International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology最新文献

{"title":"Uncovering regional differences in plastic pollution distribution along the Norwegian coast","authors":"A. Brilke,&nbsp;M. Calovi,&nbsp;J. K. Rød,&nbsp;I. Richter","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07430-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07430-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Understanding the mechanisms behind coastal plastic accumulation is crucial for more targeted clean-up actions and policy-making. We used a systematically collected dataset for plastic pollution along the Norwegian coast, added physical and socio-environmental response variables to it, and used linear regression to identify the most important factors that influence plastic accumulation. We used 446 sampling transects on 170 beaches from Norway’s south-eastern, southern, western and northern coasts. Plastic weight and count were chosen as response variables in several linear models, with different explanatory variables included. Although the explained variance in plastic pollution did not lead to any meaningful insights regarding plastic distribution, other insights were gained. Measuring plastic pollution by weight or item count led to different correlations of predictor variables. There were significant regional differences in models, and some predictor variables clearly show different values depending on the region. Furthermore, geographical beaching patterns of different types of plastic debris along the Norwegian coast found in the literature were confirmed. The southern coast had the largest number of plastic items per sampling area, whilst the north displayed fewer but heavier items. Dividing the data by region seems to be desirable, but more samples per region are needed.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13762-026-07430-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149132028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Short-contact ozonation for rapid pharmaceutical removal and effluent quality improvement in coastal wastewater treatment plants","authors":"A. Jucyte-Cicine,&nbsp;Z. R. Gasiunaite,&nbsp;I. Vybernaite-Lubiene,&nbsp;V. Abromaitis,&nbsp;D. Overlinge,&nbsp;K. Vilke","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07494-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07494-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study evaluated the performance of short-contact ozonation for the removal of the persistent pharmaceuticals venlafaxine (VEN) and carbamazepine (CBZ) from biologically treated wastewater at three coastal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with differing capacities and dominant anthropogenic influences: a small-capacity resort WWTP affected by seasonal tourism, a medium-capacity residential/seasonal WWTP, and a large-capacity urban–industrial WWTP. Substantial variability in wastewater quality and pharmaceutical concentrations was observed prior to ozonation. VEN concentrations exceeded the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC; 90 ng L⁻¹) in wastewater from all WWTPs, while CBZ concentrations exceeded PNEC (500 ng L⁻¹) at the medium- and large plants, indicating potential ecological risk under a conservative worst-case screening scenario. Ozonation reduced pharmaceutical concentrations below the applied PNEC-based risk thresholds, achieving CBZ removal below detection limits within 5 min. VEN concentrations were substantially reduced after 5 min and remained below the limit of quantification (5 ng L⁻¹) at 10 and 15 min of treatment. In addition to pharmaceutical removal, ozonation significantly improved wastewater quality by reducing suspended particulate matter and chemical oxygen demand, while culturable bacterial counts decreased below detectable levels within 5 min. Despite pronounced differences in initial wastewater composition and pollution levels among the WWTPs, ozonation consistently achieved high treatment efficiency, demonstrating robustness and potential as a tertiary treatment option for coastal WWTPs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149132079","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Discovering the sustainable development goals achievement by European Union members using the wero method","authors":"G. Popovic,&nbsp;A. Fedajev,&nbsp;P. Mitic,&nbsp;D. Stanujkic,&nbsp;D. Karabasevic","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07483-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07483-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Traditional SDG progress comparisons mainly favour countries that are economically wealthier rather than those that truly implement effective and balanced policies. As a result, EU sustainability strategies can be misleading and fail to address deep regional inequalities. This study proposes a novel, target-oriented evaluation framework that couples the CRITIC weighting method with the WERO methodology to assess the sustainability performance of the EU-27. The analysis is mainly based on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators data reported in the <i>Sustainable Development Report 2023</i>, complemented by data from additional sources where necessary. The methodological contribution lies in combining objective criterion weights, determined using the CRITIC method, with WERO's target-based evaluation mechanism, which measures countries according to their distance from predefined SDG thresholds rather than solely their relative performance. Unlike conventional multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) models that merely track absolute performance, this approach shifts the paradigm toward strategic target proximity, evaluating countries based on their efficiency in meeting predefined sustainability thresholds. The empirical results expose a deeply entrenched regional divide, stratifying the EU into distinct frontier, convergence, and structural laggard clusters. By utilizing target-driven weights, the model successfully pinpoints precise systemic bottlenecks within structural laggards, such as acute poverty risks, lagging renewable energy integration, and electronic waste mismanagement. Consequently, the application of this methodological framework advocates the permanent abandonment of one-size-fits-all strategies in favour of a highly differentiated EU policy design. It outlines how primary financial instruments, including the Cohesion Fund and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, should be dynamically linked to specific institutional reforms and localized milestones. Ultimately, this framework transforms arbitrary country rankings into a precise, result-oriented roadmap for European integration.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149132262","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of optimized conversion of crop residue into bioplastic by response surface methodology: a sustainable approach","authors":"S. S. Mirza,&nbsp;M. Iftikhar,&nbsp;K. Fatima,&nbsp;A. Ishaque","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07452-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07452-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The use of commercial plastics is a dilemma due to the pollution caused by its burning, which can cause harm and increase carbon footprints. The solution to these problems is the formation of eco-friendly, inexpensive and easily biodegradable products, including bioplastics. In this study we aimed to prepare bioplastics from agricultural wastes, preferably from banana peels and potato peels. The bioplastic samples were prepared by using water, vinegar, plasticizer (i.e., glycerin) and substrates (i.e., banana and potato peel bioplastics). The results showed that bioplastic prepared from banana peels was thinner and had greater water absorption, swelling percentage and elongation. Regarding biodegradability, potato peel bioplastic took more time than did banana peel bioplastic to biodegrade. Three factors, i.e., water, substrate and plasticizer concentration for elongation as one of the important parameters for bioplastic to prepare, therefore optimization of these parameters was done by central composite design of response surface methodology. Optimized elongation potential of banana peels bioplastic according to model depiction was achieved as 0.4 cm by addition of 53.36 and 2.5 ml of water and a plasticizer concentration, respectively with a substrate concentration of 20 g, after getting optimized elongation further tests including Young’s Modulus, thermal stability and water resistance were performed to test resilience of the bioplastic. Consequently, bioplastic derived from bananas proved to be a more resilient form of plastic which supports banana peels as promising feedstock for bioplastic production.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149132261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prediction of PM2.5 concentration of four Indian cities using a novel hybrid decomposition approach","authors":"N. Ajayakumar,&nbsp;A. Sankaran,&nbsp;T. Plocoste,&nbsp;P. G. Reji,&nbsp;A. Vijayakumar","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07454-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07454-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Accurate forecasting of PM_2.5 concentrations remains a major challenge due to the nonlinear and nonstationary nature of atmospheric pollution processes, despite its critical importance for air quality management and public health protection. In this study, a Multivariate Empirical Mode Decomposition (MEMD)-machine learning (ML) hybrid framework is proposed to predict daily PM_2.5 concentrations. Three schemes of hybrid models with (i) meteorological parameters (MP) (temperature, wind direction, wind speed, and relative humidity), (ii) air quality parameters (AQP) (NOx, SO₂, CO, and O₃), and (iii) a combination of MP and AQP as inputs are developed for four cities in India, namely, Thiruvananthapuram, New Delhi, Mumbai, and Visakhapatnam for predicting PM_2.5. Four different ML algorithms, namely Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Random Forest (RF), and Random Tree (RT), were used as base models, and the performance of the hybrid models is compared with them for each case. The results demonstrate that the hybrid model performs better than standalone ML models in all cases. The effectiveness of the model in all four cities is also evaluated, which reveals that the MEMD-KNN model performs well for PM_2.5 prediction using all parameters for New Delhi, Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, and Thiruvananthapuram, particularly when using AQP inputs and the MP+AQP combination as inputs. For meteorology-driven PM_2.5 prediction in Thiruvananthapuram, MEMD-RT and MEMD-RF achieved the best performance.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149133220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Photocatalytic and antibacterial performance of hydrothermally synthesized calcium oxide nanoparticles for environmental applications","authors":"M. Imran,&nbsp;N. Siddique,&nbsp;I. Ali,&nbsp;Z. H. Shah,&nbsp;M. F. Nasir,&nbsp;M. Tahir,&nbsp;M. B. Riaz","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07473-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07473-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Due to their physicochemical stability, surface reactivity and biological activity, calcium oxide nanoparticles have emerged as promising multifunctional nanomaterials for the purpose of treatment of environmental pollution and microbial contamination. Calcium oxide nanoparticles are synthesized in the present study by the hydrothermal method. The formation of phase-pure crystalline calcium oxide with a cubic crystal structure is confirmed by the X-ray diffraction analysis. UV visible analysis reveals strong absorption peak at 298 nm. Scanning electron microscopy confirms the uniform morphology. Zeta potential analysis reveals a surface charge of − 29.3 ± 1.46 mV indicating good colloidal stability. DPPH assay shows maximum radical scavenging activity of 86 ± 2.39% and demonstrats good antibacterial activity against <i>E. coli</i> with maximum zone of inhibition (25 ± 0.75 mm). Furthermore, calcium oxide nanoparticles are exhibited efficient photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue, methyl orange and methyl red dye achieving 92%, 89% and 86% degradation efficiencies within 75 min under sunlight exposure. Based on these results, hydrothermally synthesized calcium oxide nanoparticles are promising materials for sunlight-assisted wastewater treatment as well as control of microbial pollution with significant potential for sustainable environmental remediation applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149133285","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction: Hybrid machine learning and kriging approaches for predicting and mapping soil salinity in an arid region","authors":"S. Boudibi,&nbsp;A. Mihoub,&nbsp;M. Mesnoua,&nbsp;Z. Khomri,&nbsp;A. Aissaoui,&nbsp;Z. Benguega,&nbsp;H. Fadlaoui","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07464-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07464-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149133286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physicochemical variability of university food waste: implications for anaerobic digestion","authors":"F. Laré,&nbsp;M. Dieng","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07481-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07481-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study investigates the physicochemical variability of food waste from a university restaurant in Dakar, Senegal, and its implications for anaerobic digestion. Over one month, lunch and dinner food waste were collected separately and analysed for pH, total solids, volatile solids, carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio, lipids, ammonium, and total phosphorus. A multivariate framework combining principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA) was applied. Principal component analysis revealed three independent gradients governing food waste variability: carbon–nitrogen balance, solids concentration, and organic matter quality. Hierarchical cluster analysis identified two coherent substrate clusters broadly corresponding to carbohydrate-rich and protein- and lipid-rich profiles, with partial overlap between lunch and dinner wastes. Quadratic discriminant analysis demonstrated high discrimination accuracy ( &gt; 95%) between service types, confirming their influence on physicochemical composition. The results highlight substantial qualitative heterogeneity in food waste that extends beyond conventional classifications. Explicit consideration of this variability is essential for designing robust co-digestion strategies and optimising anaerobic digestion performance in institutional catering systems.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149133221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From plastic waste to biodegradable solutions: environmental assessment and future directions in sustainable packaging","authors":"T. Joksić,&nbsp;M. Vítězová,&nbsp;T. Vítěz,&nbsp;D. Dordević,&nbsp;I. Kushkevych","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07480-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07480-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Plastic packaging plays a fundamental role in modern society but also represents a major source of environmental pollution due to its persistence, widespread accumulation, and limited recycling efficiency. These challenges have accelerated the development of biodegradable packaging materials as potential alternatives to conventional plastics. This review critically evaluates the environmental performance of the principal biodegradable packaging materials, including polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), starch-based polymers, and cellulose-based materials, from a systems-oriented perspective. Unlike previous reviews that primarily focus on material properties or biodegradation, this review integrates material functionality, biodegradation behavior, environmental fate, wastewater treatment compatibility, resource recovery, and life-cycle considerations within a unified environmental assessment framework. Particular emphasis is placed on the interactions between biodegradable packaging, functional additives, microbial communities, and biological treatment systems, highlighting their implications for sludge treatment, methane production, and circular economy strategies. The review demonstrates that the environmental performance of biodegradable packaging depends not only on polymer chemistry but also on degradation conditions, waste-management infrastructure, wastewater treatment capacity, and regional implementation. It further identifies key knowledge gaps related to standardized environmental assessment, additive behavior, wastewater treatment processes, and real-world degradation, and outlines future research priorities for developing biodegradable packaging systems that provide measurable environmental benefits throughout their entire life cycle.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149133222","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Green and scalable preparation of hierarchical porous ZIF-8 nanomaterials for enhanced methyl blue adsorption from water","authors":"H. S. Albalawi,&nbsp;M. A. Albalawi","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07476-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07476-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This work reports the eco-friendly, room-temperature CO₂-bubbling synthesis of hierarchical absorbent ZIF-8 (HP-ZIF-8) and its application in removing methylene blue (MB) from water. Structural analyses (XRD, FTIR, SEM, TEM, TGA, and N₂ sorption) confirmed the creation of a high-porosity framework by interconnected micro–mesopores, enabling efficient dye capture. The material removed up to 98.7% of MB at pH 7 and 25 °C, with adsorption well described by the Langmuir equation model and a capacity of 66.67 mg g⁻¹ at 55 °C. Kinetic evaluation followed pseudo-second-order behavior, consistent with chemisorption, while thermodynamic results revealed a spontaneous and endothermic process. Moreover, HP-ZIF-8 retained 88% of its adsorption capacity after five reuse cycles, underscoring its stability. These findings highlight HP-ZIF-8 synthesized via a sustainable CO₂-bubbling strategy as a robust and green adsorbent for dye-laden wastewater treatment.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149133291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}