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Search results for: Organochlorine pollutants
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The Concept of Construction of Hybrid Constructed Wetland for Wastewater Treatment in Roztocze National Park
PublicationRoztocze National Park (RNP) is one of 23 national parks in Poland. It was created in 1974 both to protect the natural and cultural heritage as well as to share the park area for science, education and tourism. In caring for the environment, the park removed asbestos coverage, performs thermo-modernization using renewable energy sources by the installation of solar panels and photovoltaic cells on the roofs of buildings, and pellet...
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Bioassays as one of the Green Chemistry tools for assessing environmental quality: A review
PublicationFor centuries, mankind has contributed to irreversible environmental changes, but due to the modern science of recent decades, scientists are able to assess the scale of this impact. The introduction of laws and standards to ensure environmental cleanliness requires comprehensive environmental monitoring, which should also meet the requirements of Green Chemistry. The broad spectrum of Green Chemistry principle applications should...
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Flexible syngas-biogas-hydrogen fueling spark-ignition engine behaviors with optimized fuel compositions and control parameters
PublicationThis paper presents the results research on the optimal fuel compositions and the control parameters of the spark ignition engine fueled with syngas-biogas-hydrogen for the purpose of setting up a flexible electronic control unit for the engine working in a solar-biomass hybrid renewable energy system. In syngas-biogas-hydrogen mixture, the optimal content of hydrogen and biogas is 20% and 30%, respectively. Exceeding these thresholds,...
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Potential degradation of norfloxacin using UV-C/Fe2+/peroxides-based oxidative pathways
PublicationThe removal of norfloxacin (NOR), a widely used pharmaceutical and emerging water pollutant, was studied using UV-C and Fe2+ catalyzed peroxides-based oxidative processes (e.g., UV-C/Fe2+/H2O2, UV-C/Fe2+/S2O82− and UV-C/Fe2+/HSO5−) and compared with UV-C and UV-C/Fe2+. The UV-C and UV-C/Fe2+ degraded NOR to 38 and 55 %. However, use of peroxides, i.e., H2O2, S2O82−, HSO5− with UV-C and UV-C/Fe2+ promoted NOR %degradation to 75,...
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Cost-Efficient Measurement Platform and Machine-Learning-Based Sensor Calibration for Precise NO2 Pollution Monitoring
PublicationAir quality significantly impacts human health, the environment, and the economy. Precise real-time monitoring of air pollution is crucial for managing associated risks and developing appropriate short- and long-term measures. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) stands as a common pollutant, with elevated levels posing risks to the human respiratory tract, exacerbating respiratory infections and asthma, and potentially leading to chronic lung...
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Recent advances in hydrogen production from biomass waste with a focus on pyrolysis and gasification
PublicationThis paper presents the results research on the optimal fuel compositions and the control parameters of the spark ignition engine fueled with syngas-biogas-hydrogen for the purpose of setting up a flexible electronic control unit for the engine working in a solar-biomass hybrid renewable energy system. In syngas-biogas-hydrogen mixture, the optimal content of hydrogen and biogas is 20% and 30%, respectively. Exceeding these thresholds,...
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Removal of VOCs from air and assessment of dominant species in a peat-perlite biotrickling filter
PublicationAir pollution has become a major concern because it is inevitably connected with the rapid development of both industrial and residential areas. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted from various anthropogenic sources e.g. transportation, factories or landfills as well as recycling factories. It is problematic not only because of the direct impact on humans and environment but also from economy viewpoint as it increases...
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Possibilities of Phoslock® application to remove phosphorus compounds from wastewater treated in hybrid wetlands
PublicationTreatment wetland technologies for wastewater treatment can be easily applied for removal of all pollutants except phosphorous. They are applicable in a small towns and rural areas, places where conventional wastewater treatment plant cannot properly operate because of common economic constraints. In Poland only the 8% of rural areas are equipped with sewer system, thus treatment wetlands might be an alternative, effective and...
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Machine-learning-based precise cost-efficient NO2 sensor calibration by means of time series matching and global data pre-processing
PublicationAir pollution remains a considerable contemporary challenge affecting life quality, the environment, and economic well-being. It encompasses an array of pollutants—gases, particulate matter, biological molecules—emanating from sources such as vehicle emissions, industrial activities, agriculture, and natural occurrences. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a harmful gas, is particularly abundant in densely populated urban areas. Given its...
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Bimetallic Bi/Cu0-catalyzed persulfate-based advanced oxidation processes towards clofibric acid degradation in wastewater
PublicationClofibric acid (CFA), an important blood-lipid regulatory drug is an emerging organic pollutant and widely reported in water resources. A novel bimetallic, bismuth/zero valent cupper (Bi/Cu0) catalyst was prepared which showed better physiological, structural, and catalytic properties than Cu0. The Bi/Cu0 effectively catalyzed persulfate (S2O82−) and caused 85% degradation of CFA. The Bi coupling improved reusability and stability...
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Urban Lighting Research Transdisciplinary Framework—A Collaborative Process with Lighting Professionals
PublicationOver the past decades, lighting professionals have influenced the experience of the night by brightly illuminating streets, buildings, skylines, and landscapes 24/7. When this became the accepted norm, a dual perspective on night-time was shaped and the visual enjoyment of visitors after dusk was prioritized over natural nightscapes (nocturnal landscapes). During this time, researchers of artificial light at night (ALAN) observed...
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Enhanced solar light photocatalytic performance of Fe-ZnO in the presence of H2O2, S2O82−, and HSO5− for degradation of chlorpyrifos from agricultural wastes: Toxicities investigation
PublicationThis study reported Fe doped zinc oxide (Fe-ZnO) synthesis to degrade chlorpyrifos (CPY), a highly toxic organophosphate pesticide and important sources of agricultural wastes. Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analyses showed successful formation of the Fe-ZnO with highly crystalline and amorphous nature. Water collected from agricultural wastes...
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First highly effective non-catalytic nitrobenzene reduction in UV/dithionite system with aniline production – Advanced reduction process (ARP) approach
PublicationAdvanced reduction processes (ARPs) are currently intensively investigated as an alternative to Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs). The study presents efficient reduction of nitrobenzene under non-catalytic conditions through reaction with free radicals having reductive potential. Effective conversion of nitrobenzene in a model wastewater solution, was obtained for sodium dithionite (SDT)/ dithionite (DTN). The developed process...
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Spatial Heterogeneity Impacts of Bilateral Foreign Direct Investment on Green Energy Efficiency in China
PublicationAt present, green energy transformation and climate policy are increasingly connected. The need to improve national competitiveness and implement climate and energy strategies means that an energy-consuming country like China must rapidly enhance its green energy efficiency (GEE) and energy consumption structure. The following paper contributes to the existing literature by analyzing the effects of bilateral FDI on GEE from...
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Chapter 11 – Application of Chemical Sensors and Sensor Matrixes to Air Quality Evaluation
PublicationIndoor and outdoor air quality is one of the key factors influencing human health. However, air quality evaluation is not easy task. Air is a complex system, which is subjected to changes even within short period of time. Progress in analytical methods and analytical tools provides increasingly more reliable information on the condition and quality of indoor and outdoor air. This progress, however, generates an increase in the...
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Wstępna ocena wielkości stężeń związków azotu i fosforu odprowadzanych z wodami powierzchniowymi do Zatoki Puckiej z terenu gminy Puck
PublicationThe ferilizers used in agriculture negatively affect the surface and groundwater quality. The Bay of Puck is a semi-closed part of the Gulf of Gdańsk, which is particularly vulnerable to eutrophication caused by the inflow of nutrient substances. The Bay is surrounded by the lands intensively used in agriculture. Also a number of touristic resorts is located on its coast. The streams and rivers carry the load of nitrogen and phosphorus...
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Effects of biotransport and hydro-meteorological conditions on transport of trace elements in the Scott River (Bellsund, Spitsbergen)
PublicationThe shaping of surface water chemistry in the Svalbard Archipelago is strongly dependent on the geology of the catchment and the process of long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants (LRATP). It was found that the dissolved trace elements in the Scott River, which catchment is characterized by a decreasing degree of glaciation, were of the natural origin (i.a. weathering and dissolution of local geological substratum). The...
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Removal of nitrogen from wastewater: Unsolved problems and possible solutions with partial denitrification/anammox systems
PublicationAbstract Nitrate (NO3−) is more stable than ammonia (NH4+) and nitrite (NO2−) among the majority of emerging pollutants in wastewater that can harm the ecosystem by depleting oxygen and water quality, thereby posing environmental and human health risks. Despite anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) being a common method for nitrogen (N) removal from wastewater, it leaves behind residual NO3− of around 11 %. Maintaining the stability...
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Ammonium and potassium vanadates: synthesis, physicochemical characterization, and applications
PublicationThis doctoral thesis is devoted to the synthesis and investigation of ammonium/potassium vanadates, which constitute an interesting group of materials due to their potential applications in electrochemical devices and photocatalysis. The scope of the conducted experimental work included the synthesis of ammonium/potassium vanadates, their physicochemical characterization using various methods (spectroscopy, microscopy, thermal...
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The ILs-assisted solvothermal synthesis of TiO2 spheres: the effect of ionic liquids on morphology and photoactivity of TiO2
PublicationEffect of the ionic liquid (IL) structure (chain length in the imidazolium cation) on morphology and photoactivity of TiO2 particles has been systematically investigated. The TiO2 microspheres have been successfully synthesized via facile solvothermal method assisted by ionic liquids, such as 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [BMIM][Cl] and 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [DMIM][Cl] using tetra-tert-butyl orthotitanate...
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Enhanced Visible Light Active WO3 Thin Films Toward Air Purification: Effect of the Synthesis Conditions
PublicationTaking into consideration, our current environmental situation in the world people should face with growing problem of air and water pollution. Heterogeneous photocatalysis is highly promising tool to improve both, air and water quality through decomposition/mineralization of contaminations directly into harmless CO2 and H2O under ambient conditions. In this contribution we focused on the synthesis of self-assembly WO3 thin films...
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On Memory-Based Precise Calibration of Cost-Efficient NO2 Sensor Using Artificial Intelligence and Global Response Correction
PublicationNitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a prevalent air pollutant, particularly abundant in densely populated urban regions. Given its harmful impact on health and the environment, precise real-time monitoring of NO2 concentration is crucial, particularly for devising and executing risk mitigation strategies. However, achieving precise measurements of NO2 is challenging due to the need for expensive and cumbersome equipment. This has spurred...
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Purification of the Air in the Historic Cities of Towns
PublicationAir pollution observed from the beginning of the industrial age has had a negative impact on the health, quality and life expectancy of the inhabitants of urban agglomerations. The problem of particulate and gaseous pollutants in PM 10 fine particulate matter and PM 2.5 suspended in air is a particular threat. The emission of harmful substances is spatially and temporally differentiated in the urban area and depends on the degree...
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The II phase metabolism of endogenous and exogenous compounds, including antitumor chemotherapeutics
PublicationThe II phase metabolism, it is a set of metabolism and excretion pathways of endogenous as well as exogenous compounds including xenobiotics. UDP-glucuronyltransferases (UGTs; EC 2.4.1.17) are the most crucial representatives of II phase enzymes, which are responsible for the transformation of bilirubine and bile acids, steroids and thyroid hormones and lipids. Exogenous compounds, including drugs, carcinogens, environmental pollutants...
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Analysis of the influence of polystyrene microplastics and their derivatives on the DNA of human colon epithelial cells HT29 with the comet assay
PublicationWe have been using plastic for almost a century and nowadays a lot of them circulates as pollutants in the environment and still defragmenting to micro and nanoscale. The exposition through the food chain and its precise impact on human health is still not clear. In our study, we tested real food packaging after contact with food products and real thermoinsulation and environmental samples of polystyrene in different model liquids,...
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Molecular transformation of dissolved organic matter in manganese ore-mediated constructed wetlands for fresh leachate treatment
PublicationThe organic matter (OM) and nitrogen in Fresh leachate (FL) from waste compression sites pose environmental and health risks. Even though the constructed wetland (CW) can efficiently remove these pollutants, the molecular-level transformations of dissolved OM (DOM) in FL remain uncertain. This study reports the molecular dynamics of DOM and nitrogen removal during FL treatment in CWs. Two lab-scale vertical-flow CW systems were...
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Toward the next generation of air quality monitoring: Mercury
PublicationMercury is a global pollutant that is ubiquitous in the environment. Enrichment of mercury in the biosphere as the result of human activities and subsequent production of methylmercury (MeHg) has resulted in elevated concentrations in fish, wildlife and marine mammals globally. Elemental mercury (Hg0) is the most common form of mercury in the atmosphere, and the form that is most readily transported long distances from its emission...
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Solar light driven degradation of norfloxacin using as-synthesized Bi 3+ and Fe 2+ co-doped ZnO with the addition of HSO 5 – : Toxicities and degradation pathways investigation
PublicationIn this study, solar light responsive Bi3+ and Fe2+ doped ZnO were synthesized and used for photocatalytic degradation of norfloxacin (NOR), an emerging water pollutant. Analysis with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area electron...
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Activated sodium percarbonate-ozone (SPC/O3) hybrid hydrodynamic cavitation system for advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) of 1,4-dioxane in water
PublicationHydrodynamic cavitation (HC) was employed to activate sodium percarbonate (SPC) and ozone (O3) to degrade recalcitrant 1,4-dioxane. The degradation efficiency > 99 % with a rate constant of 4.04 × 10−2 min−1 was achieved in 120 min under the optimal conditions of cavitation number (Cv) 0.27, pH 5, molar ratio of oxidant to pollutant (rox) 8, ozone dose of 0.86 g h−1 under 25 ± 2 °C with initial concentration of 1,4-dioxane 100...
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Electrocatalytic performance of oxygen-activated carbon fibre felt anodes mediating degradation mechanism of acetaminophen in aqueous environments
PublicationCarbon felts are flexible and scalable, have high specific areas, and are highly conductive materials that fit the requirements for both anodes and cathodes in advanced electrocatalytic processes. Advanced oxidative modi- fication processes (thermal, chemical, and plasma-chemical) were applied to carbon felt anodes to enhance their efficiency towards electro-oxidation. The modification of the porous anodes results in increased...
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Constructed wetlands systems for wastewater treatment in Poland
PublicationOczyszczalnie hydrofitowe mogą stanowić interesującą alternatywę dla konwencjonalnych rozwiązań gospodarki ściekowej na terenach o rozproszonej zabudowie. Celem pracy była ocena działania i skuteczności usuwania zanieczyszczeń w hybrydowych systemach hydrofitowych pracujących w rejonie Gdańska, w klimacie umiarkowanym.Technologiczne rozwiązanie składające się z osadnika gnilnego oraz złoża hydrofitowego z podpowierzchniowym przepływem...
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Concentrations and loads of DOC, phenols and aldehydes in a proglacial arctic river in relation to hydro-meteorological conditions. A case study from the southern margin of the Bellsund Fjord – SW Spitsbergen
PublicationClimate warming accelerates the melting and thawing of cryosphere components. Therefore, it favours the release of contaminants stored in High-Arctic glaciers for many years. The rate of land-based glacier retreat is of particular importance for the hydrological regime of glacial rivers, but also for the chemical composition of their waters. In this study, we examined 84 surface water samples collected during a period of 42 days...
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Heterojunction of (P, S) co-doped g-C3N4 and 2D TiO2 for improved carbamazepine and acetaminophen photocatalytic degradation
PublicationNovel photocatalysts of phosphorus and sulfur co-doped graphitic carbon nitride incorporated in 2D TiO2 structure were successfully fabricated and applied for solar-driven degradation of emerging pollutants from the group of pharmaceuticals not susceptible to biodegradation. The hybrid photocatalysts with different loadings of (P, S)-doped g-C3N4 were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR),...
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High-Performance Machine-Learning-Based Calibration of Low-Cost Nitrogen Dioxide Sensor Using Environmental Parameter Differentials and Global Data Scaling
PublicationAccurate tracking of harmful gas concentrations is essential to swiftly and effectively execute measures that mitigate the risks linked to air pollution, specifically in reducing its impact on living conditions, the environment, and the economy. One such prevalent pollutant in urban settings is nitrogen dioxide (NO2), generated from the combustion of fossil fuels in car engines, commercial manufacturing, and food processing. Its...
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Practice in the Field of Thermal Retrofitting in Historic Buildings and Preservation of the Authentic Tissue of Façades of Historic Buildings in Poland
PublicationThe pursuit to reduce emissions of harmful substances to the atmosphere resulting from the combustion of fuels for heating purposes makes a building more ecological and environmentally friendly. All operations aimed to limit emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere are motivated by the growing environmental awareness of developed societies and alarming reports on the global warming and its effects. In Poland, legal regulations...
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A novel cold-active beta-D-galactosidase from the Paracoccus sp. 32d - gene cloning, purification and characterization
PublicationBeta-D-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23) catalyze the hydrolysis of terminal non-reducing beta-D-galactose residues in beta-D-galactosides. Cold-active beta-D-galactosidases have recently become a focus of attention of researchers and dairy product manufactures owing to theirs ability to: (I) eliminate of lactose from refrigerated milk for people afflicted with lactose intolerance, (II) convert lactose to glucose and galactose which...
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Elemental and water-insoluble organic carbon in Svalbard snow: a synthesis of observations during 2007–2018
PublicationLight-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols emitted by biomass or fossil fuel combustion can contribute to amplifying Arctic climate warming by lowering the albedo of snow. The Svalbard archipelago, being near to Europe and Russia, is particularly affected by these pollutants, and improved knowledge of their distribution in snow is needed to assess their impact. Here we present and synthesize new data obtained on Svalbard between 2007...
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Environmental Role of Rime Chemistry at Selected Mountain Sites in Poland
PublicationThe results of field experiments on fog pollutantdeposition enhanced by local mountain climate, completed by thedendrochronological analysis of the forest response, are presentedin this paper. In spite of their low absolute altitude (1,000-1,600 ma.s.l), the Sudetes and the Silesian Beskid form a noticeable orographicbarrier for the airflow of the humid Atlantic air masses.This results in the increase of cloudiness and fog frequency...
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Mono- and bimetallic nanoparticles decorated KTaO 3 photocatalysts with improved Vis and UV–Vis light activity
PublicationNew mono- and bimetallic nanoparticle-decorated perovskite-type KTaO3 photocatalysts were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal reaction followed by photodeposition of MNPs/BNPs. The effect of noble metal type, amount of metal precursor as well as photoreduction method on the physicochemical and photocatalytic properties of MNPs- and BNPs-KTaO3 have been investigated. Photocatalytic activity under Vis light irradiation was estimated...
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Plastic Debris in the Stomach of the Invasive Signal Crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus from a Baltic Coastal River
PublicationPollution by plastic debris, widely recognized as a growing global problem [1-3] is caused by the production of synthetic polymers. Over recent years, the production of plastics has increased, while in Europe, fossil-based plastics production has decreased, and recycled plastics production has increased [4]. There are different types of plastics. Some types of plastic ingredients, applied in a wide variety of cosmetics and personal...