Introduction: The intensification of industrial and transportation activities has significantly contributed to air pollution, particularly in cement industrial zones. Methods: This study aimed to model the dispersion of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) pollutants around the dedicated port of a cement factory using the AERMOD dispersion model and to assess the associated health risks. A quantitative descriptive approach was employed, involving data collection, field data analysis, and geospatial mapping. The AERMOD software was utilized to simulate the spatial distribution of SO2 and CO emissions, followed by an environmental health risk assessment for the surrounding population. Results: The modeling results showed that the highest concentrations of SO2 and CO reached 196 and 24,407 µg/m³, respectively. Pollutant dispersion predominantly occurred toward the northeast, influenced by wind patterns and emission source characteristics. Environmental health risk assessment results indicated that long-term exposure to CO—particularly beyond 15 years—results in a Risk Quotient (RQ) greater than 1, signifying potential non-carcinogenic health risks. Conversely, SO2 exposure remains below the risk threshold (RQ<1) for the general population. Conclusion: These findings highlight the urgent need for enhanced emission control measures and focused protection for vulnerable groups. Moreover, they underscore the importance of implementing stricter environmental regulations to mitigate the health impacts of industrial port operations.
Introduction: Hospitals generate substantial volumes of highly contaminated wastewater, posing serious environmental and public health concerns. Hospital wastewater (HWW) contains pharmaceutical residues, heavy metals, disinfectants, pathogens, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, many of which are not completely removed by conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Methods: This study evaluated the performance of hospital WWTPs in Tehran, Iran. A total of 128 effluent samples were collected in 2024 from 59 hospital WWTPs affiliated with Iran University of Medical Sciences. Samples were analyzed to assess treatment efficiency using key physicochemical and microbiological parameters, including biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), total coliforms, and fecal coliforms, according to standard methods. Results: All hospitals operated wastewater treatment systems; however, 8.33% consistently failed to comply with national effluent discharge standards. Regarding disposal routes, 66.6% of effluents were discharged into municipal sewer systems, 21.6% into infiltration wells, and 11.6% were reused for irrigation. Conclusion: Despite the presence of treatment systems, deficiencies in pollutant removal and improper discharge practices remain concerns. Ensuring full connection of hospital WWTPs to municipal sewer networks would enable further treatment at centralized facilities, reducing environmental and health risks. Strengthened regulatory enforcement and adoption of advanced treatment technologies are essential to improve hospital wastewater management and safeguard public health.
Introduction: The reuse of textile wastewater has become a growing area of interest worldwide as it plays an important role in sustainable water management and environmental conservation. Even though individual research studies are plentiful, there have been few comprehensive investigations of global research trends on a long-term scale. This research aimed to describe the bibliometric analysis of research on the reuse of textile wastewater from 2004 to 2025. Methods: The Web of Science search yielded 1324 peer-reviewed articles on the topic of textile wastewater. Mapping was done using VOSviewer, Gephi, Pajek, and BibExcel to analyze co-authorship networks, keyword co-occurrence, citation patterns, and institutional contributions. The inclusion criteria, language distribution, and publication types were well described, and a PRISMA flow diagram was used to ensure methodological transparency. Results: The total number of articles under analysis, 1324 (98.95%) were published in English. The highest number of publications were recorded in 2024 (more than 160). Most were contributed by China (62%), followed by India (10.61%), and Turkey (9.3%). Environmental sciences (20.31%) and chemical engineering (17.14%) accounted for the largest shares of published articles. The total number of citations of all the articles included was 51,868, with a mean number of citations per article of 38.77 and a mean H-index of 103. Conclusion: The paper provides a new synthesis of the existing literature on textile wastewater reuse and offers valuable insights into publication trends, citation patterns, and the evolution of themes.
Introduction: This study analyzed the impacts of economic development, energy consumption, financial development, and oil prices on carbon emissions using panel data from 11 countries from January 1, 1990, to June 1, 2025. Methods: To investigate the interactions among the variables, advanced econometric methods, including Pedroni’s and Westerlund’s Bootstrap cointegration tests, FMOLS-DOLS, and CCE-MG, were employed to obtain comprehensive and reliable results. Results: The findings indicate that energy consumption has the most significant positive effect on carbon emissions, while economic growth and financial development negatively influence carbon emissions. Conclusion: The results suggest that economic growth and financial development have both positive and negative effects on the environment, reflecting the complex interactions between technological advancements, structural economic shifts, and policy measures. Moreover, a negative correlation between crude oil prices and carbon emissions indicates that increasing oil prices drive a partial demand shift toward alternative energy sources, particularly in the industrial and automotive sectors; however, this effect varies across models and specifications. These findings provide practical insights for policymakers regarding environmental sustainability, sustainable economic development, and energy policy, emphasizing the need for targeted monitoring and feasible implementation mechanisms, especially in developing countries.
Introduction: Domestic wastewater contains phosphates originating from detergents, which are recognized as pollutants of aquatic and terrestrial environments. Excessive phosphate concentrations contribute to eutrophication, impairing ecosystem health. Adsorption using activated carbon has been identified as an effective method for phosphate removal. This study investigated the efficiency of activated carbon derived from Moringa oleifera seeds in removing phosphate from wastewater. Methods: The study employed a pre- and post-test design with a control group. The carbon was activated using sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and sodium chloride (NaCl) at concentrations of 5%, 10%, and 15%, with an activation duration of 24 hours. Phosphate concentrations were quantified at a wavelength of 880 nm using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Data were analyzed using SPSS and Microsoft Excel, incorporating normality tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: The activated carbon demonstrated phosphate removal efficiencies ranging from 73.55% to 79.21%, with the highest efficiency recorded for the G15 treatment (15% NaCl activation). The NaCl-activated carbon exhibited the greatest adsorption capacity, averaging 9.98×10⁻³ mg/g. Normality testing confirmed that the data were normally distributed, while ANOVA revealed that the interaction between activator type and concentration significantly affected the final phosphate concentration (P=0.001; P<0.05). Conclusion: Activation with NaCl enhanced the stability of the carbon structure, likely facilitated by active compounds such as Rhamnosyloxy benzyl isothiocyanate (RBITC) in Moringa seeds. Optimization of activator concentration and field-scale validation are recommended to improve the applicability of Moringa-based activated carbon as a sustainable phosphate adsorbent.
