Quantification of industrial wastewater discharge from the major cities in Sichuan province, China.

In this study, we used spatial autocorrelation, Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC), and Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index model to study the spatial characteristics and driving factors of industrial wastewater discharge in Sichuan province (2003-2018). We showed that the amount of industrial wastewater discharge in Sichuan province for the period was reduced from 116,580 to 42,064.96 million tons as observed from the Moran index ranging from -0.310 to 0.302. We identified that the EKC type of Sichuan province was monotonically decreasing and six types of the EKC (monotonically decreasing, monotonically increasing, U, N, inverted U, and inverted N, shape) in 18 major cities. The technical effect (from -0.0964 to -8.8912) can reduce the discharge of industrial wastewater, while the economy effect (0.2948-5.882), structure effect (0.0892-4.5183), and population effect (from -0.0059 to 0.2873) can promote the industrial wastewater discharge. Our findings suggest that industrial wastewater discharge was reduced and changed from non-significant dissociation to non-significant agglomeration to non-significant dissociation during the study period. Furthermore, technical management upgrade is the primary driver in Sichuan province to reduce industrial wastewater discharge during this period.

Financial Leverage, Economic Growth and Environmental Degradation: Evidence from 30 Provinces in China.

This study seeks to investigate the endogenous relationship between financial leverage, economic growth and environmental degradation in China by employing a the generalized moments method (GMM) panel vector autoregressive (PVAR) approach with a panel of data from China's 30 provinces over the period 1997-2016. Three key results arise. First, financial leverage can significantly lessen economic growth, while economic growth decreases financial leverage. Second, economic growth provides an important impetus to boost carbon emissions. Finally, carbon emissions have inversely pushed up financial leverage. These results reflect to some extent China's impressive rate of economic growth, which has been attained via continuously supporting inefficient state-owned enterprises and heavy and polluting industries through bank loans. The results are further supported by the variance decomposition. The findings provide valuable policy implications for deepening financial supply-side structure reform to transform and upgrade China's real economy. These policy implications are conductive to developing a low-carbon economy.

Impacts of tannery effluent on development and morphological characters in a neotropical tadpole.

Previous studies have shown the contamination of rivers and streams caused by tannery effluents (TE). However, the effects of TE on amphibians are still unknown. Thus, we evaluated whether the TE, even at low concentrations (0.2%), could cause asymmetric development (inferred through the fluctuating asymmetry indices (FA)) and changes in morphological characteristics of Physalaemus cuvieri larvae. Accordingly, the tadpoles were distributed in groups non-exposed (n=160) and exposed (n=160) to this TE, for 15days. The TE used presented a complex chemical composition (especially high concentrations of Cr, Cd and Ni and a diverse array of toxic organic compounds). We used three individual FA indices: FA1:=|R-L|, ii) FA2=|R-L|÷[(R+L)÷2] and FA3=(R-L)2, where "R" are "L" are the right and left sides, respectively. The larvae exposed to the TE had higher FA indexes (FA1, FA2 and FA3) for nostril-snout distance, relative to the control group larvae. Regarding eye-snout distance, asymmetry values were higher for the FA1 and FA2 indices (with no difference for the FA3 index), which were similar to those observed for the eye-width character. For eye length, FA2 was higher in animals of the effluent group. Tadpoles exposed to TE had significantly lower body masses than those in the control group, when controlling for body length and larval development stage. Furthermore, tadpoles in the effluent group had smaller body size and lower interocular distance. The frequency of tadpoles that showed any alteration in tail morphology as well as tail attachment position (dorsal and ventral) was significantly higher in the effluent group than in animals not exposed to the TE. Finally, our data show that exposure to TE delayed larval development of tadpoles. Thus, our pioneering study confirms the hypothesis that exposure of P. cuvieri to TE, at low concentrations, impacts development and morphological characters.

Recycling potential for low voltage and high voltage high rupturing capacity fuse links.

Low voltage and high voltage high-rupturing-capacity fuse links are used in LV and HV installations respectively, protecting mainly the LV and HV electricity distribution and transportation networks. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (2002/96/EC) for "Waste of electrical and electronic equipment" is the main related legislation and as it concerns electrical and electronic equipment, it includes electric fuses. Although, the fuse links consist of recyclable materials, only small scale actions have been implemented for their recycling around Europe. This work presents the possibilities for material recovery from this specialized industrial waste for which there are only limited volume data. Furthermore, in order to present the huge possibilities and environmental benefits, it presents the potential for recycling of HRC fuses used by the Public Power Corporation of Greece, which is the major consumer for the country, but one of the smallest ones in Europe and globally, emphasizing in this way in the issue. According to the obtained results, fuse recycling could contribute to the effort for minimize the impacts on the environment through materials recovery and reduction of the wastes' volume disposed of in landfills.

Food-Processing Wastes.

Literature published in 2016 and early 2017 related to food processing wastes treatment for industrial applications are reviewed. This review is a subsection of the Treatment Systems section of the annual Water Environment Federation literature review and covers the following food processing industries and applications: general, meat and poultry, fruits and vegetables, dairy and beverage, and miscellaneous treatment of food wastes.

Mine Drainage: Research and Development.

This review summarizes the recent research and development pertaining to the topic of mine drainage which were published in 2016 and early 2017. The review includes three main sections: Mine Drainage and its Environmental Impact, Prediction and Prevention, and Treatment Technologies. The first section covers the characterization of mine drainage and its related environmental impacts, including three subsections focused on physiochemical characterization, microbiological characterization, and environmental impacts. The second section of the review is divided into two subsections focused on either the prediction or prevention of acid mine drainage. The final section focuses on treatment technologies for mine drainage, including physiochemical treatment, biological treatment, passive treatment, and beneficial uses of mine drainage and treatment wastes.

Systematic literature review of reproductive outcome associated with residential proximity to polluted sites.

This study aims to assess the evidence on adverse pregnancy outcome associated with living close to polluted industrial sites, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of published epidemiological studies. A systematic literature search has been performed on all epidemiological studies published in developed countries since 1990, on the association between residential proximity to industrial sites (hazardous waste sites, industrial facilities and landfill sites) and adverse pregnancy outcome (low birth weight, preterm birth, small for gestational age, intrauterine growth retardation, infant mortality, congenital malformation). Based on 41 papers, our review reveals an excess risk of reproductive morbidity. However, no studies show significant excess risk of mortality including fetal death, neonatal or infant mortality and stillbirth. All published studies tend to show an increased risk of congenital abnormalities, yet not all are statistically significant. All but two of these studies revealed an excess risk of low birth weight. Results for preterm birth, small for gestational age and intrauterine growth retardation show the same pattern. There is suggestive evidence from the post-1990 literature that residential proximity to polluted sites (including landfills, hazardous waste sites and industrial facilities) might contribute to adverse reproductive outcomes, especially congenital malformations and low birth weight-though not mortality. This body of evidence has limitations that impede the formulation of firm conclusions, and new, well-focused studies are called for. The review findings suggest that continued strengthening of rules governing industrial emissions as well as industrial waste management and improved land use planning are needed.

Agricultural Waste.

In recent years, the quantity of agricultural waste has been rising rapidly all over the world. As a result, the environmental problems and negative impacts of agricultural waste are drawn more and more attention. Therefore, there is a need to adopt proper approaches to reduce and reuse agricultural waste. This review presented about 200 literatures published in 2015 relating to the topic of agricultural waste. The review examined research on agricultural waste in 2015 from the following four aspects: the characterization, reuse, treatment, and management. Researchers highlighted the importance to reuse agricultural waste and investigated the potential to utilize it as biofertilizers, cultivation material, soil amendments, adsorbent, material, energy recycling, enzyme and catalyst etc. The treatment of agricultural waste included carbonization, biodegradation, composting hydrolysis and pyrolysis. Moreover, this review analyzed the differences of the research progress in 2015 from 2014. It may help to reveal the new findings and new trends in this field in 2015 comparing to 2014.

Food-Processing Wastes.

Literature published in 2015 and early 2016 related to food processing wastes treatment for industrial applications are reviewed. This review is a subsection of the Treatment Systems section of the annual Water Environment Federation literature review and covers the following food processing industries and applications: general, meat and poultry, fruits and vegetables, dairy and beverage, and miscellaneous treatment of food wastes.

Socioeconomic Drivers of PM2.5 in the Accumulation Phase of Air Pollution Episodes in the Yangtze River Delta of China.

Recent studies in PM2.5 sources show that anthropogenic emissions are the main contributors to haze pollution. Due to their essential roles in establishing policies for improving air quality, socioeconomic drivers of PM2.5 levels have attracted increasing attention. Unlike previous studies focusing on the annual PM2.5 concentration (Cyear), this paper focuses on the accumulation phase of PM2.5 during the pollution episode (PMAE) in the Yangtze River Delta in China. This paper mainly explores the spatial variations of PMAE and its links to the socioeconomic factors using a geographical detector and simple linear regression. The results indicated that PM2.5 was more likely to accumulate in more developed cities, such as Nanjing and Shanghai. Compared with Cyear, PMAE was more sensitive to socioeconomic impacts. Among the twelve indicators chosen for this study, population density was an especially critical factor that could affect the accumulation of PM2.5 dramatically and accounted for the regional difference. A 1% increase in population density could cause a 0.167% rise in the maximal increment and a 0.214% rise in the daily increase rate of PM2.5. Additionally, industry, energy consumption, and vehicles were also significantly associated with PM2.5 accumulation. These conclusions could serve to remediate the severe PM2.5 pollution in China.

Analysis of the relationship between economic growth and industrial pollution in Zaozhuang, China-based on the hypothesis of the environmental Kuznets curve.

In Zaozhuang, economic development affects the discharge amount of industrial wastewater, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N). To reveal the trend of water environmental quality related to the economy in Zaozhuang, this paper simulated the relationships between industrial wastewater discharge, COD, NH3-N load, and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita for Zaozhuang (2002-2012) using environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) models. The results showed that the added value of industrial GDP, the per capita GDP, and wastewater emission had average annual growth rates of 16.62, 16.19, and 17.89 %, respectively, from 2002 to 2012, while COD and NH3-N emission in 2012, compared with 2002, showed average annual decreases of 10.70 and 31.12 %, respectively. The export of EKC models revealed that industrial wastewater discharge had a typical inverted-U-shaped relationship with per capita GDP. However, both COD and NH3-N showed the binding curve of the left side of the "U" curve and left side U-shaped curve. The economy in Zaozhuang had been at the "fast-growing" stage, with low environmental pollution according to the industrial pollution level. In recent years, Zaozhuang has abated these heavy-pollution industries emphatically, so pollutants have been greatly reduced. Thus, Zaozhuang industrial wastewater treatment has been quite effective, with water quality improved significantly. The EKC models provided scientific evidence for estimating industrial wastewater discharge, COD, and NH3-N load as well as their changeable trends for Zaozhuang from an economic perspective.

Effect of long-term industrial waste effluent pollution on soil enzyme activities and bacterial community composition.

Although numerous studies have addressed the influence of exogenous pollutants on microorganisms, the effect of long-term industrial waste effluent (IWE) pollution on the activity and diversity of soil bacteria was still unclear. Three soil samples characterized as uncontaminated (R1), moderately contaminated (R2), and highly contaminated (R3) receiving mixed organic and heavy metal pollutants for more than 20 years through IWE were collected along the Mahi River basin, Gujarat, western India. Basal soil respiration and in situ enzyme activities indicated an apparent deleterious effect of IWE on microbial activity and soil function. Community composition profiling of soil bacteria using 16S rRNA gene amplification and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) method indicated an apparent bacterial community shift in the IWE-affected soils. Cloning and sequencing of DGGE bands revealed that the dominated bacterial phyla in polluted soil were affiliated with Firmicutes, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria, indicating that these bacterial phyla may have a high tolerance to pollutants. We suggested that specific bacterial phyla along with soil enzyme activities could be used as relevant biological indicators for long-term pollution assessment on soil quality. Graphical Abstract Bacterial community profiling and soil enzyme activities in long-term industrial waste effluent polluted soils.

Environmental pollution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers from industrial plants in China: a preliminary investigation.

Although numerous studies have shown the presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in various environmental media, attention to their distribution in the environmental media surrounding industrial facilities is limited. In this study, eight PBDEs congeners (BDE-28, -47, -99, -100, -153, -154, -183, -209) were investigated in surface soils and water samples collected from commercial PBDE manufacturers, flame-retardant plastic modification plants and waste electrical and electronic equipment recycling facilities in China. Analysis of target compounds was performed using the model NCI GC-MS in SIM mode. The concentrations of ∑8PBDEs varied from 193.1 to 22,004.3 ng/L in water samples and from 1209.3 to 226,906 ng/g dry wt in surface soils, respectively. More severe PBDE contamination, when compared with previously reported data, was found in industrial areas in this study. This indicates that these industrial areas are highly polluted with PBDEs. BDE-209 was the predominant congener, accounting for more than 94% in this study, except for a 68.75% portion at one site. Our results show that PBDE manufacturing and flame-retardant plastic modification plants, easily overlooked by the public, are two primary PBDE pollution sources although they affect surrounding areas. Further research is needed, aimed at managing industrial PBDE emissions and eliminating environmental PBDE pollution, to investigate the material flows and environmental fates of PBDEs in all stages of the life cycle.

A review on risk assessment techniques for hydraulic fracturing water and produced water management implemented in onshore unconventional oil and gas production.

The objective of this paper is to review different risk assessment techniques applicable to onshore unconventional oil and gas production to determine the risks to water quantity and quality associated with hydraulic fracturing and produced water management. Water resources could be at risk without proper management of water, chemicals, and produced water. Previous risk assessments in the oil and gas industry were performed from an engineering perspective leaving aside important social factors. Different risk assessment methods and techniques are reviewed and summarized to select the most appropriate one to perform a holistic and integrated analysis of risks at every stage of the water life cycle. Constraints to performing risk assessment are identified including gaps in databases, which require more advanced techniques such as modeling. Discussions on each risk associated with water and produced water management, mitigation strategies, and future research direction are presented. Further research on risks in onshore unconventional oil and gas will benefit not only the U.S. but also other countries with shale oil and gas resources.

Source Contributions of PM2.5 in the Severe Haze Episode in Hebei Cities.

Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area is one of the most polluted areas in China. This paper used the Fifth-Generation Penn State/NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5) and Model-3/Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system to quantify the source contribution to PM2.5 in Hebei cities in order to obtain an in-depth understanding haze process in January and February 2013, using the Multiresolution Emission Inventory for China (MEIC). The result showed that PM2.5 were mainly originated from the southern Hebei (SHB) with the fractions of 70.8% and 66.4% to Shijiazhuang, 70.6% and 63.9% to Xingtai, and 68.5% and 63.0% to Handan in January and February 2013, respectively. The northern Hebei (NHB) contributed 69.8% and 70.7% to Zhangjiakou, 68.7% and 66.2% to Chengde, and 57.7% and 59.6% to Qinhuangdao in January and February. In Cangzhou, Hengshui, and Langfang, regional joint policy making should be implemented due to the pollution of multiple sources. In Baoding and Tangshan, industrial emissions contributed 38.1% and 41.9% of PM2.5 to Baoding and 39.8% and 45.8% to Tangshan in January and February, respectively. Industrial and domestic emissions should be controlled in Tangshan and Baoding, especially for industrial emissions of NHB.

Environmental risks of HBCDD from construction and demolition waste: a contemporary and future issue.

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD), as one of the most widely used brominated flame retardants (BFRs), is of great concern globally because of its persistence in the environment and negative impacts on humans and animals. HBCDD has been mainly used in flame-retarded expanded (EPS) and extruded (XPS) polystyrene foams for insulation in the construction industry. Most of these products will become a part of the construction and demolition (C&D) waste at the end of their life cycle (30-50 years) which is typically disposed of into landfills or incineration. However, the recycling of this material takes quite a low share compared with landfill and incineration. Consequently, high environmental risks will exist in these disposal approaches due to the HBCDD in C&D waste. Currently, XPS or EPS products containing HBCDD in the construction industry have not reached the end of their life cycle in most countries. Relatively little attention has been paid to this emergency issue by either the government or public. Furthermore, C&D waste is most likely disposed of by direct dumping, simple stacking, or open burning in developing countries. Therefore, this paper highlights the global environmental risks of HBCDD from C&D waste. Areas of research for key problems of HBCDD contained in C&D waste are suggested to help control and finally eliminate the impact.

Radionuclide content of NORM by-products originating from the coal-fired power plant in Oroszlány (Hungary).

At the Thermal Power Plant in Oroszlány (Hungary), a huge amount of by-products have been produced since 1961. In this survey, coal and other by-products were examined (fly ash, bottom ash, fluidised bed bottom ash, gypsum and slurry-type ash). The natural isotopes were determined using an HPGe detector. It was found that the radionuclide content of coal was significantly lower ((226)Ra = 45.3±6.3, (232)Th = 26.3±5.7 and (40)K = 210±21 Bq kg(-1)) than that in the case of ashes other than the fluidised type. The average values of the bottom ash-deposited in the largest quantities-were three times higher than those for coal ((226)Ra = 144±18, (232)Th = 84.3±14 and (40)K = 260±25 Bq kg(-1)). In the case of fractionised bottom ash, the radionuclide content of <0.1 mm was 45 % higher than that of >1.6 mm and the massic radon exhalation of <0.1 mm was approximately four times higher than that above this range.

Fungal burden in waste industry: an occupational risk to be solved.

High loads of fungi have been reported in different types of waste management plants. This study intends to assess fungal contamination in one waste-sorting plant before and after cleaning procedures in order to analyze their effectiveness. Air samples of 50 L were collected through an impaction method, while surface samples, taken at the same time, were collected by the swabbing method and subject to further macro- and microscopic observations. In addition, we collected air samples of 250 L using the impinger Coriolis µ air sampler (Bertin Technologies) at 300 L/min airflow rate in order to perform real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) amplification of genes from specific fungal species, namely Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus complexes, as well as Stachybotrys chartarum species. Fungal quantification in the air ranged from 180 to 5,280 CFU m(-3) before cleaning and from 220 to 2,460 CFU m(-3) after cleaning procedures. Surfaces presented results that ranged from 29×10(4) to 109×10(4) CFU m(-2) before cleaning and from 11×10(4) to 89×10(4) CFU m(-2) after cleaning. Statistically significant differences regarding fungal load were not detected between before and after cleaning procedures. Toxigenic strains from A. flavus complex and S. chartarum were not detected by qPCR. Conversely, the A. fumigatus species was successfully detected by qPCR and interestingly it was amplified in two samples where no detection by conventional methods was observed. Overall, these results reveal the inefficacy of the cleaning procedures and that it is important to determine fungal burden in order to carry out risk assessment.

Health risk assessment of various metal(loid)s via multiple exposure pathways on children living near a typical lead-acid battery plant, China.

Manufacture of lead-acid batteries is of widespread interest because of its emissions of heavy metals and metalloids into environment, harming environmental quality and consequently causing detrimental effects on human health. In this study, exposure pathways and health risks of children to heavy metal(loid)s (Pb, Cd, As, etc) were investigated based on field sampling and questionnaire. Pb was one of the most abundant elements in children's blood, with an elevated blood lead level of 12.45 µg dL(-1). Soil/dust and food were heavily polluted by targeted metal(loid)s. Food ingestion accounted for more than 80% of the total exposure for most metal(loid)s. The non-cancer risks to children were 3-10 times higher than the acceptable level of 1, while the cancer risks were 5-200 times higher than the maximum acceptable level of 1.0 × 10(-4). The study emphasized the significance of effective environmental management, particularly to ensure food security near battery facilities.