Environments最新文献

{"title":"Rehabilitation or Demolition of Small Hydropower Plants: Evaluation of the Environmental and Economic Sustainability of the Case Study “El Cerrajón”","authors":"Eduardo Vázquez-López, Victor Matitos-Montoya, Madelyn Marrero","doi":"10.3390/environments11080184","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11080184","url":null,"abstract":"During the 1950s, numerous small-capacity hydroelectric power plants were built in Spain. Seventy-five years on, it must now be decided whether to continue their operation or demolish them. In order to provide a valid answer, it is necessary to have access to decision-making tools that enable sustainable economic and environmental decision making. The present work proposes a methodology that employs an economic indicator of life cycle cost and environmental indicators of carbon footprint and embodied energy by means of life cycle data analysis. Quantification of the impacts was carried out with the support of construction cost databases and the PREDICE software tool for the quantification of environmental impacts incorporated into maintenance tasks. The case study of the “Cerrajón” power plant was analyzed, where historical hydrological cycles were considered. A life cycle scenario was evaluated in which renovation extended the life of the power plant by a further 75 years. The results show savings in environmental impacts with respect to the impacts of the Spanish energy mix of up to 175 kgCO2 per MWh produced, although no economic benefit was found. It was also shown that in climate change scenarios, the profit price breakeven increases. Rehabilitation appears to present the best choice when combining the two criteria.","PeriodicalId":11886,"journal":{"name":"Environments","volume":"43 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142199210","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Combination between Composting and Vermicomposting of OFMSW: A Sicilian Case Study","authors":"Enrico Licitra, Maria Gabriella Giustra, Gaetano Di Bella, Antonio Messineo","doi":"10.3390/environments11080183","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11080183","url":null,"abstract":"In nature, earthworms process enormous quantities of plant debris, ingesting and converting them into vermicast, the final product of their digestion process. Vermicast is widely recognized as an organic fertilizer suitable for plants, usually obtained from the transformation of animal manure. Indeed, controlled vermicomposting of the organic fraction from municipal solid waste (OFMSW) has yielded contradictory results, limiting the extension of laboratory results to larger-scale initiatives. This study aims to analyze a combined composting–vermicomposting process using Eisenia fetida (also known as Californian red worm) for the treatment of OFMSW (containing different impurities, such as heavy metals), mixed with a suitable substrate for earthworms, consisting of a blend of animal bedding and pre-selected food scraps (SOM—pre-selected organic material). Different fractions from a municipal composting plant were tested for the biological process: raw OFMSW, pre-composted (PC, organic matrix that has completed the thermophilic biodegradation phase), and compost (C). Laboratory tests involved five different applications with varying mixing proportions, partly aided by the addition of OM. The physical–chemical parameters (e.g., pH, temperature, moisture) and worm growth rate in the different treatments were measured and compared. The results showed that the process improved the quality of the final product, especially for the selected matrices, and revealed a significant reduction in the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (lower than 14 in all tests) when vermicomposting was applied to the mixed matrices and SOM. Worms increased during the process in net weight and growth rate, even if there was an accumulation of heavy metals in the “worm tea”. Worm mass reached a little over double the initial value in all tests (from 200 g to more than 500 g in the SOM test), except for an increase of only 87% in the OFMSW test, while heavy metal content in the solid matrix was reduced in all tests compared to the starting content.","PeriodicalId":11886,"journal":{"name":"Environments","volume":"135 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142199208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microplastic and Nanoplastic Particle Isolation from Liquid and Biological Samples via Mini-Extruder Filtration (MEF)","authors":"Abigail Hall, Luis F. Cardona Polo, Kennedy Helms, Alexei Christodoulides, Nathan J. Alves","doi":"10.3390/environments11080180","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11080180","url":null,"abstract":"Microplastic pollution poses an increasing environmental and human health risk and additional techniques are needed to facilitate nondestructive, quantitative particle recovery and analysis. Using a mini-extruder filtration (MEF) device, the efficiency of pristine particle capture from solution and digested biological tissue (blood clots) was assessed. Polystyrene particles in both the submicron (100, 300, and 500 nm) and micron range (2, 5, 7, and 10 µm) with aminated, carboxylated, or unmodified surface modifications were explored. The MEF-isolated-particle recovery was analyzed pre- and postseparation isolation and quantified via a Nanosight LM10 particle tracking system (submicron particles) or hemacytometer (micron particles). Particles’ surface chemistry and concentration did not impact recovery compared to unfiltered samples with smaller particle sizes reducing recovery efficiency. Micron particle size recovery averaged 86.8 ± 4.3% across all surface chemistries at the same concentration; however, submicron particle recoveries varied by size and charge with 500 nm exhibiting recoveries of 80.6 ± 16.6%, 300 nm 73.0 ± 10.4%, and 100 nm particles 17.0 ± 10.3%. The mini-extruder device, used as a filtration recovery system, efficiently captures 10 to 0.5 µm particles from environmental and tissue samples making it an effective and low-cost platform facilitating the nondestructive capture of diverse microplastics for subsequent analysis.","PeriodicalId":11886,"journal":{"name":"Environments","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142199211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Emerging Role of Environmental Cadmium Exposure in Prostate Cancer Progression","authors":"Rama Saad, Mohamed Ali Hussein, Gnanasekar Munirathinam, André Kajdacsy-Balla","doi":"10.3390/environments11080181","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11080181","url":null,"abstract":"Cadmium (Cd) is a widespread environmental pollutant with several adverse effects on the general population. While Cd is a well-established risk factor for some cancers, such as lung cancer, its impact on prostate cancer (PCa) is not well understood. PCa mortality is associated with its progression to metastatic spread. This underscores the importance of studying the environmental/or molecular factors that govern the progression from organ-confined tumors to widely metastatic disease. To date, most studies addressing the effects of Cd on PCa are focused on the incidence rather than the progression/outcome. Furthermore, most of these epidemiological studies are limited by the small number of samples and the fact that most of these studies measured Cd levels in the air, blood, or urine, which is less applicable for addressing associations in environmental exposure than the measurement of Cd concentrations in the prostate microenvironment. It is still unknown whether Cd is a driver or a consequence of PCa aggressiveness. Addressing the plausibility of causality requires using proper in vitro and in vivo models for sub-micromolar Cd doses that mimic environmental exposure. Most in vitro studies addressing the functional and molecular effects of Cd are limited by the exclusive use of aggressive PCa cell models and very high micromolar unbound Cd concentrations, which are irrelevant for environmental exposure. Significantly, few studies have addressed the effects of sub-micromolar Cd concentrations. Hence, we suggest using nanomolar concentration that resembles real-life exposure, using less aggressive in vitro models such as RWPE-2, employing 3D organoid culture systems, and adopting high throughput-omics techniques, including metallomics, and using transgenic animal models might represent a more effective model. Here, we focus on reports on the impact of Cd on the progression and aggressiveness of already-established PCa instead of on the initial steps of carcinogenesis. We suggest potential future directions for substantiating the plausible link between Cd exposure and PCa aggressiveness.","PeriodicalId":11886,"journal":{"name":"Environments","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142199212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of Agricultural Pesticides on Decline in Insect Species and Individual Numbers","authors":"Peter Quandahor, Leesun Kim, Minju Kim, Keunpyo Lee, Francis Kusi, In-hong Jeong","doi":"10.3390/environments11080182","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11080182","url":null,"abstract":"As agricultural production increases, the use of chemical fertilisers, herbicides, and other synthetic pesticides has equally increased over the years. Inadequate pesticide application description and monitoring has generated a heated debate among governmental organisations, agricultural industries, and conservation organisations about pesticide effects on insect species richness and abundance. This review is therefore aimed at summarizing the decline in insects’ species and individual numbers as a result of extensive pesticide utilisation and recommends possible management strategies for its mitigation. This review revealed an average pesticide application of 1.58 kg per ha per year, 0.37 kg per person per year, and 0.79 kg per USD 1000 per year. Insects have experienced a greater species abundance decline than birds, plants, and other organisms, which could pose a significant challenge to global ecosystem management. Although other factors such as urbanisation, deforestation, monoculture, and industrialisation may have contributed to the decline in insect species, the extensive application of agro-chemicals appears to cause the most serious threat. Therefore, the development of sustainable and environmentally friendly management strategies is critical for mitigating insect species’ decline.","PeriodicalId":11886,"journal":{"name":"Environments","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142199214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Community Composition of Alpine Dung Beetles Is Mostly Driven by Temperature and Habitat Type","authors":"Alex Laini, Angela Roggero, Mario Carlin, Claudia Palestrini, Antonio Rolando","doi":"10.3390/environments11080178","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11080178","url":null,"abstract":"In alpine environments, open habitats alternate with wood to create a habitat mosaic that shapes insect community composition and diversity. Dung beetles are an important group of insects specialized in feeding on vertebrate dung whose availability also depends on habitat type. Although the habitat preferences of dung beetles have been extensively studied, few studies have addressed the influence of habitat structure and temperature on dung beetle communities in alpine environments. We sampled dung beetles in pastures, at the edges between pasture and wood, in inner and outer woods of two alpine areas at different altitudes (two sites per area). We found that pastures had higher mean temperatures compared to other habitat types and hosted the highest number of species. However, the interaction between habitat and altitude significantly affected species richness and abundance, suggesting that habitat type and temperature modulate the response of dung beetles in the study area. Edges hosted intermediate communities between pastures and woodlands and were populated by both pasture and woodland specialists. Our results suggest that maintaining pastures is crucial to preserving dung beetle communities.","PeriodicalId":11886,"journal":{"name":"Environments","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142199215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Response of Denitrification to Increasing Water Temperature and Nitrate Availability: The Case of a Large Lowland River (Po River, Northern Italy) under a Climate Change Scenario","authors":"Maria Pia Gervasio, Giuseppe Castaldelli, Elisa Soana","doi":"10.3390/environments11080179","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11080179","url":null,"abstract":"Water warming and nutrient pulses following extreme rainfall events, both consequences of climate change, may have a profound impact on the biogeochemical dynamics of large temperate rivers, such as the Po River (Northern Italy), affecting denitrification capacity and the delivery of N loads to terminal water bodies. Manipulative experiments on denitrification kinetics were carried out using dark laboratory incubations of intact sediment cores collected from the lower Po River. Denitrification was measured along temperature and NO3− concentration gradients using 15N additions, in summer and autumn, the two seasons when climate change-induced warming has been shown to be higher. The combination of increased temperatures and pulsed NO3−-enhanced denitrification, suggesting that electron acceptor availability limits the process. The direct link between climate change-induced effects and the positive response of denitrification may have implications for the improvement of water quality in the coastal zone, as it may help to partially buffer N export, especially in summer, when the risk of eutrophication is higher. Further research is needed to investigate the quality and quantity of sediment organic matter as important drivers regulating river denitrification.","PeriodicalId":11886,"journal":{"name":"Environments","volume":"46 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142199219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nickel and Soil Fertility: Review of Benefits to Environment and Food Security","authors":"Alon Rabinovich, Rong Di, Sean Lindert, Joseph Heckman","doi":"10.3390/environments11080177","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11080177","url":null,"abstract":"Nickel (Ni) is an essential micronutrient for plants, responsible for metabolizing urea nitrogen (urea-N) by urease and mitigating abiotic and oxidative stresses through the glyoxalase (Gly) and glutathione (GSH) cycles. However, excess Ni is toxic to flora at >100 mg kg−1, except for hyperaccumulators that tolerate >1000 mg kg−1 Ni. This review discusses the benefits of Ni nutrient management for soil fertility, improving food security, and minimizing adverse environmental impacts from urea overapplication. Many farming soils are Ni deficient, suggesting that applying 0.05–5 kg ha−1 of Ni improves yield and urea-N use efficiency. Applied foliar and soil Ni fertilizers decrease biotic stresses primarily by control of fungal diseases. The bioavailability of Ni is the limiting factor for urease synthesis in plants, animal guts, and the soil microbiome. Improved urease activity in plants and subsequently through feed in livestock guts reduces the release of nitrous oxide and nitrite pollutants. Fertilizer Ni applied to crops is dispersed in vegetative tissue since Ni is highly mobile in plants and is not accumulated in fruit or leafy tissues to cause health concerns for consumers. New methods for micronutrient delivery, including rhizophagy, recycled struvite, and nanoparticle fertilizers, can improve Ni bioavailability in farming systems.","PeriodicalId":11886,"journal":{"name":"Environments","volume":"71 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142199090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Effectiveness of Waste Tire Pyrolysis Oils (WTPOs) as Rejuvenating Agents for Asphalt Materials","authors":"Ahmed S. El-Ashwah, Magdy Abdelrahman","doi":"10.3390/environments11080176","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11080176","url":null,"abstract":"The continuous increase in solid waste materials, such as waste tires, underscores the critical importance of recycling them to mitigate environmental impact and promote sustainable resource management. This research study evaluated the effectiveness of utilizing waste tire pyrolysis oils (WTPOs) as recycling agents for asphalt materials. The chemical composition and thermal behavior of WTPO were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Mechanically, the prepared WTPO binders were assessed by measuring dynamic viscosity and changes in high- and intermediate-temperature performance grades. Additionally, the cracking susceptibility of the binders was evaluated using the Glover–Rowe (G-R) parameter. The findings indicated that WTPOs might contain water and light aromatics in varying percentages, depending on the pyrolysis process. Incorporating WTPOs enhanced the workability of asphalt mixtures and ensured a high degree of blending between recycled/aged asphalt and raw binder. A 12% WTPO dosage was identified as the most effective for enhancing fatigue and low-temperature cracking resistance, facilitating improved interactions between the virgin binder and recycled asphalt materials. Finally, utilizing WTPOs as rejuvenating agents in pavement construction supports sustainable practices by recycling waste materials and significantly improving the performance and durability of asphalt mixtures.","PeriodicalId":11886,"journal":{"name":"Environments","volume":"135 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142199217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Determination of Site Suitability for a Sanitary Landfill Using GIS and Boolean Logic: The Case of the Regional Unit of Chalkidiki, Northern Greece","authors":"Eleni Parastatidou, Konstantinos Voudouris, Nerantzis Kazakis","doi":"10.3390/environments11080175","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11080175","url":null,"abstract":"This study deals with the determination of sites suitable for landfill in the Prefecture of Chalkidiki, North Greece, using Boolean logic and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Landfill siting is an arduous process as it combines environmental, social, and technical factors. Solid waste management is an urgent requirement in tourist sites worldwide. The Prefecture of Chalkidiki is considered a tourist area where volumes of generated waste increase in the summer. The Boolean logic approach was used in the study area to exclude areas not suitable for the establishment of a landfill site and to select areas that meet all the criteria. Nine criteria were selected to create the final map showing areas with the highest suitability for solid waste disposal. According to the Boolean logic method, suitable areas were given a value of one (1), while unsuitable areas were given a value of zero (0). According to the final thematic map of proposed sites, 12.7% of the study area is suitable for landfill construction. The suitable areas identified include pre-existing landfill sites, thus suggesting that the applied method has a high degree of reliability.","PeriodicalId":11886,"journal":{"name":"Environments","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142199216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}