Avicenna Journal of Environmental Health Engineering最新文献

{"title":"Sonocatalytic Degradation of Humic Substances From Aquatic Environments Using MgO Nanoparticles","authors":"R. Soltani, M. Safari, R. Rezaee, A. Maleki, Omid Giahi, R. Ghanbari","doi":"10.15171/AJEHE.2017.03","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15171/AJEHE.2017.03","url":null,"abstract":"Humic substances are considered as one of the major natural organic contaminants in water resources. Presence of such substances in the drinking water supply resources results in poor water quality and jeopardizes the consumer’s health. In the present study, sonocatalytic decomposition of the humic substances by using MgO nanoparticles was investigated under the radiation of the ultrasonic waves. Accordingly, the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques were used to determine characteristics of the nanoparticles. Furthermore, the effects of various parameters, including the amount of nanoparticles, initial pH, initial concentration of humic substances, contact time, as well as the power and frequency of ultrasonic waves on the efficiency of the sonocatalytic decomposition of humic substances were investigated. Results of the present study showed that the efficiency of sonocatalytic decomposition of humic substances was reduced by increasing the initial pH and initial concentration of the humic substances; while, the increased amount of the nanocatalyst resulted in the increased efficiency of decomposition. Furthermore, the obtained results indicated that the MgO sonocatalytic process could decompose the humic substances with the efficiency of 78.5% under optimal conditions (pH:7, initial concentration of humic substances: 20 mg/L, concentration of nanoparticles:1 g/L, power: 100%, frequency: 37 kHz and contact time:120 min). Based on the obtained results, the sonocatalytic method using MgO can remove humic substances and other similar organic matters from the aquatic environments with a high efficiency.","PeriodicalId":8672,"journal":{"name":"Avicenna Journal of Environmental Health Engineering","volume":"4 1","pages":"13-18"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44493941","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":"Conducting a Water Safety Plan (WSP) Relied on WHO Recommendations for the Assessment of Qom Desalinated Water Supply System","authors":"Shahla Shafiei, M. Khazaei, R. Nabizadeh, M. Fahiminia, M. Leili, Vahid Razmju, Reza Ansari, M. Aghaei","doi":"10.15171/AJEHE.2017.05","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15171/AJEHE.2017.05","url":null,"abstract":"This work aimed to apply the water safety plan (WSP), a plan suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO), to evaluate desalinated water supply system in Qom province of Iran, assisting a systematic prevention approach based on risk assessment. Major portion of Qom drinking water is supplied by an integrated membrane-based desalination system through a private water network. WSP includes 12 phases comprising chapters like \"System Description\", \"Hazard Identification\", and \"Risk Assessment\". The abovementioned phases were conducted according to filled checklists which finally served as the input data for WSP software, namely WSP QA Tool. The processed information by the software attributed to each step was presented finally as appropriate tables and histograms. Total score obtained for Qom desalinated water supply system via WSP was 302 whereas, the full obtainable score considered in WSP was 440. Accordingly, 68.6% of the total WSP obtainable scores was acquired. The scores achieved in steps \"catchment\", \"treatment\", \"distribution\", and \"point of use\" were 67%, 67%, 64%, and 65%, respectively. The minimum obtained score was 25% assigned to the step \"Improvement Plan\". The maximum scores were 100% and 97% attributed to \"Identification of Stakeholders\" and \"Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment\", respectively. The score of 68.6% from WSP was achieved by Qom desalinated water supply system. The step \"Improvement Plan\" should be performed simultaneously with the entire WSP to improve the coordination for better enforcement of the plan. To enhance the current condition, the funding demands assigned to each uncontrolled risk which is attributed to each improvement program must be supplied, ranked, and enforced.","PeriodicalId":8672,"journal":{"name":"Avicenna Journal of Environmental Health Engineering","volume":"4 1","pages":"24-28"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67213312","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":"Application of a Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor in Removal of Ciprofloxacin From Real Hospital Effluent: Effect of Operational Conditions","authors":"R. Shokoohi, H. Almasi, M. Sedighi, Z. Daraee, S. Akbari","doi":"10.15171/ajehe.2017.04","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15171/ajehe.2017.04","url":null,"abstract":"The presence of pharmaceutical wastewater containing antibiotic compound is one of the new problems relating to the environmental pollution. Antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CIP), widely used in medical treatments, can induce antibiotic resistance in low concentrations in the ecosystem and aqueous solutions. In this study, CIP was removed using moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) from real hospital-derived wastewater. This study was carried out at Beasat hospital in Hamadan, Iran. CIP (100 mL) was applied in 2 sets of plexiglass tubular columns as MBBR. Microorganisms were grown on the suspended carriers. To achieve this purpose, polyethylene kaldnes (K1) was chosen as reactor bed in 500 m2 /m3 specific area. The effect of operating parameters such as mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS) (100, 1000, 3000 mg/L), hydraulic retention time (HRT) (8, 12, 24 hours), and support media with carrier K1 (30%, 50%, 70%) were evaluated. According to the results, the yield of CIP removal at 30%, 50%, and 70% of K1, reaction of 24 hours at MLSS 3000 mg/L was obtained 50.5%, 68.9%, and 97.6% respectively. In the same conditions, chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was achieved 26.78%, 30.49%, and 80.07%, respectively. Results indicated that the MBBR process can be used as an effective approach for removing CIP and COD from hospital effluent. Moreover, these data suggested that the K1 carrier could be useful in terms of mineralization and efficiency. Furthermore, development of biofilm in MBBR was mostly affected by K1.","PeriodicalId":8672,"journal":{"name":"Avicenna Journal of Environmental Health Engineering","volume":"4 1","pages":"19-23"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48794535","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":"Degradation of Formaldehyde From Synthetic Wastewater Using Fe2+/H2 O2/O3 Process","authors":"A. M. Tehrani, R. Dehghani, Hamid Reza Soheil Arezoomand, Hamid Reza Gilaasi, Z. Tavakoli","doi":"10.15171/ajehe.2017.01","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15171/ajehe.2017.01","url":null,"abstract":"Formaldehyde is used in many industries for its different chemical characteristics. The wastewater in these industries contains large amounts of formaldehyde which is dangerous and toxic for human and environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficiency of Fe2+/H2 O2 /O3 process in degradation of formaldehyde from synthetic wastewater. This experimental bench-scale study in batch system was conducted on the synthetic wastewater in primary concentration of formaldehyde (500 mg/L). The maximum percentage of formaldehyde removal was 72.5% that was observed in molar ratio of 2.4 [H2 O2 ]/[Fe2+]. After determining optimum [H2O2]/[Fe2+], the effects of pH variables, function time, and ozone concentration were studied in formaldehyde removal. In this process, the maximum degradation efficiency of formaldehyde in 0.7 mg/L ozone concentration and in 2.4 of molar ratio for [H2 O2 ]/[Fe2+] was 85.84% after 20 minutes. Moreover, the effect of pH and ozone concentration was significant in degradation efficiency (P<0.05). Generally, the Fe2+/ H2 O2 /O3 process seems to be a practical and reliable method in treating the industrial wastewater contaminated with high concentrations of formaldehyde.","PeriodicalId":8672,"journal":{"name":"Avicenna Journal of Environmental Health Engineering","volume":"4 1","pages":"1-5"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44066101","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 Use of Acid-Washed Iron/Aluminum Mixture in Permeable Reactive Barrier for the Elimination of Different Heavy Metal Ions From Water","authors":"M. Samadi, G. Asgari, A. Rahmani, Zhila Ghavami","doi":"10.15171/AJEHE.2017.06","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15171/AJEHE.2017.06","url":null,"abstract":"In this experimental study, the performance of a fixed bed column containing a mixture of iron and aluminum modified with acid, as a reaction bed, was evaluated for the removal of heavy metals of cadmium, nickel, and copper. The tests were carried out by feeding the columns with aqueous solutions at the concentration of 100 mg/L using four iron/aluminum granular mixtures at various volume ratios (100/0, 50/50, 75/25, 25/75 and 0/100), and pH (3, 5, 7) for a total of 28 column tests. Results showed that metal ion removal was mainly accomplished via redox reactions that initiated the precipitation of mineral phases. At pH 5 and flow rate of 1 mL/min, the removal efficiency of cadmium, nickel, and copper at the 50/50 ratio of modified iron and aluminum was obtained higher than 99% and this removal efficiency could be kept about 50 hours. It seems that the column with the volume ratio of 75/25 of iron and aluminum mixture was the most efficient column for removing the heavy metals with the most suitable iron content and also high hydraulic performance due to the suitable aluminum content. It is therefore seen that the mixture of iron and aluminum can be used as an environmentally and economically viable remediation technology for the subsequent prevention of groundwater contamination.","PeriodicalId":8672,"journal":{"name":"Avicenna Journal of Environmental Health Engineering","volume":"4 1","pages":"29-34"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48979548","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":"Survey on Odorous Mineral Gases in the Air Around the Wastewater Treatment Plant: A Case Study in a Stabilization Pond","authors":"Ali Arezoumand, H. Jamali, H. Karyab, R. Ghanbari, S. Omidi","doi":"10.15171/AJEHE.2017.02","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15171/AJEHE.2017.02","url":null,"abstract":"Malodors are one of the problems of water and wastewater treatment plants, especially in the vicinity of residential areas. Mineral compounds like hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and ammonia (NH3) produce unpleasant smells in the wastewater treatment plants. These gases also have adverse effects on both humans and the environment. After field visits around the plant, a number of 12 sampling stations were determined. Sampling stations were selected from 4 cardinal directions with regard to permanent trade winds and on distances of 0, 2 and 4 km from the plant. Sampling was performed in the morning and evening during the four seasons. Jacob and Indophenol methods were used for measuring the concentration of H2S and NH3. \u0000According to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey test, and concentrations of NH3 and H2S during different seasons, the emissions were more significant in the warm seasons and caused more malodors (P = 0.011, P = 0.004 for NH3 and H2S, respectively). Moreover, there was a significant relationship between the concentration of NH3 and sampling sites (P = 0.000). However, the relationship between the concentration of H2S and sampling stations was not significant (P = 0.179).According to the results, the concentrations of H2S and NH3 in all the seasons except for winter were within the threshold limits. The concentration of H2S in the summer and the concentration of NH3 in all the seasons were higher than USEPA standards and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.","PeriodicalId":8672,"journal":{"name":"Avicenna Journal of Environmental Health Engineering","volume":"4 1","pages":"6-12"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41402301","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 Role of Mycobacteria in Biodegradation","authors":"M. Keikha","doi":"10.15171/AJEHE.2017.08","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15171/AJEHE.2017.08","url":null,"abstract":"Crude oiland petrochemical-induced contamination of the environment has gained considerable attention in recent decades. Today, leakage and spread of oil contamination due to inefficient extraction, transmission and crude oil refinery processes along with occurrence of different incidents in various sections of oil industry like oil production site, oil refineries and transmission lines are inevitable (1). Crude oil product may enter into the environmental resources and exert harmful effects such as health risks, contamination of natural resources and underground water. In addition to their effects on the environment, these compounds have harmful effects on human. Studies have shown that oil compounds can cause mutation and cancer, and negatively affect human neonates (1,2). Therefore, cleaning the oil-contaminated areas is one of the main environmental concerns. For this purpose, different physical, chemical, and biological methods have been proposed (1,3). Biodegradation is one of the most important solutions to clean these compounds from the environment. During this natural process, microorganisms break the organic chemicals into simpler forms. Chemical and mechanical methods, in addition to being costly, do not clean these compounds effectively and can transmit the contamination to other areas. While biodegradation is a cost-effective and efficient method in comparison with the two mentioned methods, it is now recognized as one of the important strategies in environmental protection (4,5). Presence of microorganisms in contaminated site is another advantage of this method. So far, more than 200 microorganisms with such capabilities have been identified among which Pseudomonas, Actinomyces (especially mycobacteria), Flavobacterium, Bacillus, Alcaligenes and Micrococcus can be mentioned (6). Non-tuberculous mycobacteria live in the environmental resources including soil, water, dust, milk, and animals. Today, this group of bacteria are known as one of the important biodegrading bacteria and can degrade pollutants. Based on the literature, various species of environmental mycobacteria have been reported with biodegradation properties (4,7). The most important molecular method used for the identification of mycobacterial species is gene sequence investigation of 16S rRNA in A (125-270), B (408-502) positions and rpoB gene in V (2581-3300) position and also the sequence of hsp65 in 624-664 and 683-725 positions (8). Among nontuberculous mycobacteria, the species with profound biodegradation properties are: M. fredriksbergense, M. austroafricanum, M. obuense, M. phocaicum, M. paragordonae, M. lentiflavum, M. ratisbonense and M. fortuitum (4,7,8). Presence of fatty acid-saturated cell wall and also presence and expression of biodegradation genes such as nidA, ABC transporter, alkB and so on have enabled the mycobacteria to biodegrade the pollutants (9,10). Among the methods used to evaluate the biodegradation, methods such as chromatography (i.e. HP","PeriodicalId":8672,"journal":{"name":"Avicenna Journal of Environmental Health Engineering","volume":"4 1","pages":"38-39"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41507496","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":"Comparison Between the Performance of Activated Carbon and Graphene in Removal of Reactive Red 198","authors":"M. Samarghandi, A. Poormohammadi, S. Shanesaz, K. Godini","doi":"10.5812/AJEHE.6021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5812/AJEHE.6021","url":null,"abstract":"The current study aimed at comparing the performances of activated carbon and graphene in the removal of reactive red 198. The experiments were conducted in a batch reactor and the effects of some operational parameters including initial dye concentration, pH, contact time, and different doses of activated carbon and graphene on the removal efficiency of dye were investigated. The results showed that the adsorption efficiency was affected by initial dye concentration. In general, with increasing contact time up to 180 minutes, the removal efficiency increased significantly. The removal efficiency of reactive red 198 increased with increasing contact time, and after 60 minutes of contact time, adsorption phase reached the equilibrium. When activated carbon was used, the maximum removal efficiency happened at pH 3. At this pH value, reactive red 198 was removed completely (100%) after 120 minutes, whereas the minimum efficiency was observed at pH 10. A similar trend was also observed for graphene as an adsorbent. Moreover, the removal efficiency of the dye by both adsorbents increased with the increase of the adsorbent dosage. The experimental data showed that the adsorption of reactive red198 on both active carbon and graphene fitted well into the second-order kinetic model. Active carbon and graphene fitted well Langmuir 1 model. According to the results, graphene acts as suitable adsorbent and can be applied in treating several industrial effluents and contaminated water in greater scales. The main upside of grapheme, in comparison with activated carbon, is that it reaches the equilibrium in a shorter time. Further, grapheme adsorbed the dye nearly completely (98% to 100%).","PeriodicalId":8672,"journal":{"name":"Avicenna Journal of Environmental Health Engineering","volume":"4 1","pages":"6021-6021"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42146506","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":"Cyanobacteria Characteristics and Methods for Isolation and Accurate Identification of Cyanotoxins: A Review Article","authors":"Tengku Nadiah Yusof, M. Rafatullah, Rohaslinda Mohamad, N. Ismail, Z. Zainuddin, J. Lalung","doi":"10.5812/AJEHE.10051","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5812/AJEHE.10051","url":null,"abstract":"Cyanobacteria are bacteria found in different ecosystems, such as lakes and rocks. These bacteria, capable of photosynthesis, are important sources of oxygen. However, some cyanobacterial strains can produce toxins, which are harmful to humans and animals. Therefore, collection of epidemiological and surveillance data on cyanobacterial toxins in the environment is vital to ensure a low risk of exposure to toxins in other organisms. For presentation of accurate data on environmental cyanobacterial toxins, it is essential to understand their characteristics, including taxonomy, toxin proteins, and genomic structures, and determine their environmental effects on bacterial populations and toxin production. Taxonomy, which is the scientific classification of organisms, is important in identifying species producing toxins. The structure of toxin proteins and their stability in the environment allow researchers to detect toxins with analytical methods and discuss their limitations. Onthe other hand, identifying toxins via molecular typing enables researchers to investigate toxic cyanobacteria by detecting toxin-encoding genes and toxin gene expression. Meanwhile, environmental factors, such as nutrient level, light intensity, and biotic factors, allow researchers to predict the suitable time and location for accurate sampling. In this review, these cyanobacterial features, which are important for accurate detection of cyanobacterial toxins, will be discussed.","PeriodicalId":8672,"journal":{"name":"Avicenna Journal of Environmental Health Engineering","volume":"4 1","pages":"10051-10051"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47433020","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":"Adsorption of Arsenite from Aqueous Solutions Using Granola Modified Lemon Peel","authors":"M. A. S. Nodoushan, Z. Parvizi, Fatemah Mirzai Nodoushan, M. Ghaneian","doi":"10.5812/AJEHE.11667","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5812/AJEHE.11667","url":null,"abstract":"The arsenite species is a common form of arsenic in nature and ground waters and is categorized as a major public health group. In the present study, the arsenite ions from contaminated solutions were removed by adsorption on the granola modified lemon peel. The arsenite adsorption on lemon peel was investigated by various concentrations of arsenite with 0.2 g/100 mL of adsorbent at a range of pH 3 - 10 and a constant temperature of 25°C for 0 to 240 minutes using batch experiments. Data of the adsorption experiment were analyzed by the pseudo-first and second- order kinetic equations. The Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models were used to understand the adsorption relationship between the arsenite ions and functional groups on the lemon peel. pH equal to 5.2 was recorded as pHzpc of this adsorbent in aqueous solution. The optimum condition was obtained at 60 minutes, pH value 8, and 2 mg/L of arsenite, with a removal efficiency of 88%. The maximum adsorption capacity of granola lemon peel was 27 mg.g-1 in Langmuir model. Lemon peel adsorbent presented good removal efficiency for arsenite in contaminated aqueous solutions and real water.","PeriodicalId":8672,"journal":{"name":"Avicenna Journal of Environmental Health Engineering","volume":"4 1","pages":"11667-11667"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47275962","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}