Novel nanostructure approach for antibiotic decomposition in a spinning disc photocatalytic reactor.

Conventional wastewater treatment processes are often unable to remove antibiotics with resistant compounds and low biological degradation. The need for advanced and sustainable technologies to remove antibiotics from water sources seems essential. In this regard, the effectiveness of a spinning disc photocatalytic reactor (SDPR) equipped with a visible light-activated Fe3O4@SiO2-NH2@CuO/ZnO core-shell (FSNCZ CS) thin film photocatalyst was investigated for the decomposition of amoxicillin (AMX), a representative antibiotic. Various characterization techniques, such as TEM, FESEM, EDX, AFM, XRD, and UV-Vis-DRS, were employed to study the surface morphology, optoelectronic properties, and nanostructure of the FSNCZ CS. Key operating parameters such as irradiation time, pH, initial AMX concentration, rotational speed, and solution flow rate were fine-tuned for optimization. The results indicated that the highest AMX decomposition (98.7%) was attained under optimal conditions of 60 min of irradiation time, a rotational speed of 350 rpm, a solution flow rate of 0.9 L/min, pH of 5, and an initial AMX concentration of 20 mg/L. Moreover, during the 60 min irradiation time, more than 69.95% of chemical oxygen demand and 61.2% of total organic carbon were removed. After the photocatalytic decomposition of AMX, there is a substantial increase in the average oxidation state and carbon oxidation state in SDPR from 1.33 to 1.94 and 3.2, respectively. Active species tests confirmed that ·OH and ·O2- played a dominant role in AMX decomposition. The developed SDPR, which incorporates a reusable and robust FSNCZ CS photocatalyst, demonstrates promising potential for the decomposition of organic compounds.

Evaluating and modeling the efficacy of Stipagrostis plumosa for the phytoremediation of petroleum compounds in crude oil-contaminated soil.

This study focused on using Stipagrostis plumosa for phytoremediation to eliminate total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) and heavy metals (HMs) like cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and nickel (Ni) from oil-contaminated soil. Conducted over six months at a field-scale without artificial pollutants, soil samples were analyzed using gas chromatography‒mass spectrometry (GC‒MS) for TPHs and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP‒OES) for HMs. Results after six months revealed that plots with plants had significantly higher average removal percentages for TPHs (61.45%), Cd (39.4%), Cr (46.1%), Pb (41.5%), and Ni (44.2%) compared to the control group (p <0.05). Increased microbial respiration and bacteria populations in planted plots indicated enhanced soil microbial growth. Kinetic rate models aligned well with the first-order kinetic rate model for all pollutants (R2 >0.9). Overall, the study demonstrates that S. plumosa can effectively reduce TPHs and HMs in oil-contaminated soil, making it a promising option for pollutant absorption.

Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of amoxicillin using a spinning disc photocatalytic reactor (SDPR) with a novel Fe3O4@void@CuO/ZnO yolk-shell thin film nanostructure.

Antibiotics are resistant compounds with low biological degradation that generally cannot be removed by conventional wastewater treatment processes. The use of yolk-shell nanostructures in spinning disc photocatalytic reactor (SDPR) enhances the removal efficiency due to their high surface-to-volume ratio and increased interaction between catalyst particles and reactants. The purpose of this study is to investigate the SDPR equipped to Fe3O4@void@CuO/ZnO yolk-shell thin film nanostructure (FCZ YS) in the presence of visible light illumination in the photocatalytic degradation of amoxicillin (AMX) from aqueous solutions. Stober, co-precipitation, and self-transformation methods were used for the synthesis of FCZ YS thin film nanostructure and the physical and chemical characteristics of the catalyst were analyzed by XRD, VSM,, EDX, FESEM, TEM, AFM, BET, contact angle (CA), and DRS. Then, the effect of different parameters including pH (3-11), initial concentration of AMX (10-50 mg/L), flow rate (10-25 mL/s) and rotational speed (100-400 rpm) at different times in the photocatalytic degradation of AMX were studied. The obtained results indicated that the highest degradation efficiency of 97.6% and constant reaction rate of AMX were obtained under LED visible light illumination and optimal conditions of pH = 5, initial AMX concentration of 30 mg/L, solution flow rate of 15 mL/s, rotational speed of 300 rpm and illumination time of 80 min. The durability and reusability of the nanostructure were tested, that after 5 runs had a suitable degradation rate. Considering the appropriate efficiency of amoxicillin degradation by FCZ YS nanostructure, the use of Fe3O4@void@CuO/ZnO thin film in SDPR is suggested in water and wastewater treatment processes.

Ciprofloxacin degradation by catalytic activation of monopersulfate using Mn-Fe oxides: performance and mineralization.

In this work, Mn2O3/Fe2O3 (MFO) was synthesized and used to activate monopersulfate (MPS) for the degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP). The effect of several parameters was studied on CIP degradation. Under the optimum conditions (pH = 6.3 (natural pH), MFO = 300 mg/L and MPS = 2 mM), around 92% of CIP was decomposed. Nitrite, phosphate and bicarbonate ions had a strong inhibitory effect on the MFO/MPS process while the effect of chloride and nitrate ions was neutral. The catalytic activity of MFO was also studied by other chemical oxidants such as peroxydisulfate, periodate, hydrogen peroxide, percarbonate and peracetic acid. Scavenging tests showed that the role of sulfate radicals is more than hydroxyl radicals. MFO exhibited high catalytic activity in four recycling with insignificant leaching of Mn and Fe. During CIP oxidation, 45.5% carbon mineralization occurred and antibacterial activity of treated CIP solution was reduced. Finally, MFO/MPS was applied on actual wastewater (hospital effluent) and the results showed that MFO/MPS can be considered as a practical method for the treatment of contaminated water with emerging pollutants.

Three-layer business model canvas (TLBMC) as a recycling support tool to achieve sustainable development goals in waste management systems.

Traditional strategies for waste management in developing countries face high-cost problems, severe pollution, limited viable data, lack of global coverage, inefficiency, and slowness. The rapid expansion of the Internet have made new opportunities in waste management, especially waste collection. Online waste management in developing countries can create a revolution and help the government and society to achieve the goals of sustainable development. In this study, a modified three-layer business model canvas (TLBMC) was used to describe the duties of each actors involved in waste management and interactions between different elements in order to show the existing capacities in view point of economic, social, and environmental dimensions. In this online marketplace, the flow of information, the flow of materials and the flow of money in any company or entity or person active in the field of waste, are effectively connected to each other. Supply and demand information is provided in the created platform, and various waste actors are connected to look for options to trade. After agreement between the customer and the buyer, the information is delivered from the website or platform created by the supplier to the applicant. This network can have its usual structural features and create appropriate mechanisms for the continuation of its business operation and the realization of sustainable development of waste management, especially the recycling industry.

Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on medical waste management: a case study.

Covid-19 Pandemic leads to medical services for the society all over the world. The Covid-19 pandemic influence the waste management and specially medical waste management. In this study, the effect of the Covid-19 outbreak on medical waste was evaluated via assessing the solid waste generation, composition, and management status in five hospitals in Iran. The results indicated that the epidemic Covid-19 leads to increased waste generation on average 102.2 % in both private and public hospitals. In addition, the ratio of infectious waste in the studied hospitals increased by an average of 9 % in medical waste composition and 121 % compared with before COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in plans and management measurement such as increasing the frequency of waste collection per week leads to lower the risk of infection transmission from medical waste in the studied hospitals. The results obtained from the present research clearly show the changes in medical waste generation and waste composition within pandemic Covid-19. In addition, established new ward, Covid-19 ward with high-infected waste led to new challenges which should be managed properly by change in routine activities.

Degradation of furfural in aqueous solution using activated persulfate and peroxymonosulfate by ultrasound irradiation.

Furfural is a toxic compound that can cause many problems for human health and the environment. In this study, we addressed the degradation of furfural in aqueous solution using the activated persulfate (SPS) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) through the ultrasonic (US) wave. Besides, the effect of various parameters (pH, oxidizing dose, initial furfural concentration, US frequency, Inorganic anions concentration, and scavenger) on SPS + US (SPS/US) and PMS + US (PMS/US) processes were examined. The results showed, in order to furfural removal, the US had excellent efficiency in activating SPS and PMS, as in SPS/US and PMS/US processes, 95.3% and 58.4% of furfural (at 25 mg/L concentration) was decomposed in 90 min, respectively. The furfural degradation rate increased with increasing oxidizing dose and US frequency in both SPS/US and PMS/US processes. Considering the synergistic effect, the best removal rate has occurred in the SPS/US process. In the SPS/US and PMS/US processes, furfural removal increased at natural pH (pH 7), and the presence of inorganic anions such as NO3- and Cl- had negative effects on furfural removal efficiency. Also CO32- and HCO3- acted as a radical scavenger in the SPS/US process but these anions in the PMS/US process produced more SO4-° radicals, and subsequently, they increased the furfural degradation rate. The results also showed that the predominant radical in the oxidation reactions is the sulfate radical. This study showed that the SPS/US and PMS/US processes are promising methods for degrading organic pollutants in the environment.

Estimation of methane gas by LandGEM model from Yasuj municipal solid waste landfill, Iran.

CH4 has a high potential for energy production and by utilizing the proper technology, large amounts of energy can be extracted from it. This study aimed to estimate the amounts of methane emissions from the municipal solid waste landfill in Yasuj city using LandGEM software. The LandGEM model which is used for this aim is based on input data of open landfill year, land closure year, methane production rate, potential methane production capacity, and waste acceptance rate. According to the results, methane gas production during the years 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 was obtained to be 250, 275, 303, and 330 m3/h respectively. The results also showed that maximum methane production rate occurred during the years 2010-2012 and then reduced with a soft slope from 2012. The method and results of this research can be used for design and execute of methane gas collection systems and also, control of greenhouse gases emission for the landfills.