ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Environmental Implications Related to Natural Asbestos Occurrences in the Ophiolites of the Gimigliano-Mount Reventino Unit (Calabria, Southern Italy)
Metabasites and serpentinites of the ophiolitic sequence of the Gimigliano-Mount Reventino Unit(Calabria, southern Italy), also known as greenstones, are employed and marketed for building and ornamentalpurposes since prehistorical times. The main topic of our research focuses on the occurrence, within the abovelithotypes, of asbestiform minerals that may be potentially harmful for human health. A detailed mineralogical andpetrographic characterization by means of Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM), X-Ray Powder Diffractometry(XRPD), Scanning Electron Microscopy combined with Energy-Dispersive Spectrometry (SEM/EDS), and ThermoGravimetry together with Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TG/DSC) pointed out as asbestiform minerals mayoccur in outcrops as well as in quarries located in surroundings of Mount Reventino. Indeed, tremolite resulted tobe the main constituent among the asbestos minerals contained in metabasites, followed by actinolite; moreover,other amphiboles (not regulated by the Directive 2003/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the EuropeanCouncil of 27th March 2003) detected are crossite, glaucophane, hornblende and gedrite. As far as serpentinites,chrysotile is the dominant asbestos phase. Obtained results hold environmental implications, since they can beused in order to take decisions for the realization of health protecting measures during human activities such asroad construction and quarry excavations and may also provide new data for the compulsory Italian mapping ofnatural sites that are characterized by the presence of the asbestos commonly known as NOA (Naturally OccurringAsbestos).
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_913_de4dd5508b6d05caf306070b681052b2.pdf
2015-04-01
405
418
10.22059/ijer.2015.913
Naturally occurring asbestos
Greenstone
Metabasite
Serpentinite
Historical quarries
Calabria
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Accumulation of PAHs,Me-PAHs, PCBs and totalMercury in sediments andMarine Species in CoastalAreas ofDakar, Senegal: Contamination level and impact
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) have widely aroused public concern due to their ubiquity,environmental persistence, long-range transportability, bioaccumulation capacities and potentially adverse effectson living organisms. Dakar is located in the industrial zone of Senegal (80% of industrial activities) and inhabits25% of Senegalese population leading to an ideal sink of these persistent organic pollutants. In the present paper,Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclicAromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed in sediments andmarine organisms. The contamination level of PAHs,Me-PAHs and PCBs in surface sediment and aquatic organisms(one macroalgae, two invertebrate species, four fish species and macroalgae) were determined. The concentrationlevels in the sediment were detected from 2 to 636 μg/kg dw for Σ16PAHs, from 3 to 31 μg/kgdw for Σ18Me-PAHsand from 4 to 333 μg/kg dw for Σ28PCBs for the selected stations in Dakar costal area. PAHs concentrationsdetermined in edible tissues were lower than sediment samples. Tilapia species present the highest mean levels ofPAHs and Me-PAHs at 92 ± 54 and 183 ± 39 μg/kg dw respectively. For PCBs, the highest level was determinedin Perna perna species (up to 1228 μg/kg dw) and the lowest level was found in Penaeus kerathurus species. Atthe base of the food chain, Ulvalactula species displayed low PCB concentrations detected at 7 ± 6 μg/kg dw. Thetotalmercury concentration was also reported in this paper in order to complete the background of pollution degreeand to study the potential processes of biomagnification and/or bioaccumulation of contaminants in marine foodchain. Mercury concentration were detected in the sediment ranging from 5 to 95 μg/kg dw. For marine species,considering all organisms, the mean concentration of mercury varies between 5 and 442 μg/kg dw. Pyrogenicprocess was the predominant source of PAHs contamination in our sampling sites. Based on Sediments QualityGuidelines (ERM–ERL/TEL–PEL approaches) rare biological adverse effects of total mercury, PCBs and PAHson aquatic ecosystems were expected in Dakar coastal area. Finally, in the context of human health, the ediblemarine species qualities obtained from three stations of Dakar coastal areas have been also evaluated. Based onthe European Union legislation, the selected species present good quality for human consumption based on PCBs,PAHs and mercury.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_914_305d5379c1451b77c34e38c96d7cd996.pdf
2015-04-01
419
432
10.22059/ijer.2015.914
PAHs
PCBs
mercury
sediment and marine organisms
Dakar
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Hyperaccumulation ofCadmiumand DNAChanges in PopularVegetable, Brassica chinensis L.
Brassica chinensis L. is a popular vegetable, especially in Asian dishes. For plant growing withinorganic fertilizer, cadmium (Cd) has been one of the highest metal and health-risk factors included. Thisresearch aimed to assess the bioaccumulation of Cd by the plant and its genetic changes. The plant was grownin the soil supplemented by Cd at 0, 15, 30, 60 and 120 mg/kg. The accumulations in the roots, stems andleaves, were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS), then the Bioconcentration Factor(BCF) and translocation Factor (TF) were calculated. DNA changes were accessed by random Amplifiedpolymorphic DNA (RAPD) with Genomic Template Stability (GTS) tests. The Cd accumulation in the plantparts after 30 days of the treatments ranged from 80.93 to 5053.48 mg/kg, 35.53 to 2439.61 mg/kg, and 21.21 to2231.02 mg/kg, respectively. The BCF and TF values ranged from 4.54 to 12.66 and 0.70 to 1.67, respectively.From RAPD fingerprints, the GTS values ranged from 51.34 to 80.96%. At the highest concentration of Cdsupplemented (120 mg/kg), the DNA resulted in the highest changes (GTS = 51.34%). These results, includingBCF and TF values, also indicated that B. chinensis is a Cd-hyperaccumulator, therefore, consuming the plantsgrowing in the Cd-polluted area is a health risk
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_915_043700046a1f8e7d16d177a87a7b655d.pdf
2015-04-01
433
438
10.22059/ijer.2015.915
Brassica chinensis
Cd-hyperaccumulator
Bioconcentration Factor
Translocation Factor
DNAchanges
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Removal of ChromiumFromGroundwater using NeemLeaves asAdsorbent
The effluents of tannery industries are the major source of chromium contamination in thegroundwater. In most of the sub-urban areas ground water is the major source of drinking water. For humanbeing Long term exposure to chromium is detrimental. The main objective of this study is to assess thegroundwater contamination and to adopt appropriate methods and to develop suitable techniques either toprevent chromium contamination or to reduce it to very low levels with due consideration to cost optimization.Bore well samples were collected from 6 location from the proximity of tannery industry at a distance of 25minterval and at different depth during 2014 in the month of March. To remove the chromium from thegroundwater neem leaves is used as the adsorbent. The column study was conducted to determine the effectof adsorbent to remove the chromium concentration from the ground water. To investigate the influences of bedheight on the performance of chromium adsorption on to the neem leaves in a fixed-bed column. The resultsreveal that the concentration of chromium is high near the tannery industry in Chrompet so the studyconcluded that usage of groundwater in Chrompet should be avoided.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_916_87359196a916119a985e6287b424d2a0.pdf
2015-04-01
439
444
10.22059/ijer.2015.916
Groundwater
Contamination
Chromium removal
Adsorbtion
Neem leaves
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Application ofDPSIR Framework for Integrated EnvironmentalAssessment of UrbanAreas:ACase Study of Tehran
Investigating urban environmental conditions, informs us about the unsustainability and excessivedegradation of ecological context, which result in rising environmental concerns among the society. Classifiedinformation about the status and trends of environmental components is needed as a rational tool to help urbansustainable planning and SOER reports can help provide such information. Preparing the state of environmentreport (SOER) for cities around the world has become a pervasive action and fortunately Tehran is amongpioneer cities in this aspect. This research is based on the results of Tehran’s second state of environment report,in which different aspects of environmental problems are investigated in city of Tehran. The results show anincrease in environmental loads, which is evident from the rate of land cover change, water consumption andwaste production. Degradation of ecological environment in Tehran is severe for soil pollution, biodiversity lossand climate change which can be the result of other environmental factors degradation such as air and water. Inthe end, according to components of DPSIR causal chain, different responses are proposed that can serve as aframework to develop strategies and action plans for a more efficient environmental planning of city of Tehran.We conclude that DPSIR model can link different aspects and depict the interaction and interconnectedness ofdifferent components of environmental issues in urban areas.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_917_f1317ae45a91cce4e9ab198eeb26574d.pdf
2015-04-01
445
456
10.22059/ijer.2015.917
DPSIR framework
environmental factors
urban planning
Tehran
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Leachate andGroundWaterAssessment at Kirkuk SanitaryLandfill Site in ZindanaVillage, Iraq
In Iraq, waste generation was increased after 2003 war events due to intensepopulation developmentand economic growth. The limitation of designable system for Municipal SolidWaste (MSW) management led toserious problems regarding environment and human health. Sanitary landfill in the south of Kirkuk is the first kindof effective system for municipal solid waste management in Iraq. In the first effort to assess the pollutionpotential of leachate and its impact on ground water, leachate samples from pre-treatment basin, post treatmentbasin and leachate pond were analyzed for physico-chemical characteristics (pH, EC, TSS, TDS, BOD, COD,Cl-, SO4-2, PO4-3, NO3- and NO2-) and heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Mn, Ni and Cd). Similar analysis was done ontwo monitoring wells around landfill site (MW1, directed leachate pond and MW2 directed landfill site). Theleachate pollution index (LPI) was also determined. The results showed that the main concentrations of BOD,COD, SO4-2, PO4-3, and NO3- in the monitoring well samples are above the permissible limits of WHOstandards regarding drinking water quality. It may particularly be due to the impact of leachate outflows ongroundwater quality and surface drainage during rainy season. Analytical results of leachate samples indicatethe early acidic biodegradation stage of Kirkuk landfill. The high LPI value of 6.651 was recorded for leachatebefore treatment indicating the role of leachate treatment to minimize the levels of pollutants.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_918_d8c88f7e9f98be062655fbce77b117d9.pdf
2015-04-01
457
466
10.22059/ijer.2015.918
Kirkuk Municipal SolidWaste
Sanitary Landfill
Ground water quality
leachate
LPI
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
GroundwaterTreatment using the Fenton process: Changes in Natural OrganicMatterCharacteristics andArsenic Removal
This work investigates the use of Fenton’s process (pH 5.5 and 6; 0.10-0.50 mM Fe(II); molarratios Fe(II) to H2O2 of 1:5-1:20) combined with flocculation for the treatment of groundwater which is richin natural organic matter (NOM) (10.6±0.37 mg C/L) and arsenic (110±6.7 μg/L). Changes to the character ofthe residual NOM fractions were followed, as well as the removal efficiencies of NOM and arsenic. Underoptimal reaction conditions at pH 5.5, 55% of theDissolvedOrganic Carbon (DOC) was removed, whilst removalsof specific disinfection by-product precursors of trihalomethanes (THM), haloacetic acids (HAA) andhaloacetonitriles (HAN) were 80%, 75% and 98%, respectively. Total arsenic concentrations were reduced tobelow 5 μg/L under all investigated experimental conditions. After the Fenton treatment, the percentage of thehydrophobic NOMfraction (humic acid and fulvic acid fraction) decreased, and the percentage of the hydrophilicfraction (acidic and non-acidic fractions) increased. The hydrophilic fraction, which was the most abundant inthe treated water, was also the most reactive fraction towards THM and HAA formation, whereas the residualfulvic acid fraction contributed the most to the formation of HAN.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_919_295ef46682460803420d91f5328afa8b.pdf
2015-04-01
467
474
10.22059/ijer.2015.919
Natural organic matter
Arsenic
Water treatment
Fenton’s process
Disinfection by-products
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Isolation of Extremely Heavy Metal Resistant Strains of Rare Actinomycetes fromHighMetalContent Soils in Iran
Using of microorganisms to remove industrial pollutions of environment is an efficient methodthat mimics natural process and decrease remediation cost. In this study, 450 actinomycete strains wereisolated from high metal content soils in Iran. Heavy metal salt solutions in different concentrations were usedto isolate the resistant strains. 40 resistant actinomycetes which they showed highly resistance to the mostapplied heavy metals were selected. After examination of these strains in broth media with high levels ofmetals, 13 resistant isolates were selected as high resistant actinomycetes. Some strains showed resistance to140 mM ZnCl2, 7 mM CuSO4, 9.2 mM CdCl2, and 60 mM NiCl2. Molecular identification revealed thatresistant strains belonged to different actinomycetes genera including Streptomyces,Nonomuraea, Saccharothrix,Streptosporangium and Promicromonospora which was the first report on occurrence of highly metal resistantstrains in Nonomuraea, Streptosporangium and Promicromonospora genera. Cadmium removal studies byPromicromonospora sp. UTMC 2243 indicated 96.5% reduction in cadmium residual concentration, reflectingcadmium removal capacity in Promicromonospora sp. UTMC 2243.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_920_aef08becf144d74d75ca6c3f08d1ef68.pdf
2015-04-01
475
480
10.22059/ijer.2015.920
Actinomycetes
Heavy metals
Cadmium
Nonomuraea
Promicromonospora
Streptosporangium
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Feasibility ofAnaerobic Digestion of Potato peels for Biogas asMitigation of Greenhouse gases Emission Potential
Processing of round potatoes (Solanum tuberosum (L.) into chips in Tanzania and particularlyDar es Salaam city is a growing business that attract low wages employees and unemployed occupants. Proliferationof chips vendors with low knowledge, poor attitude and practice towards environment have resulted into poormanagement of potato peels waste which are haphazardly disposed of thus causing unhealthy environment,health risks and dilapidated infrastructure. In this paper, the contribution of potato peels to emission of greenhousegases (GHGs) was analyzed for Dar es Salaam city adapting the UNFCCC baseline scenario model. Based onthe 2012 city population of 4.37million with 5.6% growth rate, peels generation and GHGs emission potentialhave been quantified and projected for 20 years. The global warming potential as CO2 equivalent cumulativelystands at 2 kilotons of peels to 1 ton GHGs emission. Field investigation to assess feasibility of using the peels forbiogas production as mitigation measure for the GHGs emission was conducted. Availability, quantitative andqualitative attributes of the peels for the biogas production in Dar es Salaam are hereby presented.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_921_5704665db779194a6b9deef9819cc8a6.pdf
2015-04-01
481
488
10.22059/ijer.2015.921
Kilimo kwanza
Potato peels
Baseline scenario
Resource recovery
Dar es Salaam
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
TheApplication of RecycledAggregates of Construction Debris inAsphalt ConcreteMix Design
The purpose of this research was to evaluate the application of recycled aggregates of constructiondebris such as concrete, cement block and rubbles from Pars-Kangan site in asphalt concrete mix design. Toevaluate the performance of aggregates different mix designs with recycled aggregate percentages of 0, 10,30, 50 and bitumen percentages of 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, and 6.5 were provided and two Marshall specimens (Totally48 specimens) prepared for each mix design. Marshall test was conducted on the specimens to evaluate theirphysical and mechanical properties. The test results indicated that the increase of recycled aggregatespercentage in asphalt concrete mix design leads to lower strength in Marshall specimens. Hence, in the nextround of research the same asphalt concrete mix designs with bitumen-sulfur proportion of 60-40 wereprovided in order to increase the strength of aggregates. The Marshall physical and mechanical test resultsspecified that sulfur has a significant role in increasing the strength of specimens. But increasing therecycled aggregates resulted in decrease of strength. By comparing the test results, it was inferable that sulfurdoesn’t have a significant role in increasing the technical specifications of aggregates, and it only increases thestrength of specimens.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_922_37b0e39d1bd50688b8f2b9f2d5bccf92.pdf
2015-04-01
489
494
10.22059/ijer.2015.922
Asphalt concrete mix design
Aggregate durability
Fracture
Asphalt Concrete
Recycled aggregate
Marshall properties
Sulfur asphalt concrete
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Assessment of the Conservation Status of Natural and Semi-Natural Patches Associated with urbanAreasThroughHabitat Suitability Indices
Urban environments rely on the surrounding natural ecosystems remnants as providers of ecosystemfunctions, therefore these areas not only support a unique biodiversity but also have a social value for maintainingpublic health andwellbeing. For this reason, urbanization is considered to be one the biggest threats to ecosystems,leading to native biodiversity simplification and, thus, to a detriment of the provided ecosystemservices.Moreover,this change in land use results in high levels of landscape fragmentation and modification in areas surrounding thehabitat remnantswhich, in consequence, become inadequate formany native species. In this context, it is importantthat urban planners have the information to assess the possible consequences of future changes in land use inorder to increase the landscape chances of supporting both, native biodiversity and the needs of a growing humanpopulation. The objective of the present work is to evaluate the ecological integrity of natural and semi-naturalvegetation patches immersed in an urban area in order to generate a conceptual framework for landscapeassessment that allows urban planners to envision the best choice for city development at a given place. To do so,we developed a quantitative integral environmental evaluation index that includes ecological characterization,geological characterization, and environmental characterization (presence of anthropic disturbance) of the assessedarea. We conclude that the index we have generated in this work is suitable to be used as a management tool toallow an unbiased valuation and to identify managing situations that require a short term response.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_923_59d42d1590f2c1f61636d925d584e880.pdf
2015-04-01
495
504
10.22059/ijer.2015.923
HSI
urban planning
landscape
biodiversity
Sustainable Development
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Application ofDonnanDialysis forCyanide Removal fromAqueous Solutions
Cyanide ion, is an environmentally significant pollutant in many industrial wastewaters.Therefore, a considerable number of methods have been studied for the wastewater treatment containingcyanide. the goal of our work consists in applying a simple and economic process for solving this problem ofpollution. The removal of cyanide ions by using three anion exchange membranes has been studied underDonnan dialysis conditions as a function of initial concentration of cyanide, receiver phase composition andco-existence anions in the feed phase. The feasibility of the system was examined and the highest cyanideremoval was obtained when the initial concentration of cyanide on the feed phase was 10-2 M. In addition, theaccompanying counter-anions were also influenced in the cyanide transport in the order chloride >hydrogenocarbonate > sulphate. It was also observed that the cyanide transport efficiency of the NeoseptaAFN was higher than that of the Neosepta AM3 and IONAC MA3475XL membranes. The better result forAFN membrane was obtained with chloride ion as a counter-anion in the receiver phase.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_924_aca1d7579e5bf837123e74de520e3661.pdf
2015-04-01
505
510
10.22059/ijer.2015.924
Cyanide
Aqueous solutions
Donnan dialysis
AFN
Anion exchange membrane
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
IntegratedAnalysis ofUrban Landscape Fragmentation (Case Study: Historical-ReligiousCity of Ray)
Landscape fragmentation has threatened the landscape continuity of Ray which was maintainedfrom prehistoric times until recent decades. From 19th century that Tehran sprawl growth affected Ray’slandscape as a satellite city of Tehran, Ray experienced rapid landscape fragmentation and underwent manychanges. In order to cope with the threat, the process of changes from landscape fragmentation should bestudied. For this purpose, integrated approach was applied to assess landscape fragmentation. Landscapefragmentation is analyzed based on physical and quantitative evaluation using landscape metrics and perceptualand quantitative evaluation through an in-depth interview with natives. The results have cleared an image ofthe structural changes and also great change of people’s perception during the time. Based on the results, Ray’slandscape is structurally fragmented, but native do not perceive it. This is while people perceive landscapefunctional fragmentation. This inconsistent perception of landscape has caused the native’s dissatisfactionabout their living place. With the prepared image of landscape fragmentation in the City of Ray, city managers,designers, and planners will be able to deal with rapid changes and preserve landscape continuity of Ray.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_925_a645562677443882941aa269aa860ab5.pdf
2015-04-01
511
522
10.22059/ijer.2015.925
Integrity
Fragmentation
Landscape assessment
perception
Mental map
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Hydrogeological Characterization of a Geothermal system: the case of the Thermo-mineral area ofMondragone (Campania, Italy)
This paper dealswith thermo-mineral groundwater of theMondragone plain (Campania, southernItaly) and the possibility to use this low enthalpy geothermal resource. In the NW sector of this plain, at thebottom of Mt. Pizzuto, near the sea, there are thermo-mineral waters (50 °C) of sodium-chloride type,sulfureous and rich in CO2 whose recharge is from the Mt. Pizzuto groundwater body. In the SE sector of theplain, close to the calcareous Mt. Petrino, a 80 m deep well has intercepted, in the carbonate basement of theplain, thermo-mineral groundwater (33 °C), sulfureous and rich in CO2, as in the NW sector, but displaying acalcium-bicarbonate composition. The chemical and the isotopic analyses allowed to verify that these typesof groundwater are due both to meteoric waters infiltration and to enrichment of endogenous CO2 and H2S, atfairly high temperature. In the Petrinum well, the gases involve “connate waters”, affecting upwards thegroundwater body of Mt. Petrino. Moreover, the rising of the gases increases the dissolution of the carbonateaquifer, determining very high values of HCO3 ions in the thermo-mineral groundwater. In the case of Mt.Pizzuto, the upwelling gas intercepts also evaporitic formation and, probably, causes saltwater intrusion. Theupwelling of the gases occurs along the major fault that crosses NE-SW the plain of Mondragone. Finally, theunderstanding of the mineralization patterns allowed to identify in the plain the best location for a geothermalexploration well.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_926_923809ff0e8edc8f3c739150d2395086.pdf
2015-04-01
523
534
10.22059/ijer.2015.926
Thermo-mineral groundwater
Carbonate rocks
Geothermal energy
Mondragone
Italy
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
An Effective and Low-Cost TiO2/Polystyrene Floating Photocatalyst for EnvironmentalRemediation
A floating polymer-supported photocatalyst based on polystyrene impregnated with titaniumdioxide particles was developed using a facile solvent-cast method at ambient temperature. The preparedphotocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and fourier transforminfrared spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the developed photocatalysts was investigated usingmethylene blue dye. The prepared polystyrene-supported titanium dioxide photocatalysts successfullyremoved color from the aqueous solution without any additional pH adjustment under ultraviolet (254 nm)irradiation and non-stirred, non-anchored conditions. The maximum color removal achieved by the optimizedphotocatalyst (10 weight percent loading of Degussa P25 with respect to amount of polystyrene) was around93% after 7.5 h of ultraviolet light exposure. Further, the photocatalyst sheets were also tested for recoveryand reuse. The efficiency of color removal achieved by the optimized photocatalyst on reuse was in the rangeof 99–100%. The developed photocatalyst seems to be a promising candidate that can be further investigatedfor large scale commercial applications.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_927_0a0ff951df47e17fa25e5b14976f8fb2.pdf
2015-04-01
535
544
10.22059/ijer.2015.927
TiO2 photocatalyst
Polystyrene
Impregnated
Methylene Blue
Buoyant
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Assessing HumanHealth Risk ofMetalAccumulations in a wild carp fish from Selected Sites of a RiverLoaded withMunicipal and IndustrialWastes
This 4x2 factorial study compared the effect of four sites (A=Siphon as upstream, andB=Shahdera, C=Sunder and D= Balloki as 3 downstream sites) during low and high flow seasons of river Ravion metal cconcentrations in muscles from Cirrhinus (C) mrigala, a bottom feeder carp. While weight andlength of studied specimens did not differ significantly (P>0.05). Overall metal accumulations appeared in theorder of calcium (Ca) > sodium (Na) > potassium (K) > magnesium (Mg) > zinc (Zn) > iron (Fe) > manganese(Mn) > copper (Cu) > chromium (Cr) > lead (Pb) > nickel (Ni) > cadmium (Cd). The sampling sites weresignificantly different (P<0.001) for all the metals except Mg. The metal accumulation pattern for sites was C> B > D > A, except Mg, Pb, Mn, Ni, Zn and Fe. The macro metal contents, except K and trace metals exceptCd were significantly higher during low flow than the high flow season. The bioaccumulation of Cd, Cr and Mnwere greater than those permissible for human consumption by the WHO standards. The most alarmingresults contradict the views of local fish consumers that riverine fish are more healthy and valuable than thepond fish. This fish species inhabiting the downstream sites was more polluted and may be a source of risk toconsumer health. Regular monitoring is obligatory to evaluate eco-health of the river Ravi by choosing perhapsC. mrigala as a bio-indicator which might provide reliable measurements to frequently assess environmentalquality of rivers.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_928_c650e16a21f606947ea7df829dbf1804.pdf
2015-04-01
545
552
10.22059/ijer.2015.928
Cirrhinus mrigala
Metal toxicity
River pollution
Human health risk
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
The Effect of Zeolite and Nitrifying Bacteria on Remediation of Nitrogenous Wastewater Substances Derived fromCarp Breeding Farm
Limitation of water resources and necessity in profitable production, and consequentlyproductivity enhancement has taken crop production by means of unconventional water into consideration. Inthis study, the effect of different levels of zeolite and nitrifying bacteria were investigated on nitrogenouscompounds absorption in a closed system of carp breeding with alfalfa. Treatments of zeolites at three levels(with a weight percent of 0, 5, and 10%) and bacterial treatments including two levels (without bacteria andwith nitrifying bacteria) were used for six weeks in such way that produced effluent of the carp breeding froman experiment unit were entered to alfalfa culturing medium; so a closed cycle was established. The results ofthis studyshowed that use of zeolite and nitrifying bacteria significantly decreased ammonia values in comparisonto the control in effluent, in addition, nitrate amount in treatments containing zeolite and bacteria weresignificantly (P> 0.05) more than the control treatments. Dry weights of alfalfa in the treatments containingzeolite and bacteria were more than the control treatments; additionally, use of bacteria was also significant ondry weight of alfalfa (P> 0.05).This study showed that application of zeolite and nitrifying bacteria to soil,conversion of ammonia to nitrate happens during nitrification that improves water quality of aquaculture andcauses more uptake of nitrate by plant that reduces water and soil pollution by this element.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_929_51bc0e257001ebd6494506c1728a10c6.pdf
2015-04-01
553
560
10.22059/ijer.2015.929
Phytoremediation
Recirculating aquaculture system
Effluent of fish breeding
Nitrogen
Soil Pollution
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
TotalMaterial Requirement assessment of Phosphorus sources from Phosphate ore and urban sinks: Sewage Sludge andMSWincineration fly ash
Diversification of phosphorus sources can bring substantial synergy effects within all thesustainable development domains: environmental, economic and social, and such an opportunity should not beoverlooked. Urban sinks accumulate phosphorus and other elements and may serve as sources of secondaryraw materials. This paper evaluates phosphorus sources based on their total material requirement (TMR).Resource requirements and emissions of the conventional phosphorus production from mining through theacid route processing have been quantified and have been used as a yardstick against which to measure theperformance of two recycling options: spreading of sewage sludge and phosphorus recovery from municipalsolid waste incineration fly ash (MSWA). The sludge spreading had the lowest TMR. Phosphorus extractedfrom the MSWAhad four-fold higher TMR than the conventional production. However, method modificationswere suggested and are currently being tested, which reduce the methods TMR well below the TMR of thephosphorus production from the ore. The entire impact of the Swedish mineral fertilizer demand can beavoided by recycling urban sinks of phosphorus. Sweden can become self-sufficient in mineral fertilizerbecause the phosphorus quantities imported in food and later found in the urban sinks such as food waste,sewage sludge and MSW incineration residues cover the entire necessary quantity.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_930_6826d33a0dbac1678fc1f596faad6b04.pdf
2015-04-01
561
566
10.22059/ijer.2015.930
phosphorus
Urban sinks
Sewage sludge
Fertilizer
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
The Fate of Polychlorinated Biphenyls inKarstic Soil
During the Croatian Homeland war in 1991, the capacitor batteries of the Zadar electric powersubstation (TS 110/35 kV) were damaged, resulting in the severe pollution of the soil with polychlorinatedbiphenyls (PCBs). Due to porosity of karstic soil PCBs represent great environmental and human health risksthat need some action. The polluted soil was collected and an experimental field was formed. This paperreports the behaviour of PCBs in karstic soil over an extended period of time under field conditions. Verticalmovement of PCBs through the soil profiles was also observed. The soil was sampled four times. The initialmedian levels of Aroclor 1248 in the surface soil layer were 76.5 μg g-1. The levels of PCB in the soil layerscollected after initial stage were quite variable. In general, PCB patterns were dominated by low-chlorinatedhomologue groups (<5 Cl groups). The dominant indicator PCB congeners initially present in the soil werePCB 28 and PCB 52. At the end of the experiment, in surface soil layer, the levels of PCB 28 decreasedsignificantly (38%), while the levels of PCB 52 decreased at a smallier rate with time (15%). In the observedtime periods the levels of higher PCBs (n>6) were relatively stable. The results show that the total PCBconcentration in the soil around the roots significantly dropped by 36% while in the deeper soil layerdecreased for 18%.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_931_9b09a5092d3eece649cf706bc890fe5e.pdf
2015-04-01
567
574
10.22059/ijer.2015.931
PCBs
Karstic soil
Field site
War
Croatia
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Selected Organic Compounds in Fine ParticulateMatter at the Regional Background, Urban Background and UrbanTraffic Points in Silesia (Poland)
Suspended particles with aerodynamic diameters not greater than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) were sampledat the urban background, regional background and urban traffic points in southern Poland. In total, 120 sampleswere collected between 2nd August 2009 and 27th December 2010. 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)and organic carbon (OC) were determined in each sample. The samples were collected with a high volumesampler (Digitel). Afterwards, they were chemically analysed with a gas chromatograph equipped with a flameionization detector (Perkin Elmer Clarus 500) and thermo-optical carbon analyser (Sunset Laboratory Inc.).Overthe whole measurement period, the mean concentrations of the sum of 16 PM2.5-bound PAHs and particularcompounds within this group were very high at each measurement point. Particularly high values were observedfor the heating season, in which the concentrations of the PAH sum and BaP exceeded 56 and 7 ng/m3 (regionalbackground), 343 and 25 ng/m3 (urban background), and 166 and 14 ng/m3 (urban traffic), respectively. It wasshowed that the emission related to heat production, particularly municipal emission (coal combustion in homefurnaces in cities and coal and wood combustion in the countryside) were the main sources of the air pollutionwith PAHs in Silesia.Additionally, the traffic emission had probablya slight influence on the ambient concentrationsof the PM2.5-bound PAHs.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_932_eca71d38f2a99e69e38c8d8c33e69a80.pdf
2015-04-01
575
584
10.22059/ijer.2015.932
PAH
OC
PM2.5
Diagnostic ratios
Municipal emission
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Toxic Effect ofAluminum OxideNanoparticles on GreenMicro-Algae dunaliella salina
Aluminum oxide nanoparticles are the most widely used nanoparticles in various industries.Theincreasing use of nanoparticles in the past two decades and their entry into the industrial and non-industrialwaste water necessitates the assessment of potential effects of these substances in aquatic ecosystems. OECDstandard method was applied to determine the toxicity of this substance. After performing the detection rangetesting, the cells of 7 treatments and 2 controls were counted every 24 hours for 72 hours in three replicates foreach concentration. After extraction, chlorophyll a and carotenoid were measured using spectrophotometry.Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to image the exposure of the algae cells to nanoparticles. The72-hour levels of EC10, EC50, EC90, and NOEC, specific growth rate (μ), doubling time (G), and percentinhibition (I%) were also calculated. The obtained 72-hour levels were EC10=1.6610-3, EC50=0.162, EC90=15.31,and NOEC=16.2×10-2mg/L. The control and treatment algae had a significant difference in terms of cell densityand growth inhibition rate (p<0.05). Aluminum oxide nanoparticles had a significant impact on the shape andtopography of Dunaliella salina cells and resulted in their swelling and enlargement. A significant differenceexisted in chlorophyll a and carotenoid concentrations between the treatment and control groups and the levelsof carotenoid decreased following increase in concentration of treatments (p<0.05). Aluminum oxidenanoparticles have a significant toxic effect on Dunaliella salina. With increasing nanoparticles concentration,Dunaliella salina chlorophyll and carotenoid concentration reduced significantly (p<0.05).
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_933_98c4f4e09daf835f91cd518d3a10eb04.pdf
2015-04-01
585
594
10.22059/ijer.2015.933
nanoparticles
toxicity
Aluminum oxide
Dunaliella salina
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Trace and Rare Earth Element Geochemistry of Croatian ThermalWaters
Concentrations of 42 trace elements, including rare earths, in Croatian thermal waters wereinvestigated. Originating from different parts of Croatia, i.e. different types of aquifers, studied thermal watersprovide insight into the range of concentrations of broad spectrum of elements in Croatian thermal waters.Covering a wide range of temperature (30 - 92 °C), studied thermal waters are generally classified as geothermalsprings (Hrvatsko Zagorje and Lipik) and low-temperature geothermal reservoirs (Bizovac), differing fromeach other not only by temperature but also by geochemical composition. Thermal waters from Bizovac Spa,from the eastern part of Croatia, were found significantly enriched in majority of measured elements incomparison with waters from Hrvatsko zagorje and Lipik. Significant variability between studied waters wasalso observed regarding the rare earth elements levels and fractionation patterns, substantially differentnormalized REE patterns and wide range of Eu and Ce anomalies, ranging from 0.10 to 0.84 and from 3.48 to159, respectively. Characterized by near-neutral to alkaline pH (6.8 - 8.1) and great variability with respect tothe geochemical composition, studied waters were found to primarily reflect the underlying geology.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_934_133c1d10690721e118d092cb48a201b8.pdf
2015-04-01
595
604
10.22059/ijer.2015.934
Thermal water
Geochemistry
Trace elements
Rare earth elements
Croatia
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
AdsorptionMechanismofDi-n-butyl Phthalate Easter onBrown Soil and Red Soil
The study aimed to investigate the adsorption mechanism of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) onbrown soil and red soil in Shenyang and Hunan province, respectively, China. Adsorption kinetics andisotherms experiments were conducted at 288, 298 and 308 K, respectively. Results of kinetics showed thatadsorption of DBP exhibited a two-step process in both brown and red soil. Different models were used tosimulate adsorption isotherms and the linear form of Freundlich model fitted to the data best. Sorptioncapacity was larger and sorption intensity was weaker on the brown soil than the red at same temperature.Sorption capacity decreased and sorption intensity enhanced with temperature increased on both soils. Inaddition, the thermodynamic data were analyzed which suggested that the process was a spontaneous andexothermal process on the two soils. The values of enthalpy changes were around 40 kJ/mol in the two soils,indicating that the dominant affection was physical adsorption. Furthermore the main forces were hydrogenbond and ion exchange proved by thermodynamic data and infrared spectral analyses.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_935_960a421ab9d45707a01fdc94000402ca.pdf
2015-04-01
605
612
10.22059/ijer.2015.935
DBP
Soil
Adsorption
Thermodynamics
Infrared spectral
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Effects ofMetal Toxicity on Growth and Pigment Contents ofAnnual Halophyte (A. hortensis and A. rosea)
The toxicity of four potentially toxic trace elements (Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) to Annual Atriplex (A.hortensis and A. rosea) was examined to determine if this plant showed sufficient tolerance to be used tophytoremediate soils polluted with these heavy metals. The soils, which contained up to (per kilogram) 501mg Cu, 1674 mg Ni, 1334 mg Pb and 3588 mg of Zn were sampled around metal-contaminated site insouthwest of France. We submit therefore that it could be that the presence of some heavy metals accumulatedin the plants may have reached toxic levels thereby causing inhibition to their growth and pigment contents.The plant growth expressed as shoot and root dry weight of Atriplex plant was adversely inhibited whenexposed to high concentrations of polluted soil. Significant increases in chlorophyll content were observed inleaves for three Atriplex varieties after the plants were exposed to stress treatments. The carotenoid andanthocyanin content also decreased. Red variety of Atriplex accumulated more anthocyanins in leaves thangreen and rosea ones. The lipid peroxidation increased, considerably at 100% polluted soil, which is a typicalplant reaction to the oxidative stress. We proposed for the reduction state of photosynthetic parameters to bea useful tool in bioassay toxicity testing of metal polluted soil. These results demonstrate that heavy metalcontamination of soil has adversely affected the photosynthetic parameters of annual Atriplex. The presentstudy shows that exposure to heavy metals induced oxidative stress which was accompanied by growthinhibition, enhanced lipid peroxidation levels, increase content of chlorophyll, decrease content of carotenoidsand anthocyanins. Finally, it was concluded that annual Atriplex has a high ability to tolerate Cu, Ni, Pb andZn, so it might be a promising plant to be used for phytostabilization of metal contaminated soil.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_936_1c4e0fd934c64337f4c1ad3a661308f3.pdf
2015-04-01
613
620
10.22059/ijer.2015.936
Heavy metals
Annual Atriplex
Chlorophyll
Carotenoid
Anthocyanin
MDA
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
The Development of Strategies forWetland Restoration by Comprehensive Assessment ofHydrological, Land Use and Climate Changes
Wetlands are ecosystems with specific features and functions which have been unfortunatelydamaged by recent pressures and limitations. Fast reduction of surface flows, water and wind erosion of soil,changes in the quality of water and soil resources, increasing exploitation of underground water, agriculturaldevelopment, climate change, etc. have had the most effect on these ecosystems. So this study shows that in thelast two decades, the level of groundwater has dramatically decreased as a result of human activities. Togetherwith the decrease of water resources in Agh-Gol wetland area, land use has been also changed with a fasterpace. Considering the studies on land use changes it can be stated that the amount of water in the area have hada decreasing rate so that it has been completely dried up these days. But hydrology studies warn us that there hasbeen a thirty- five-meter reduction of water level in last years the main reason of which is planting products withthe high water requirement. Also the minus water balance of this sub-area shows the unsuitable situation there.In general, this area has been faced with an instability which is caused by mismanagement. With a preciseobservation and control on water withdrawal from wells, using counters and plumbing illegal wells, banningplanting close to thewetland, changing the planting patterns toward the productswith lesswater requirement andalso optimizing watering,we can be hopeful that in future the situation will be improved andAgh-Golwetlandwillrevive.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_937_3702481c4ab58bb54fe7aa66fe589ac4.pdf
2015-04-01
621
634
10.22059/ijer.2015.937
wetland
Emolition
Ground water
Climate
Unsustainability
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Batch and ContinuousRemoval of Copper and Lead fromAqueous Solution using CheaplyAvailableAgriculturalWasteMaterials
The potential of six economically cheap agricultural waste materials, viz. rice husk, betel nutpeels, sugarcane molasses, tea waste, mustard oil cake and saw dust, was investigated for copper and leadremoval from aqueous solutions under batch and continuous conditions. The effect of pH, contact time,sorbent dose and initial metal ion concentration on the uptake of copper and lead was first examined in batchmode. Rice husk was found to be the best among the tested biosorbents with a maximum removal of 72.17 %and 85.87 % for copper and lead, respectively. The batch sorption data correlated well with SIPS, Redlich-Peterson, Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms models. Heavy metal sorption kinetics was best explained bythe diffusion based second order kinetics model. Fourier transform infrared analysis of rice husk, before andafter heavy metal sorption, revealed the involvement of mainly hydroxyl, amine, and carboxyl functionalgroups in lead and copper removal by rice husk. Dynamic removal of lead and copper by rice husk wasexamined as a function of different bed height and flow rate using fixed-bed columns, which yielded a maximumsaturation time of 14 hours. The metal breakthrough curves obtained were analysed using the Thomas, BDST,Yoon-Nelson and Clark breakthrough models. The simulation of breakthrough curve for the metals wassuccessful with BDST, Yoon-Nelson and Clark models. Removal of bound lead/copper from the loadedcolumn was finally achieved by using 0.1M HCl as the eluant, which yielded complete desorption of themetals in nearly 60 min.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_938_5057bc945d86bea9b9bdba8d55c6baa8.pdf
2015-04-01
635
648
10.22059/ijer.2015.938
Heavy meal removal
Biosorption
Breakthrough Curve
Fixed-bed column
Desorption
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Cobalt FunctionalizedOrderedMesoporous Carbon as EffectiveAdsorbent forRemoval ofOrganic Pollutants fromAqueousMedia
Ordered mesoporous carbon CMK-3 (OMC) have been synthesized using mesoporous SBA-15 silica as template and modified with cobalt carbonate. Morphologies and surface texturing of materials werecharacterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and N2 adsorption-desorptionisotherms. The cobalt modified ordered mesoporous carbon were found to have a surface area of 490.06m2/gand pore volume of 0.42cm3/g. The adsorption behavior of 1, 10-Phenanthroline (OP) and 2, 2'-bipyridine(BP) on cobalt modified ordered mesoporous carbon (Co+2-OMC) were studied in aqueous system. Theparameter such as temperature, contact time and initial OP and BP concentrations was investigated. Batchadsorption studies demonstrate that the cobalt containing CMK-3 has significant capacity for adsorption ofOP and BP from aqueous solution. The adsorption processes of OP and BP are tested with langmuir andfreundlich isotherm models. According to the langmuir isotherms, the maximum adsorption capacities of OPand BP on Co+2-OMC were 595 and 500 mg/g, respectively.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_939_149323ecab476759eeac5b8333cea9a0.pdf
2015-04-01
649
656
10.22059/ijer.2015.939
1
10-Phenanthroline
2
2'-bipiridine
CMK-3
Co2 +-OMC
PANHs
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Evaluation of Sediments Decontamination by ChelatingAgents using ThermogravimetricAnalysis
This study investigated single-step extraction of heavy metals from contaminated sedimentscollected in the port of Cádiz. Experimental tests of washing with an aqueous solution of a chelating agent wereperformed at selected solid/liquid (S/L) ratios. Two chelating agents were chosen: 0.3 M EDTA(pH 3.8 and 8)and sodium citrate (1 M). The objective of the tests was to investigate extractive decontamination by thewashing treatment. The study was focused on the extraction of Pb, Cu, Zn, and Cd. The experiments showedthat the decontamination efficiencies of the extractants were of the order: EDTA (pH 3.8) > EDTA (pH 8) ~sodium citrate. EDTAsolution with slightly acid pH was optimal for the extraction of Pb, Cu, Zn and Cd. Thedata obtained from the thermal analysis of sediments after the decontamination process indicated the successof the extraction procedurewhich is proposed as a technique for controlling the behaviour of the decontaminationprocess.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_940_ebb355a14efcf98adbabe504fe583c18.pdf
2015-04-01
657
662
10.22059/ijer.2015.940
Cádiz port
Chelating agent
Heavy metals
decontamination
thermal analysis
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
GeochemicalMethods to Investigate the Hydrocarbon Seepage Samples in Adiyaman a Southeastern Province of Turkey
The southeastern part of Turkey is quite rich, fertile and mature in terms of hydrocarbonseepages. While the use of the related sources meet the energy demand, it damages the environment and humanhealth. In this study, several geochemical methods were applied to analyze the hydrocarbon sepage samplesobtained from seven towns in the province of Adiyaman where is very close to the oil production areas andlocated in the Southeastern part of Turkey. First of all, Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Rock Evil Paralysis, GasChromatography (GC) and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry analyses (GC – MS) were performedfor the samples in question. In the light of these results, oil/bitumen mechanisms, source rock correlations,formation and migration mechanisms of the related geological environments were found. Then, InductivelyCoupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analysis of Fe, Al, Mn, Mn, Zn, B, Pb, Ni, Cumetals were performed. Chemical and mineralogical features of the samples were investigated by IR andcombined with ESR spectra. The samples display typical ESR spectra of Mn+2 ions hyperfine sextet whoselast line was used to check the stones homogenity with respect to manganase content. In this study, heavymetal pollution and hydrocarbon compounds were determined to damage the environment and several suggestionswere made to overcome the pollution and to enhance the productivity
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_941_54bbaaf58ef546fcd8dbd76f9a2a2f9c.pdf
2015-04-01
663
672
10.22059/ijer.2015.941
Hydrocarbon seepage
Environmental Pollution
Metals
ESR
IR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Analyzing andTracing ofDustHazard inRecentYears inKermanshah Province
Different patterns of pressure systems together with local factors, leads in generation, risingand spread of dust in West of Iran. In this study, to investigate the factors causing the occurrence of dust inKermanshah province, 132 cases of dust phenomena (code: 06) were selected and analyzed using Kermanshahsynoptic station data for the spring and summer seasons in a period of 5 years (2005-2009). The Factoranalysis had been implemented and days with higher correlation coefficient extracted, then clustering operationwas performed on the data. 4 dust emission patterns were identified and from each pattern, a certain patternwas selected as a representative day. Using GRADS and NCEP data, maps of geopotential heights, wind speedand vorticity advection were produced and analyzed. To identify the source of dust generation, tracing andsimulating the path of dust, HYSPLIT model Lagrangian approach of backward trajectory was used. Generallyexistence of low pressure cells in the central and southern regions of Iran can lead to the convergence and airintake at near ground levels and strong positive vorticity, which result in cyclonic movements in westernregions of Iran Including Kermanshah. These results in the transfer of dust from the dry desert areas of Iraq andhigh speed winds in the lower levels of dust particles in the region has accelerated the transfer rate. Based onthe HYSPLIT outputs, major sources of dust generation, were arid zones of Southern Turkey, Iraq deserts,Syria, North East of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_942_44664bd715b4124b3c98256dcdc15bff.pdf
2015-04-01
673
682
10.22059/ijer.2015.942
dust
Kermanshah
HYSPLIT
Tracing
Synoptic
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
HeavymetalContaminations of Urban soils inOstrava, Czech Republic: Assessment ofMetal Pollution and using PrincipalComponentAnalysis
This study investigates the status of heavy metals contaminations in urban soils of Ostrava inthe Czech Republic. The main aim of this study was determination of concentration of Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Mn,V and Hg, assessment of contamination levels of metals in urban soils and verification of potential source ofmetals contamination. Soil samples were collected from soil layer of 20 cm and metals were determined byatomic spectroscopy methods (F AAS, GF AAS, AMA 254). It was concluded that metals concentrations instudied soils increased in the following order:Hg < Cd < Cu < Pb < V < Zn <Mn, with mean values of Hg (0.17mg/kg), Cd (0.20 mg/kg), Pb (66.93 mg/kg), Zn (209.51 mg/kg), Cu (38.49 mg/kg), V (105.18 mg/kg) and Mn(1349.85 mg/kg). The results obtained fromassessment ofmetals pollution bymeans of index of geoaccumulation(Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), pollution index (PI) andintegrated pollution index (IPI) confirmed that urban soils were contaminated in the range from moderatelythrough strongly polluted up to highly contaminated soils. Multivariate statistics approach (PrincipalComponent Analysis) was adopted for the data treatment for identification of contamination sources. Thisstudy verified that soil contamination was the result of the industrial processing that occurred in the studiedarea. All of these data confirmed that Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Mn, V and Hg come from anthropogenic activities,especially from industrial processes.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_943_5263ab7519bb90c5601590d9895104ed.pdf
2015-04-01
683
696
10.22059/ijer.2015.943
Contamination
Heavy metals
Urban soils
Industrial city
correlation
Principal Component Analysis
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Seasonal patterns of Potamoplankton in a Large Lowland River of Temperate zone (Upper Ob as a case study, Russia)
The paper presents the results of seasonal potamoplankton dynamics in a Siberian lowland riverand its relationships with environmental variables. The sampling was carried out every 10-15 days from April toSeptember 2001 at the left and right banks including the midstream of the Upper Ob River close to the bigindustrial center,Barnaul city(53º21’24"N, 83º47’14"E). Thepresence of 145 species (158 taxa) with predominanceof diatoms (45.6% of total number of species) and green algae (35.8%) was noted. Remarkable seasonalpotamoplankton variations were revealed using measures of inclusions and amultigraph. The correlation analysisindicated that physical factors (e.g. hydrological variables) and major nutrients (e.g. nitrates) were of equalimportance for controlling the variation in structure and abundance of the large lowland Upper Ob Riverpotamoplankton. Based on the regional trophic classification, the Upper Ob River can be currently characterizedas oligo-mesotrophic since the total abundance and biomass of algae were less than 1260×103 cells/L and 780mg/m³ throughout the sampling seasons. The results of the saprobiologic analysis showed that the greatestnumber of bioindicators belong to β-mesosaprobionts that is indicative of the β-mesosaprobic environment.Water qualitywas ranked among I-III classes.Our studypresents a baseline formonitoring theplanktonic componentin the river ecosystem as a main factor of its stability. In spite of the regional aspect of the study, the investigationof potamoplankton in the environments of the south ofWest Siberiawill be useful for understanding of phytoplanktondevelopment in large unregulated lowland rivers.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_944_22ab0bdedb5d2b10309b2f6315c149df.pdf
2015-04-01
697
710
10.22059/ijer.2015.944
Potamoplankton
Composition
Abundance
Seasonality
Water quality
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Boron Removal fromAqueous Solutions using anAmorphous ZirconiumDioxide
Anovel adsorbent, an amorphous zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), was prepared and characterized forthe removal of boric acid from water. The adsorption behavior of this adsorbent for boron was investigated ina batch system and found to obey Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. Due toLangmuir model, boron adsorption on ZrO2 was monolayer, favorable and irreversible in nature. The adsorptionenergy value calculated from Dubinin-Radushkevich model corresponds to chemisorption of boron onto ZrO2.Boron removal occurred both by adsorption on external surface and by formation of sparingly soluble compoundsand variable compositions, e.g. Na[ZrO(OH)x(B4O7)n] following the chemical reaction. The influence of pH,temperature, contact time, initial boron concentration and adsorbent dose on the removal of boron werestudied. The results showed that the adsorption was strongly dependent on the pH of solution and wasoptimum in pH range 8-9. Furthermore, at pH of 8.5 and at contact time of 24 hrs the removal of boronincreased while the adsorbent dose increased and the temperature decreased. At optimum conditions, themaximum boron percentage removal from the solution containing 20 mg B/L was 97.5% and the final boronconcentration reached under the recommended limit for drinking water (< 1.0 mg/L). The thermodynamicstudies indicated the spontaneous and exothermic nature of the adsorption process while the kinetic researchesconfirmed the chemisorption as a dominating mechanism of boron removal using amorphous ZrO2. Thepseudo-second-order model adequately described the boron adsorption on the adsorbent.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_945_3ba62d4c635285db4f894356c8118468.pdf
2015-04-01
711
720
10.22059/ijer.2015.945
Boron removal
Amorphous zirconium dioxide
Chemisorption
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Discoloration ofAqueous Direct Blue 71 Solutions using UV/H2O2/Nano-SiO2 Process
The photolytic capability of SiO2 nanoparticles (SiO2-NP) for the discoloration of Direct Blue 71as an environmentally pollutant dye via UV irradiation in the presence of H2O2was assessed and optimized usingresponse surface methodology (RSM) with a D-optimal design. The response of DB71 degradation was found tobe sensitive to the independent factors of reaction time, SiO2-NP and H2O2 concentrations. The discolorationprocess was not pH-dependent and the pHwas not a significant factor in DB71 discolorationmodel. The approachprovided statistically significant quadratic models, which were adequate to predict responses and to carry outoptimization under the conditions studied. The maximum value of discoloration under the optimum operatingconditions was determined to be 99.03% with a time of16 min of irradiation and concentrations of 220 and 155mg/L for H2O2 and SiO2-NP respectively. The results showed that the discoloration increased about 11%byincreasing SiO2-NP concentration from10 to 155 mg/L. The possiblemechanism of SiO2-NP catalytic performancewas assessed. The kinetic study was also examined and indicated that the degradation of DB71 dye obeysLangmuir-Hinshelwoodmodel.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_946_85a3ee4b74fa9ece2c05f7f3e6043f2b.pdf
2015-04-01
721
734
10.22059/ijer.2015.946
Discoloration
Surface Response
Photocatalysis
SiO2 Nanoparticle
Direct Blue
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Biodegradation of Different Concentration of dye (Congo red dye) by using Green and Blue Green Algae
Releasing of textile dye effluents into general water bodies is a major environmental and healthproblem. Color removal, in particular, has recently become of major scientific interest, as indicated by themultitude of related research reports. During the past two decades, several physico-chemical decolorizationtechniques have been reported, few, however, have been accepted by the textile industries.Their lack of implementation has been largely due to high cost, low efficiency and inapplicability to a widevariety of dyes. The ability of microorganisms to carry out dye decolorization has received much attention.Green algae and blue green algae are considered as an important source for decolorizing dye and textile effluent.The dye Congo red and textile dye effluent is chosen for this investigation and the green algae Haematococcussp., Chlorella sp., Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus obliquuss, S. officinalis, and S. quadricauda and blue greenalgae Arthospira maxima was used for the decolorization process. Chlorophyll, protein content of thisorganism was tested before and after the treatment. Haematococcus sp shown the maximum degradationamong all the seven microalgae was found at 10ppm which was 98%, which decolorize the textile effluentefficiently in short period of time.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_947_e519f1f45a513285eb996c29fc0b8dfe.pdf
2015-04-01
735
744
10.22059/ijer.2015.947
Congo Red Dye
Blue green algae
Green algae
Chlorophyll
protein
Decolorization
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Seasonal Distribution of PCDDs/PCDFs in the Small urban Reservoirs
Man-made reservoirs constructed on running waters, where a decrease in flow velocity and anincrease in flocculent settling occurs, create perfect conditions for the deposition of allohtonic matter andadsorbed pollutants, such as toxic polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinateddibenzofurans (PCDFs). The results obtained from the research on a cascade of five small reservoirs locatedalong an urban river (Lodz, Poland) showed significantly lower concentrations of PCDDs/PCDFs in the springseason in the first three reservoirs; whereas the other two demonstrated an opposite tendency with the lowervalues observed during the autumn. Also, analysis of the seasonal variations of the TEQ concentrationsshowed lower values in the reservoirs located at the beginning of the cascade (I, II and III) in spring, while inthe lower ponds (IV and V) lesser values were observed during autumn. The winter and spring snow and icemelting, and the accelerated run-off washing out organic and mineral matter with the associated micropollutantsaccumulated during this period, were recognized as the main reasons for such seasonal distribution of PCDDs/PCDFs. Intensive rains occurring during the autumn, especially after dry summers, may be in turn responsiblefor the raised total PCDDs/PCDFs and TEQ concentrations during the autumn sampling period. Furthermore,the discharges of polluted stormwater and illegal domestic sewage through the stormwater outlets locatedalong the river boosted the reservoirs sediments in the PCDDs/PCDFs.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_948_6c66dd94927f33ec920f465f650e8333.pdf
2015-04-01
745
752
10.22059/ijer.2015.948
PCDDs/PCDFs
urban river
Reservoirs
Seasonal distribution
Stormwater
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Assessing Regional Habitat Changes for the Persian fallow deer (Dama dama mesopotamicus) usingMaximumEntropymodeling approach in Khouzestan province, Iran
This study was conducted in Dez and Karkheh regions in southwestern Iran to model habitatsuitability of the Persian fallow deer Dama dama mesopotamicus and assessing trend of habitat changes since1989. A total of 22 confirmed presence records of the species were collected from 1988 to 2003. MaxEntapproach was used to develop habitat suitability model with regards to nine environmental variables, includingdensity of farmlands, forests, and disturbed forests, density of livestock, vegetation, residential areas anddistance to the forest edge, residential areas, protected areas and frequency of surface water bodies. Aftervalidation of the model for all parameters used for 1989, relative developed map was extrapolated to thehabitat conditions in 2007. Comparing the habitat suitability maps developed for 1989 and 2007 reveals thatarea of suitable habitats for the Persian fallow deer has declined by 30% within 18 years. A total of 1000 ha offorests (within suitable habitats for the species) has been degraded. About 100 ha of these habitats wereconverted to farmlands and less than 0.5 ha was altered to the residential areas. In addition, area of about 1000ha has lost the suitability without any land use changes. Currently, reintroduction of the Persian fallow deer tothe area is under consideration by Department of Environment of Iran. Therefore, results of this study arerecommended for choosing reintroduction sites based on the predicted suitable maps to enhance the probabilityof survival for reintroduced individuals.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_949_89f2e59bc93afed3cd98bf2acfa563ba.pdf
2015-04-01
753
760
10.22059/ijer.2015.949
Persian fallow deer
Southwestern Iran
MaxEnt modeling
Habitat change
Dez and Karkheh regions
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Promotion and Support of theNaturalCapital: Research on Ensuring the Financial Resources for the Conservation of Biodiversity (CBD) in theRomanian Space
Our research is directed at revealing the way CBD is approached in terms of the decision tofinance the actions it entails, with specific reference to the case of Romania, in the context of the international/European and national regulations. After referring to the foreign and Romanian professional literature, we shallproceed with a synthetic approach of the objectives related to CBD and the sustainable use of its components inRomania, with specific focus on the aspects related to solving the critical issues encountered in the field. Animportant part of the present research is dedicated to the problems related to the financing of CBD in Romania,both for the period between 2007 and 2013, as well as for the foreseeable future, up to 2020. We will also try toidentify the difficulties that may arise and, to a certain extent, provide solutions to these issues.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_950_6c093af40d746203a574f2d4ba763744.pdf
2015-04-01
761
768
10.22059/ijer.2015.950
Ecosystems
biodiversity
Strategic objectives
Budget
European funding
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Assessment of Bio-Trickling Filter Startup forTreatment of Industrial Wastewater
The aim of the present study was to assess the bio-trickling filter startup for the treatment ofwastewater produced by Pegah Dairy Company at psychrophilic condition. The startup time of a bio-tricklingfilter is directly proportional to the concentration of microbial population. Abio-trickling column with a height of150 cm was packed with lava rocks with the liquid recirculated through the packing. The startup flow rate for thepilot was 0.0035 L/min, with hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 10 days at 7-13ºC. Results indicated that for HRTof 10 days, the efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was more than 85% for less than 100 gCOD/m3/h. Subsequently, dairy wastewater was added to the reminder of activated sludge with the HRT of 8days, and the nutrients were added to the pilot tank with a daily ratio of carbon/nitrogen/phosphorous: 100/5/1.For the subsequent 5 days, the pilot was maintained in a steady state. The results revealed that the pilot startupwas performed completely.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_951_93772fe1dc8653663dc120bc640f6f2e.pdf
2015-04-01
769
776
10.22059/ijer.2015.951
Bio-degradation
Bio-trickling filter
Industrial wastewater
Lava rocks
Startup