assessment and estimation is crucial for watershed management as it provides information that is needed to expedite the course of watershed planning and development. The most commonly used model due to its simplicity and versatility in runoff estimation is the soil conservation service curve number ...
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Runoff assessment and estimation is crucial for watershed management as it provides information that is needed to expedite the course of watershed planning and development. The most commonly used model due to its simplicity and versatility in runoff estimation is the soil conservation service curve number developed by the United States Department of Agriculture. The study estimates the surface runoff of Upper Benue watershed using a geospatial based soil conservation service curve number model. Datasets utilized for this purpose are; Rainfall, land use, digitial elevation model and FAO-Soil. The soil and land use data were intersected to create the curve number grid and database. The curve number grid combined with the mean annual rainfall data from 1990 – 2017 was used to estimate runoff. The result revealed that 61.5% of rainfall was direct runoff while 38.5% of the rainfall was retained by tree/plant cover and soil. The average curve number for the normal condition was calculated to be 80.1 while the dry and wet season was 59.6, and 93.2 respectively. The average runoff volume for 27 years was estimated to be 69,887.43mm3. A correlation coefficient of 0.79 was found for the relationship between rainfall and runoff. The research highlights the importance of geospatial technique when integrated with soil conservation service curve number to estimate runoff conditions in Upper Benue Watershed.
Environmental Engineering
E.N. Hidayah; R.B. Pachwarya; O.H. Cahyonugroho
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The existence of organic matter is one of the main issues for wastewater reclamation since chlorination is applied most frequently before use wastewater reclamation for many purposes. One of the eco-friendly and effective methods is using innovative material through resin immobilized ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The existence of organic matter is one of the main issues for wastewater reclamation since chlorination is applied most frequently before use wastewater reclamation for many purposes. One of the eco-friendly and effective methods is using innovative material through resin immobilized heterogeneous photocatalyst, which is based on the principle of advanced oxidation processes. Resin immobilized photocatalyst has been using for pollutant reduction, however lack of studies focused on dissolved effluent organic matter and its impact on the formation carcinogenic as by-product of water or wastewater treatment. This study aims to characterize organic matter by resin immobilized photocatalyzed titanium dioxide and zinc oxide and to determine its effectiveness in removing organic matter and potential for disinfection by-products in treated wastewater compare with resin only.METHODS: The bulk parameters, including total organic carbon, aromatic organic carbon as ultraviolet at 254 nm wavelength and specific ultraviolet absorbance value, and disinfection by-products formation potential, including trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids concentration was measured.FINDINGS: The results present that all materials could remove organic carbon in the range 58.18% - 93.45%, aromatic organic carbon removal 48.77% - 76.51%, and specific ultraviolet absorbance value decreased into less than 2 L/mg-m after longer contact time. Disinfection by-products formation potential concentration removal decreased and indicated the consistency results with bulk parameters removal. Resin immobilized photocatalyzed zinc oxide performed a higher efficiency removal than resin immobilized photocatalyzed titanium dioxide and resin only.CONCLUSION: This study exhibited the performance of resin immobilized photocatalyst with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide in removing dissolved organic matter and to control the formation of disinfection by-products. A combination between bulk parameters and disinfection by-products formation potential removal concluded that the aromatic structure, was mainly haloacetic acids precursors, while the non-aromatic organic fraction was probably trihalomethanes precursors.
L. Askarizadeh; A.R. Karbassi; M.B. Ghalibaf; J. Nouri
Abstract
Ancient City of Ray, located at the southern urban part of Tehran province, is one of the best recognized civilization sites in the world. In this study, the past earthquake incidence in Ray was reviewed using hazards united states tool as a geographic information system-based natural hazard analysis ...
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Ancient City of Ray, located at the southern urban part of Tehran province, is one of the best recognized civilization sites in the world. In this study, the past earthquake incidence in Ray was reviewed using hazards united states tool as a geographic information system-based natural hazard analysis tool. hazards united states tool was chosen to estimate the damage on structural and non-structural elements during various earthquake scenarios with magnitudes of 4.5, 6 and 7.5 on the Richter scale in Ray City. Earthquake magnetitudes of 4.5, 6 and 7.5 would severely damage 49, 72 and 82% of buildings, respectively. The number of casualties was estimated to be in the range of 558 to 2220 people. It was also computed that 93, 197 and 331 km3 of debris would be produced at 4.5, 6 and 7.5 Richter earthquake, respectively. Subsequently, Arc-GIS was used to find out the best route from the affected areas to the temporary disposal locations and to allocate the required number of heavy equipments and manpowers for debris disposal planning. A set of factors, including diversity of the existing wastes, separation of the recyclable wastes, and allocation of the best place and route for debris disposal in the shortest time and with the shortest distance in the street network, were presented and considered in the analyses. Finally, it was concluded that debris management is not only a logistic activity, but also it is an inseparable part of the post-accident recovery process.
Environmental Engineering
N. Amani; A.A. Reza Soroush
Abstract
Building information modeling can help in predicting the energy efficiency in future based on dynamic patterns obtained by visualization of data. The aim of this study was to investigate the effective parameters of energy consumption using BIM technology which can evaluate the buildings energy performance. ...
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Building information modeling can help in predicting the energy efficiency in future based on dynamic patterns obtained by visualization of data. The aim of this study was to investigate the effective parameters of energy consumption using BIM technology which can evaluate the buildings energy performance. First, three forms of general states in the building were modeled to evaluate the proposed designs in Autodesk Revit Software. Then, the main building form for energy modeling and analysis was selected. Autodesk Revit 2020 software was also used to obtain the results of climate data analysis and building energy consumption index. Finally, the most optimal mode was selected by examining different energy consumption modes. The results showed that the use of building information modeling technology in adjusting the parameters affecting energy consumption can save energy cost up to 58.23% in block D. Energy cost savings for block C and the western lobby were obtained as 51.03% and 43.05%, respectively. Based on energy use intensity, energy cost savings for blocks C, D, and the western lobby were estimated as 16.67%, 16.30%, and 11%, respectively. The results of parametric studies on alternative schemes of energy use intensity optimization showed that 16.30% savings could be achieved by the base building model in a 30-year time horizon. Therefore, it was concluded that optimization of energy consumption would reduce the environmental pollutants emission and contribute to preservation and sustainability of the environment.
EndNote