The study and control of environmental contamination, including air, water, and soil pollution, noise pollution, plastic pollution, pollution prevention, and the development of cleanup technologies
8 papersThis study estimates that nearly 2% of all fishing gear is lost annually, including significant amounts of gillnets, purse seine nets, trawl nets, longlines, and pots and traps. While this represents a large amount of lost gear, it is lower than some previous, less comprehensive estimates. The study used fisher interviews combined with global fishing effort data to reach these estimates.
This study discovered that high levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a toxic gas, were entering the air from the polluted Tijuana River, causing a strong rotten egg smell and exceeding air quality standards. This airborne H2S was linked to untreated wastewater entering the river, especially during periods of high flow and turbulence. Air trajectory modeling showed how the pollution spreads, raising concerns about regional public health impacts.
This study investigates microplastic pollution from a UK plastic recycling facility and finds a significant presence of microplastics in wash water discharge, particularly in the smaller size range (<10μm). While the installed filtration system removes larger microplastics effectively, smaller particles are still discharged, posing a potential environmental risk.
India's renewable energy sector has experienced significant growth in recent years, driven by strong government support and favorable economic conditions. However, challenges remain in terms of policy implementation, grid integration, financing, and addressing social and environmental impacts. The sector has the potential to create significant employment opportunities, but more targeted policies and programs are needed to realize this potential.
This study recovered 1083 high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from activated sludge, including a novel genus involved in phosphate removal. These MAGs, combined with long-term amplicon sequencing data, reveal insights into the structure and function of complex microbial communities crucial for wastewater treatment and resource recovery.
Wastewater and soil samples from open drainage channels in Nairobi's industrial area showed elevated levels of heavy metals, including lead, mercury, and chromium, exceeding some international health standards. This raises concerns about potential health risks to nearby communities, especially through contaminated soil and potential bioaccumulation in scavenging livestock.
This study compared external Venetian blinds, integrated Venetian blinds, and electrochromic (EC) glazing in a residential Italian apartment and found that all three could significantly improve comfort and reduce winter heating load when controlled effectively. The main trade-off was between overheating and daylighting, while minimizing heating demand was relatively easy. Occupancy-based controls significantly reduced overheating, and irradiance sensors were most beneficial for west and south-facing facades, but complex controls didn't always outperform simpler ones.
This study constructed MiDAS 4, a comprehensive 16S rRNA gene database from 740 WWTPs worldwide, enabling species-level identification of activated sludge microbiota. It found that despite vast overall microbial diversity, a small number of core and conditionally rare/abundant taxa dominate globally, shaped by factors like process type and temperature, suggesting functional redundancy and potential for transferring research findings across regions.