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Combination of hydrodynamic cavitation and SR-AOPs for simultaneous degradation of BTEX in water
PublicationHydrodynamic cavitation (HC) is an emerging technology gaining interest in water treatment for use in elimination of a wide range of organic pollutants. The energy released during cavitation phenomenon has number of applications and, particularly, it can be utilized for activation of persulfate (PS) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS). In the present study, hybrid techniques: HC combined with persulfates – HC-PS and HC-PMS were tested...
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Influence of the boron doping level on the electrochemical oxidation of the azo dyes at Si/BDD thin film electrodes
PublicationIn this study the efficiency of electrochemical oxidation of aromatic pollutants, such as reactive dyes, at boron-doped diamond on silicon (Si/BDD) electrodes was investigated. The level of [B]/[C] ratio which is effective for the degradation and mineralization of selected aromatic pollutants, and the impact of [B]/[C] ratio on the crystalline structure, layer conductivity and relative sp3/sp2 coefficient of a BDD electrode were...
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Environmental characteristics of a tundra river system in Svalbard. Part 2: Chemical stress factors
PublicationBacterial communities in the Arctic environment are subject to multiple stress factors, including contaminants, although typically their concentrations are small. The Arctic contamination research has focused on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) because they are bioaccumulative, resistant to degradation and toxic for all organisms. Pollutants have entered the Arctic predominantly by atmospheric and oceanic long-range transport,...
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FeS-based nanocomposites: A promising approach for sustainable environmental remediation – Focus on adsorption and photocatalysis – A review
PublicationPopulation expansion, industrialization, urban development, and climate changes increased the water crisis in terms of drinking water availability. Among the various nanomaterials for nanoremediation towards water treatment, FeS-based nanocomposites have emerged as promising candidates in the adsorptive and photocatalytic removal of contaminants. This paper, therefore, evaluates the potential of FeS-based nanocomposites for environmental...
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Polysaccharide nanocomposites in wastewater treatment: A review
PublicationIn modern times, wastewater treatment is vital due to increased water contamination arising from pollutants such as nutrients, pathogens, heavy metals, and pharmaceutical residues. Polysaccharides (PSAs) are natural, renewable, and non-toxic biopolymers used in wastewater treatment in the field of gas separation, liquid filtration, adsorption processes, pervaporation, and proton exchange membranes. Since addition of nanoparticles...
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Wpływ ścieków przemysłowych na energochłonność i efektywność procesów technologicznych w komunalnej oczyszczalni ścieków
PublicationW artykule skupiono się na przedstawieniu wpływu jakości i ilości ścieków przemysłowych wprowadzanych do sieci kanalizacyjnej PEWIK GDYNIA Sp. z o. o. na stabilność procesów technologicznych. Określono również wpływ ścieków przemysłowych na energochłonność i efektywność oraz na wzrost kosztów oczyszczania ścieków komunalnych w Grupowej Oczyszczalni Ścieków „Dębogórze” w latach 2012-2015.
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Calixthioamides as ionophores for transition and heavy-metal cations
PublicationThere is an increasing interest in applying p-tert-butylcalix[4]arenes as sensing materials in ion-selective electrodes(ISEs). Considerable efforts were made to design calixarenes that are selective for some heavy- or transitionmetal ions to be used in ISEs for controlling and monitoring the level of such pollutants in the environment. It has been reported that introduction of softer sulfur atoms instead of oxygen atoms in calix[4]arene...
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Application of Passive Samplers in Monitoring of Organic Constituents of Air
PublicationThe principles of passive dosimetry, which has been known for over 100 years, are finding an ever increasing use in analytical practice and are being used as a convenient technique for isolation and enrichment of analytes from various environmental media. Due to its simplicity, a variety of designs, as well as the possibility of using a number of different final determination techniques, passive dosimetry has been applied in...
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Investigation of the temperature modulation parameters on semiconductor gas sensor response
PublicationIn this work we present the results of the investigation of the sensing properties of semiconductor gas sensors with a sinusoidally modulated temperature in the presence of synthetic air (SA) and three volatile air pollutants, i.e. NH3, NO2 and SO2. The measurements were performed for different average sensor heater temperatures and the amplitude of the modulation signal. In addition, the extraction of features from the sensor...
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Green aspects of techniques for the determination of currently used pesticides in environmental samples
PublicationPesticides are among the most dangerous environmental pollutants because of their stability, mobility and long-term effects on living organisms. Their presence in the environment is a particular danger. It is therefore crucial to monitor pesticide residues using all available analytical methods. The analysis of environmental samples for the presence of pesticides is very difficult: the processes involved in sample preparation are...
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The influence of humic substances in treated sewage on the quality of surface waters
PublicationAt present the evaluation of WWTP effectiveness is based upon organic matter and nutrients removal. Recently it was found out that sewage treatment leads to formation of resistant to biochemical degradation organic compounds, similar to humic acids. The humic acids formed during sewage treatment process play diversified functions when discharged to surface waters - for instance they can act as carriers of hydrophobic organic pollutants...
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Application of vertical flow constructed wetlands for highly contaminated wastewater treatment: preliminary results
PublicationBasing on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of reject waters (RWC) generated during dewatering of digested sewage sludge on centrifuges in conventional WWTP and municipal landfill leachate (LL), the pilot constructed wetlands for treatment of both types wastewater were designed and built. In the paper the conception, design and assumed treatment efficiencies of the pilot plants are presented. The water balance of the...
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Multistage treatment wetland for treatment of reject waters from digested sludge dewatering
PublicationThe paper presents the influence of sewage composition on treatment in pilot-scale facility for reject waters (RW) from sewage sludge centrifugation. The facility consisted of mechanical (two tanks with 10 d retention each) and biological parts composed of three subsurface flow reed beds working in batch. Two years of monitoring of the facility proved high efficiency removal of predominant pollutants: COD 75–80%, BOD 82.2–95.5%...
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Natural ventilation performance of family building in cold climate during windy days
PublicationAdequately designed natural ventilation is the cheapest and easiest way to effectively remove indoor pollutants and keep the fresh air inside a building. A prediction of performance and effectiveness of ventilation in order to determine the design of a ventilation system can provide real and long term cost savings. The paper presents results of performance (air change rate ACH) and effectiveness (CO2 concentration in the breathing...
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Effects of beach wrack on the fate of mercury at the land-sea interface – A preliminary study
PublicationSince the 1970s, the amount of aquatic plants and algae debris, called beach wrack (BW), has increased along the shores of industrialised regions. The strong ability of primary producers to accumulate pollutants can potentially result in their deposition on the beach along with the BW. Despite that, the fate and impact of such pollutants on sandy beach ecosystems have not been investigated so far. This study examines the fate...
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Impacts on human health in the Arctic owing to climate-induced changes in contaminant cycling – The EU ArcRisk project policy outcome
PublicationResults of the EU ArcRisk project on human health impacts in the Arctic owing to climate-induced changes in contaminant cycling are summarized in the context of their policy application. The question on how will climate change affect the transport of selected persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and mercury, both to and within the Arctic has been addressed, as well as the issue of human health impacts of these pollutants in the...
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Spatial distribution of pharmaceuticals in conventional wastewater treatment plant with Sludge Treatment Reed Beds technology
PublicationPharmaceutical residues are an emerging environmental problem. It is strongly confirmed that pharmaceuticals are present in soils and environmental waters (surface, marine and even groundwater), and that wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents are the main source of pharmaceuticals in the watershed. The aim of this studywas to recognize the spatial distribution and seasonal changes of selected pharmaceuticals in conventional WWTP...
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Phytoremediation—From Environment Cleaning to Energy Generation—Current Status and Future Perspectives
Publication:Phytoremediationis a technology based on the use of green plants to remove, relocate, deactivate, or destroy harmful environmental pollutants such as heavy metals, radionuclides, hydrocarbons, and pharmaceuticals. Under the general term of phytoremediation, several processes with distinctively different mechanisms of action are hidden. In this paper, the most popular modes of phytoremediation are described and discussed. A broad...
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Biotrickling filtration of n-butanol vapors: process monitoring using electronic nose and artificial neural network
PublicationBiotrickling filtration is one of the techniques used to reduce odorants in the air. It is based on the aerobic degradation of pollutants by microorganisms located in the filter bed. The research presents the possibility of using the electronic nose prototype combined with artificial neural network for biofiltration process monitoring in terms of reduction in n-butanol concentration and odour intensity of treated air. The study...
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Katalizatory wykorzystywane w syntezie biodiesla
PublicationRising prices of electricity, conventional fuels and heating require decisive steps in the further development of technologies based on renewable energy sources. These include geothermal-; hydrothermal-; aerothermal-; and solar energy. Due to the fact that the petrochemical industry is one of the fastest growing branches of the economy, we would like to expand on the topic related to biofuels. Biodiesel is an alternative fuel similar...
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Influence of nitrogen and organic matter fractions on wastewater treatment in treatment wetland
PublicationMunicipal wastewater contains both biodegradable and non-degradable pollutants. Moreover, they are present in dissolved, colloidal and particulate forms. These fractions are characterised by various decomposition rates, hence their bioavailability during microbial respiration. It was confirm that biological degradation rate in terms of COD reduction is influenced by particle size speciation. Therefore, the objective of the study...
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Green aspects of techniques for the determination of pesticides in fruits and vegetables
PublicationApplied all over the world, pesticides are some of the most dangerous pollutants of the environment because of their stability, mobility, their ability to accumulate in the environment and their consequent long-term adverse effects on living organisms in general and human health in particular. Their presence in the environment is a particular danger. It is therefore crucial to monitor pesticide residues using all available analytical...
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Greening procedures and analytical parameters. The polychlorinated naphthalenes analysis in complex matrices as proof of concept
PublicationDue to the complexity of analytical procedures employed for the determination of wide spectrum of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), it is important to consider the green character of the applied protocols and propose the greenest solutions. In this review, the green aspects of several analytical procedures used for the determination of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) (as a representatives of POPs) in different types of...
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Application of multicriteria decision analysis to assess the greenness of molecularly imprinted polymers synthesis components
PublicationThe study applies multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) to rank the components of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) synthesis according to their greenness. The components are taken from papers that are describing synthesis of MIPs for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) sorbents. Functional monomers (n = 14), target/surrogate molecules (n = 10), porogens (n = 8), cross-linking agents (n = 8) and initiators (n = 4) are described...
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Interspecific and intraspecific variation in organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls using non-destructive samples from Pygoscelis penguins
PublicationAs humans are present in Antarctica only for scientific and tourism-related purposes, it is often described as a pristine region. However, studies have identified measurable levels of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), such as organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), in the Antarctic region. These are highly toxic anthropogenic compounds with tendency to travel long distances and reach remote environments, where...
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Influence of landfill leachate on municipal wastewater treatment - model plant(WWTP-MP)
PublicationAbstract In the current study, wastewater treatment model plant (WWTP-MP) was used to investigate the possibilities of landfill leachate co-treatment together with municipal wastewater. The WWT-MP, designed as an A2O multiphase system, was fed with the raw municipal wastewater (from the WWTP Gdańsk "Wschód'', Qav.=82x103 m3/d) with increasing, from 1 to 5 % (vol.), quantity of landfill leachate (collected from Gdańsk landfill ''Szadółki")....
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Isotope-labeled substances in analysis of persistent organicpollutants in environmental samples
PublicationUltratrace analysis of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in environmental samples requires very sophisticated methods for both sample preparation and instrumental analysis. The complex matrix requires a multi-stage procedure. Each stage is a potential source of error, as a consequence of which the final result of analysis could be a source of misinformation rather than information. The individual stages and the procedure as...
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Is sequential batch reactor an efficient technology to protect recipient against non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and paracetamol in treated wastewater?
PublicationThe tested facility was a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Swarzewo, where the wastewater treatment takes place in aeration chambers with activated sludge using sequential batch reactors (SBRs). The concentration of the following pharmaceuticals: ibuprofen, paracetamol, flurbiprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, and its metabolites 5OH-diclofenac and 4OH-diclofenac was tested in influents and effluents. Simultaneously, the conventional...
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Removal efficiency of phenol by ozonation process with calcium peroxide from aqueous solutions
PublicationPhenol has been introduced as a priority pollutant by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are one of the most efcient methods for removal of non-degradable organic pollutants in aqueous solutions. The removal efciencies of phenol and COD under optimal conditions pH=3, phenol concentration=5 mg/L, CaO2 concentration=0.025 mg/L, temperature 25 °C, 1 g/min ozonation rate and contact time=90...
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Determination of selected parameters/ analytes in surface water samples collected in the surroundings of the capital of Spitsbergen (Longyearbyen)
PublicationPolar regions are extremely sensitive to pollution such as harmful gases, particles or toxic substances which affect the Arctic climate and ecosystems. Spitsbergen, as well as all Arctic region, because of its geographically distant location and lack of industry sector, should be free of chemical pollution. Despite this, many pollutants could be found in the Polar environment, for example in freshwaters. Their occurrence is related...
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Removal of Pharmaceutically Active Compounds in Sequencing Batch Reactor
PublicationIn recent years, considerable attention was paid to the presence of organic micro-pollutants such as Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) in the aquatic environment due to their negative impact on public health and aquatic ecosystems. Numerous papers have pointed out API presence as common constituents of effluents from Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). This is the result of various efficiencies of API removal by conventional...
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Air quality policy in the U.S. and the EU – a review
PublicationThe high level of atmospheric pollution is a global problem that has taken on particular significance in recent years and will continue to grow in the near future. Air pollution directly affects the health, living organisms, vegetation, water, soil and buildings. Additionally, it moves easily even over long distances. Certain air pollutants influence the climate, cause negative processes in the protective ozone layer and contribute...
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Selective adsorption of BTEX on calixarene-based molecular coordination network determined by 13C NMR spectroscopy
PublicationBenzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX), a class of volatile organic compounds, are harmful pollutants but also very important precursors in organic industrial chemistry. Among different approaches used for the BTEX treatment, the adsorption technology has been recognized as an efficient approach because it allows to recover and reuse both adsorbent and adsorbate. However, the selective adsorption of the components is...
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Treatment of malodorous air in biotrickling filters: A review
PublicationOdour nuisance, resulting mainly from the presence of the compounds containing osmophore group and characterized by low olfactory threshold, is associated with danger and may be the cause of negative psychosomatic symptoms. Among different methods of malodorous air treatment, biological methods are of importance, mainly due to reduced operating costs, high purification efficiency of voluminous gas streams characterized by low concentrations...
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Indoor air quality of everyday use spaces dedicated to specific purposes—a review
PublicationAccording to literature data, some of the main factors which significantly affect the quality of the indoor environment in residential households or apartments are human activities such as cooking, smoking, cleaning, and indoor exercising. The paper presents a literature overview related to air quality in everyday use spaces dedicated to specific purposes which are integral parts of residential buildings, such as kitchens, basements,...
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The role of analytical chemistry in the study of the Anthropocene
PublicationThe term “Anthropocene” refers to not yet formalized epoch of geologic time during which geologic processes have been dominated by the human impact. This impact takes on many forms. Biological, physical and chemical changes to the Earth System caused by anthropogenic activity are recorded in natural archives either as new fossil assemblages (neobiota), anthropogenic deposits or a wide variety of pollutants emitted to the environment....
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The use of bioassays in the analysis of environmental samples
PublicationToxicological tests are increasingly used as effective tool to complement the information obtained during the environmental monitoring. Moreover bioassays provide basic knowledge about the health effects of exposure to harmful factors associated with the environment. Toxicity tests might be a source of information about the content of pollutants in the sample, and the possibility of their interactions. They can be considered as...
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abiotic degradation of chlorinated ethanes and ethenes in water
PublicationIntroduction Chlorinated ethanes and ethenes are among themost frequently detected organic pollutants of water. Theirphysicochemical properties are such that they can contaminateaquifers for decades. In favourable conditions, they canundergo degradation. In anaerobic conditions, chlorinatedsolvents can undergo reductive dechlorination.Degradation pathways Abiotic dechlorination is usuallyslower than microbial but abiotic dechlorination...
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Sources and Fate of PAHs and PCBs in the Marine Environment
PublicationThe assessment of a hazard resulting from the pollution of the environment by chemical compounds is in principle limited to the determination of their concentrations in its various compartments. But for solving many problems in this context, knowledge of the emission sources, transport pathways, and sites of deposition is of great benefit. By far the largest amounts of pollutants, regardless of where they were discharged, end up...
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The effect of ionic liquids on the surface and photocatalytic properties of semiconducting materials
PublicationSemiconductor-mediated photocatalysis represents an environmentally friendly technology that could be used for the degradation of different pollutants in the gas and aqueous phases, for hydrogen generation, and for CO2-to-valuable product transformation reactions. Therefore, it is extremely important to accurately design a photocatalyst with the relevant features. In recent years, ionic liquids have often been employed as reagents...
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A review on electrospun membranes for potential air filtration application
PublicationAir pollution is one of the major environmental concerns in most highly populated cities, which is typically caused by particulate (PM2.5 and PM0.1) or gaseous pollutants that can be removed using electrospun membranes. These membranes are characterized by different features in terms of uniform and controllable structure, tuneable porosity, and high surface area, where their separation efficiency strongly depends on their properties....
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Spetiation of organic matter in Vertical Flow Constructed Wetlands
PublicationThe object of the research were VFCWs which are a component of biological treatment of two hybrid hydrophyte systems located in Wieszyno and Wiklino, close to Słupsk, Poland. The facilities that are subject to analyses are unified in terms of structure (filtration material, depth of the bed and time of operation), but they differ in organic matter load, amounting respectively to: 8.0 gCOD/m2day and 31.0 gCOD/m2day.The intensity...
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Geographic information system for remote integration of diverse under-water acoustic sensor data
PublicationMaritime and port areas throughout the world are exposed to many different hazards, like pollution, terrorism and natural disasters. Early detection, identification and preparation of appropriateesponse strategies is especially important in the case of semi-enclosed basins like the Baltic Sea, mainly due to the marine ecosystems' continuous absorption of pollutants including oil, heavy metals and chemicals. Many of those agents...
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Towards an integrated assessment of environmental and human health impact of energy sector in Poland
PublicationReferat prezentuje system zintegrowanej oceny wpływu sektora energetycznego na stan środowiska i zdrowie ludzkie w Polsce. W podejściu wykorzystano kombinację modelu transportu zanieczyszczeń w powietrzu POLAIR 3D z modelem informacyjno-symulacyjnym RAINS. Model oszacowuje emisje i koncentracje zanieczyszczeń powietrza, koszty kontroli emisji zanieczyszczeń i inne koszty związane z różnymi scenariuszami rozwoju sektora energetycznego.The...
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Diamond protection for reusable ZnO coated fiber-optic measurement head in optoelectrochemical investigation of bisphenol A
PublicationDue to the global problem with plastic contaminating the environment, with bisphenol A (BPA) being one of the highest demand, effective monitoring and purification of the pollutants are required. The electrochemical methods constitute a good solution but, due to polymerization of electrochemical oxidation bisphenol A products and their adsorption to the surfaces, measurement head elements are clogged by the formed film. In this...
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Chemometric Evaluation of WWTPs’ Wastewaters and Receiving Surface Waters in Bulgaria
PublicationWastewater treatment plant (WWTP) installations are designed and operated to reduce the quantity of pollutants emitted to surface waters receiving treated wastewaters. In this work, we used classical instrumental studies (to determine chemicals and parameters under obligations put with Directive 91/271/EEC), ecotoxicological tools (Sinapis alba root growth inhibition (SA-RG) and Heterocypris incongruens mortality (MORT) and growth...
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Removal of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics from wastewater by adsorption on cross-linked β-cyclodextrin
PublicationWe present a method using the material in the form of cross-linked β-cyclodextrin (CD) showing high efficiency in the simultaneous removal of hazardous pollutants from sewage, such as diclofenac (DIC), ibuprofen (IBU), ketoprofen (KETO), naproxen (NAPR), salicylic acid (SALI) and tramadol (TRAM). The material is stable and particularly easy to regenerate. The sorbent probably remembers the shape of the contaminants, which increases...
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A comprehensive assessment of environmental pollution by means of heavy metal analysis for oysters' reefs at Hab River Delta, Balochistan, Pakistan
PublicationThe heavy metal pollution status of oyster reefs has been assessed with respect to ten metals pollutants in seawater, sediments, and tissues of above two oysters (soft tissues and shells) for assessing the pollution status in a short food chain in Hab River Delta. The results showed that heavy metals accumulated in M. bilineata were higher than those in M. cuttackensis. Simultaneously, the population of M. bilineata species has...
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Pesticides in the Environment
PublicationApplied all over the world, pesticides are some of the most dangerous pollutants of the environment becauseof their mobility and ability to accumulate in the environment and their consequent long-term adverseeffects on living organisms in general and human health in particular. For these reasons, it is essential tomonitor and analyze pesticide residues in the environment. This entry discusses the classification of pesticidesas...
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Water and chemical properties of hydrometeors over central european mountains
PublicationAtmospheric pollutants are transferred to the groundby the contribution of various types of hydrometeors. Because ofthe different techniques of measurement, comparative analysesbetween them are often neglected. Hence, the main goal is tocompare water volume and chemistry of different types ofhydrometeors and their role in both: water balance and pollutantsdeposition. The results of water input and atmospheric depositschemistry...