This paper addresses the urgent need for sustainable infrastructure by examining the application of artificial intelligence in concrete design, with a specific emphasis on predicting uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) to mitigate environmental impacts. Concrete, a fundamental construction material, is a major contributor to environmental degradation due to its substantial carbon footprint. The study focuses on harnessing the potential of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to forecast UCS in conventional construction concrete, which is extensively utilized in global construction practices. This emphasis stems from the recognition of the significant environmental consequences associated with these concrete types, affecting both carbon footprints and ecosystems. The research methodology involved analyzing a dataset comprising 300 cubic concrete specimens with dimensions of 15 cm x 15 cm x 15 cm, split into training and testing sets at a ratio of 70:30. Various machine learning classifiers, including Support Vector Machine and Decision Tree, were employed for comparison alongside the ANN model. Results demonstrated that the ANN-based predictive model outperformed alternative classifiers, achieving high accuracy rates and minimal error values, thereby affirming its reliability in estimating UCS values. These findings highlight the potential of integrating AI technologies to enhance sustainability in construction practices and mitigate environmental impacts associated with concrete usage. By adopting innovative approaches such as ANN prediction models, the construction industry can contribute significantly to environmental preservation and sustainable development efforts.
Landfills and the associated leachate present significant threats to both biological ecosystems and environmental resources, with uncontrolled leachate pollution posing the potential for severe environmental and human disasters. To address this concern, the use of liners has emerged as a crucial strategy for managing landfill leachate. This study focuses on assessing the effectiveness of integrating nanoclay additives, specifically Montmorillonite, in reducing the permeability of landfill liner layers. A and chemical assessments (BOD and COD), was conducted on samples extracted from the core of the Tabriz landfill liner. The samples underwent testing within control groups and varying percentages of additives (3%, 6%, and 9%) over processing durations of 1, 7, and 14 days. A comparative analysis of the results was then performed. The findings indicate that increasing nanoclay percentages led to significant improvements in Atterberg limits (LL, PL, and PI), showing increments of 48%, 33%, and 45%, respectively. Furthermore, the permeability coefficient in the control sample exhibited a substantial decrease of 98% compared to the sample enhanced with 9% nanoclay. Additionally, the addition of nanoclay facilitated the absorption of Pb and As while reducing Bod and Cod in the soil.Collectively, these results underscore the effective role of nanoclay, particularly Montmorillonite, in enhancing the landfill liner system's ability to manage leachate. The implications of this study highlight the considerable potential of nanoclay additives as instrumental agents in addressing leachate-related concerns in landfill environments.
This study endeavours to quantify the water footprint of academic and administrative personnel at Konya Technical University. Water footprint assessment, a critical metric for evaluating human impact on water resources, is increasingly recognized as a vital aspect of sustainable resource management. The research involves surveying participants on their water consumption habits, particularly focusing on preferences related to food and sugar intake. Preliminary findings indicate diverse responses in terms of food preference, with a majority favouring low intake. The study aimed to determine the water footprint of the campus in relation to personal consumption behaviours by asking the questions in the "Water Footprint Network (WFN)" to a total of 476 people at the campus, including both the academic and administrative staff. According to the WFN, the average water footprint of the staff was determined as 1694 m3/year.
In order to understand the pollution characteristics and risk levels of typical antibiotics in the water environment of Chongqing, this paper selected several major water environments that more prominently affected by human activities and poultry breeding pollution as the research objects. Solid phase extraction/high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was used to determine 20 types of antibiotic residues with high detection rate and high dosage in water, and the concentration and composition characteristics of antibiotics were analyzed, And ecological risk assessment was conducted on antibiotics using the Risk Quotient Method (RQ). The results showed that antibiotics were detected to varying degrees in the water environment of the city, with the detection rates ranging from high to low in order from hospital wastewater>sewage treatment plants> poultry breeding enterprises>surface water, ranging from 24.3% to 87.5%. Compared with its counterparts in other regions, the concentration of antibiotics in the water environment of Chongqing is at a medium level. Except that the RQ value of sulfamethoxazole in each water body is higher than 1.0, indicating a high risk. On the other hand, the RQ value of oxytetracycline, tetracycline, erythromycin and roxithromycin ranges from 0.1 to 1.0, showing a medium risk, and the rest is at a low risk level. Evaluate the health risks of antibiotics in different water sources based on their entropy of risk to human health. The results showed that except for tetracyclines, sulfonamides, and chloramphenicol, which have low human health risks, other antibiotics have no potential health risks to human health.
The sustainable management of rice straw is essential for protection of human health and environment. This study assesses the impact of stock density of earthworm (Eisenia fetida) and Neem leaves (Azadirachta indica) on the quality of the final vermicompost. The vermicompost is produced using different combinations of rice straw, Neem leaves, and cow dung (bulking agent) by varying stock density of earthworms. The vermicomposting experiments are performed in plastic containers (32 cm x 28 cm x 28 cm) in open for 90 days under laboratory conditions. The stock density of the earthworm is found to be an important factor to influence nutritional quality of the final vermicompost. There is observed significant improvement in the total nitrogen (91.8%), phosphate (73.4%), potassium (38.8%), and calcium (59.05%) content of the vermicompost produced with the highest stock density of the earthworms. All the treatments showed decrease in TOC and C:N content after 90 days of vermicomposting. The treatment with Neem leaves showed maximum growth of earthworms (2.65 fold). Neem leaves brought positive changes in the quality of final vermicompost by enhancing the growth and reproduction of the earthworms. The calcium content increased by 39% in the final vermicompost with the addition of Neem leaves at the same stock density of the earthworms. The stock density of the earthworms and Neem leaves are found to significantly improve quality of the final vermicompost as compared with the compost (control). The surface morphology in SEM images showed high degree of fragmentation in the vermicompost as compared with the compost. The combined action of microbes and earthworms resulted in high degree of disintegration in the vermicompost.
The effect of homobrassinolide (HBL) on the nutrient value of Curcuma longa L. (turmeric) rhizome grown in Nizamabad, Telangana State, India was studied. Application of homobrassinolide (HBL) as foliar spray to turmeric plants on the 20 th , 40 th and 60 th day from sowing resulted in enhanced chemical composition of turmeric rhizome. Application of homobrassinolide (HBL) resulted in enhanced total sugars, principal ingredient curcumin, total poly phenol content, total flavonoid content, total tannin content, crude fat, crude fibre and essential oils (turmerone, zingiberene, cineole and p-cymene ) present in the turmeric rhizome indicating the ability of homobrassinolide (HBL) as a potential plant growth regulator (PGR).
The first part of the study involved calculating emission factors from electricity production. The second part of the study aimed to analyze perceptions of the concept of carbon dioxide utilization and was conducted through a questionnaire survey with participants from Almaty and Astana. The results showed that there were no significant improvements in the decrease of carbon dioxide emissions between 2017 and 2020. Almost no change occurred in the rate of carbon dioxide emission throughout the course of the four years. According to the results of the survey, a number of respondents had reservations about the feasibility of using carbon dioxide utilization as a solution to tackle climate change. They felt that this technology would only offer a temporary solution to carbon emissions, without addressing the underlying causes of the problem. Despite these concerns, the participants acknowledged that carbon dioxide utilization had certain advantages in promoting sustainability.
The water can be contaminated by natural sources or by industrial effluents. One such contaminant is fluoride. Fluoride contamination in the water environment due to natural and artificial activities has been recognized as one of the major problems worldwide. Among the commonly used treatment technologies applied for fluoride removal, the adsorption technique has been explored widely and offers a highly efficient simple and low-cost process for fluoride removal from water. This review paper the recent developments in fluoride removal from surface water by adsorption methods. Studies on fluoride removal from aqueous solutions using various carbon materials are reviewed. Various adsorbents with high fluoride removal capacity have been developed, however, there is still an urgent need to transfer the removal process to an industrial scale. Regeneration studies need to be performed to more extent to recover the adsorbent in field conditions, enhancing the economic feasibility of the process. Based on the review, technical strategies of the adsorption method including the Nano-surface effect, structural memory effect, anti-competitive adsorption and ionic sieve effect can be proposed. The design of adsorbents through these strategies can greatly improve the removal efficiency of fluoride in water and guide the development of new efficient methods for fluoride removal in the future. This paper describes brief discussions on various low-cost adsorbents used for the effective removal of fluoride from water.
Biometric authentication has become an essential part of modern-day security systems, especially in financial institutions like banks. A face recognition-based ATM is a biometric authentication system, that uses facial recognition technology to verify the identity of bank account holders during ATM transactions. This technology offers a secure and convenient alternative to traditional ATM transactions that rely on PIN numbers for verification. The proposed system captures users' pictures and compares it with the stored image in the bank's database to authenticate the transaction. The technology also offers additional benefits such as reducing the risk of fraud and theft, as well as speeding up the transaction process. However, privacy and data security concerns remain, and it is important for the banking sector to instrument solid security actions to protect customers' personal information. The proposed system consists of two stages: the first stage captures the user's facial image using a camera and performs pre-processing, including face detection and alignment. In the second stage, machine learning algorithms compare the pre-processed image with the stored image in the database. The results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of using face recognition for ATM authentication, which can enhance the security of ATMs and reduce the risk of fraud.
Pollution, climate change, and waste accumulation are only some of the new problems that have arisen because of the exponential population growth of the past few decades. As the global population expands, managing municipal solid trash becomes increasingly difficult. This is by far the most difficult obstacle for governments to overcome, especially in less developed nations. The improper open dumping of trash, which is causing mayhem across the country, has two immediate effects: it contaminates groundwater and surface water. Air pollution and the accumulation of greenhouse gases are both exacerbated by the release of methane and other harmful waste gases. Leachate from the landfill leaks underground and pollutes groundwater. In most cases, leachate moves into the groundwater zone and pollutes it after forming in association with precipitation that infiltrates via waste. This has far-reaching effects on people's health and disturbs the natural environment. This review article critically examines the current state of Solid Waste Management (SWM), addressing both the highlighted concerns and the government management solutions that have been put in place to address these issues. In addition, the constraints, and difficulties that India will face in the future in terms of solid waste management and the role of models for such a system are discussed.
In developing countries, solid waste is typically disposed of inappropriately, which has a negative impact on the environment and healthcare. One of the most serious environmental issues is the management of municipal solid waste because of the huge increase in waste generation brought on by industrialization, economic development, urbanization, and the exponential growth of Gurugram City's population. Municipal Corporation Gurugram (MCG) handles solid waste collection, transportation, and disposal. The city generates over 1100 tons of solid waste per day. In consideration of this, the current study employed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats framework called SWOT analysis to critically examine the city's current methods for the management of municipal solid waste to provide more effective policy solutions. For conducting the analysis, the questionnaires and other interviews were conducted to gather information from households and officials in the city, and the observation made during field visits were recorded. The analysis shows that the waste management issue is getting worse for a variety of causes, including a lack of regulatory enforcement, insufficient technical and financial resources, insufficient people's participation, inadequate execution of policies, a lack of political priorities, and poor coordination between authorities.
Wastewater of anthropogenic origin is known to harbor various bacteria that are known to be of potential risk to human health and environment. It is of utmost importance to monitor such water sources. Coliforms present in the sewage water samples of municipal sewage treatment plants located at three different places in the South Gujarat region (Surat, Navsari and Vapi) of India were analyzed for their coliforms load as well as tested for their drug resistance. Using cultivation-based techniques microbial load and drug resistance (Amoxicillin, Tetracycline, Ciprofloxacin, Erythromycin, Trimethoprim and Sulphamethoxazole) were analyzed. Water treatment statistically significantly decreased the bacterial load in Vapi and Navsari samples. The optical density of with and without antibiotics of all the three locations was shown to increase significantly after 72 hours. Of all the isolates tested, except isolate 'VA5' (resisted up to 90 mu g of Ampicillin) all other isolates resisted 256 mu g concentration of antibiotics tested. This study indicates that the sewage water is being contaminated with drugs and/or antibiotics due to industrial and/or anthropogenic activities. Regular monitoring of the water quality is required followed by implementation of environmental laws for reducing the pollutants, that are of human health and environment concern.
This article presents studies of the adsorption process in a continuous system of fluoride solutions at a concentration of 30 mg/L using a bone char packed in fixed-bed columns, as well as regeneration studies in the same system using HNO3, HCl and NaOH at 0.01, 0.1 and 1 M. The Thomas Model, Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), Numerical Integration and Mass Transfer Zone were used for the modeling of asyemmetrical breakthrough curves obtained from the fluoride adsorption on bone char. The maximum adsorption capacity of the breakthrough curves was estimated, and various design parameters of the columns were obtained for the different operating conditions. Results showed that an improvement in the modeling capabilities of the Thomas model can be obtained using ANNs. Moreover, ANNs are useful for determining reasonable and accurate design parameters of packed-bed adsorption columns. This modeling approach can be useful for the process system engineering of dynamic adsorption systems involved in the field of water treatment and purification. It is important to highlight that the obtained results indicate that, when using HCl or HNO3 at a concentration of 0.1 M, a large number of adsorption-desorption cycles are obtained and, therefore, the highest values of adsorption capacity, which leads to a reduction in operation costs.
The current observational epidemiological study analyzed blood lead levels (BLLs) in occupationally exposed workers from Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia and correlated them with the alterations in the differential cell populations of the WBC panel (lymphocytes [Lym %], mixed Mid %] cells, and neutrophils [Neu %]). In addition, we examined the effect of confounding factors and their relation to BLLs. BLLs were estimated using the LeadCare II analyzer and hematological parameters using the ADVIA 120 analyser. An inferential analysis was conducted to detect association between the observations and the subjects' clinical characateristics. A total of 132 male subjects were included in the final analyses. Based on CDC guidelines, the subjects were categorized as Group I (BLL <10 mu g/dL; n=118) or Group II (BLL >10 mu g/dL; n=14) with average BLLs of 4.4 mu g/dL and 18.1 mu g/dL, respectively (p <0.0001). The percentages of Mid cells (p <0.0001) and neutrophils (p=0.048), were significantly altered in subjects with High BLL. A regression analysis indicated that subjects > 50 years of age had significantly higher BLLs (53.2 mu g/dL) than younger age sub-groups (p <0.0001). Age, education, and profession were significant predictors for lead toxicity. Pb exposure is a major public health issue in Saudi Arabia and calls for further investigations on the cellular and molecular effects on hematological system.
Amongst 27 isolates from deteriorated leather samples, Arthrobacter creatinolyticus KP015744 zzx28 was found to be an efficient collagenase producer. Collagenase production of 13.33 mu moles/min was shown at an optimum temperature at 37 degrees C after 72h and at pH 7.5 by using 2 ml/dL inoculum in 10 mg/ml collagen peptide type I as a substrate. In presence of Hg2+, EDTA and beta-mercaptoethanol the collagenase production by the isolate was strongly inhibited however Fe2+, Ca2+ and DMSO enhanced production of the enzyme. Specific activity was found to be 19.46X10(3) U/mg and molecular weight 66 kD by SDS PAGE. Isolate also has potential to hydrolyze keratin which is another important protein found in leather. Experimental results propose that collagenase can be effectively used as a tool for collagen and keratin rich solid waste treatment.
Road transport allows all forms of land conditions to be met at less cost. Because of this function, despite numerous disadvantages, it becomes the most frequently used method of transport, especially in underdeveloped or developing countries. One of the most significant factors used in evaluating the atmosphere's air quality is the amount of CO2, increasing people's density in indoor spaces. The amount of CO2 indoors is, therefore, vital to determine. In this study, CO2 and temperature measurements made on nine different bus journey was made in Turkey. The minimum and maximum values were recorded as 555 ppm and 3000 ppm CO2, respectively, in the measurements. On all journeys, the average concentration is 1088.72 ppm. The minimum and maximum values were measured as 17.4 degrees C and 32.7 degrees C in the temperature measurements, and the average of all trips was calculated to be 25.76 degrees C. In this study conducted before the Covid-19 pandemic, it was determined that the amount of CO2 increased with the density and insufficient ventilation in the buses. The risk of infection increases in places with high human density and low clean air. For situations such as pandemics, CO2 measurement is a rapid indicator of determining human density.
A drainage system is one of the essential elements for a sustainable environment system in a locality. In this study, Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) area is considered for proper investigation of drainage facility. This study aims to concentrate on the present scenario of the drainage system in RCC and the effect of human activity on solid waste management. A field survey was conducted to assess the drainage condition by measuring depth, width, amount of sludge, and wastewater with a measuring rod and scale. Polythene and food waste cover much of the sludge, which is about 80% of the overall waste. Among different categories of drains, the condition of secondary and tertiary drains is worse than primary drains. It was found that various human interventions disrupted the natural flow of drain. At the end of the study, several steps have been recommended to improve the existing condition of the drainage system in RCC.
COVID-19 pandemic and consequent unavoidable lockdown left an unprecedented shock on social and economic life. Present study aimed to evaluate the impacts of COVID-19 lockdown on the ambient air quality of urban areas of eastern Indian state West Bengal. During lockdown period, Air Quality Index (AQI) was mostly found in 'Good' or 'Satisfactory' and sometimes, in 'Moderate' categories, and rarely, in 'poor' category. AQI was in 'Good' category for most of the lockdown span at Siliguri (67%) followed by Kolkata (44%), Howrah (38%) and Asansol (25%). Based on average AQI ranges: lockdown period (48.68- 62.12) 0.05) decreased significantly during lockdown. Similarly, PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 level reduced in Howrah. Beside, no significant changes observed for NH3 and SO2 concentration in Howrah compared to one year before. Apart from PM2.5, NO2, NH3 and SO2 level of previous year, mean concentration of PM10, CO, O3 showed significant drop at Siliguri during lockdown. Ambient air quality parameters except SO2 showed remarkable decline in Asansol also during lockdown. It can be concluded that COVID-19 lockdown exerted positive effects from environmental health perspective. It improved overall ambient air quality parameters of urban areas of West Bengal. Proper planning and policy making should be given utmost priority to control air pollution in the present 'new normal' COVID-19 scenario.
Composite granules (named Fe-PILMG) based on both an Algerian montmorillonite with iron and gluten as an inert binder are prepared and used in the elimination of cadmium by dynamic adsorption in fixed bed columns. This study is essentially focused on the adsorption of Cd (II) in dynamic mode on a fixed bed based on Fe-PILMG sorbent granules followed by a study on the chemical regeneration of these new saturated adsorbents. The various regeneration tests are carried out with NaOH solution. The experimental data on the elimination of Cd (II) (pH = 7, T = 20 +/- 2 degrees C) in dynamic mode reveal that this adsorption is considerably influenced by the flow rate (2 to 5 mL min-1), Cd (II) initial concentration (20 to 50 mg L-1), and bed height (5 and 15 cm) and that a modification of each of these parameters can strongly influence the efficiency of this process. The assessment of the experimental data is carried out using the Thomas, Yoon & Nelson and Bohart-Adams models. The fit of the experimental and modeled breakthrough curves indicates excellent applicability of the mathematical models studied which is confirmed by high values of the correlation coefficient for the Bohart-Adams model (R-2 = 0.99, model constants N0 = 634.87 mg L-1, kBA = 0.079 (L (mg min)-1 ), from Yoon and Nelson model (R-2 = 0.97, zeta = 413.03 min, KYN = 0.0049 min-1), Thomas (R-2 = 0.98, q0 = 49.03 mg g-1, KTH = 5.21 mL (mg. min)-1).
Today, almost all hydrogen production is based on fossil fuels. Hydrogen production plants contribute to harmful emissions in the atmosphere, which is one of the causes of global warming. In order to obtain hydrogen as an entirely green energy source, there is an urgent requirement to significantly reduce or even completely eliminate carbon emissions from fossil fuel-based hydrogen production processes. In this context, new efforts should be increased to develop hydrogen production technologies that produce lower levels of harmful emissions. The development of carbon capture technology by the chemical cycle offers great potential to reduce harmful emissions generated during hydrogen production from fossil fuels. In this study, hydrogen production methods from fossil sources have been reviewed and the recent studies of chemical looping technology for hydrogen production were presented.
