This study investigates the feasibility of biodiesel production from urban wet municipal solid waste in Tehran using an alkaline transesterification process. Waste samples were collected from municipal collection stations, impurities were removed, and samples were analyzed under two conditions: before drying and after drying. Lipid extraction was performed using a Soxhlet apparatus with n-hexane as the selected solvent, following AOAC 920.39 (2016) and ASTM D3178-21 (2021). The results indicated that the mean lipid extraction yield of the undried samples (11.55%) was significantly higher than that of the dried samples (9.22%) (p < 0.05). Biodiesel was produced under optimized conditions, including a methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 6:1, a reaction temperature of 60 °C, and a reaction time of 70 min. The physicochemical properties of the produced biodiesel-density (ASTM D4052), viscosity (ASTM D445), and flash point (ASTM D93),-met the requirements of ASTM D6751 (2020) and EN 14214 (2019), confirming acceptable fuel quality. Statistical analyses (independent t-tests and one-way ANOVA) showed that reaction time, methanol-to-oil molar ratio, and catalyst loading had statistically significant effects on biodiesel yield (p < 0.05). Based on the experimental data, the potential daily biodiesel production from Tehran’s urban wet waste was estimated at approximately 21,730 L, corresponding to an annual production of about 7.93 million liters. Overall, the findings suggest that urban wet municipal solid waste is a promising feedstock for biodiesel production and, if scaled up, could significantly contribute to sustainable waste management, renewable energy generation, and the development of a circular economy.

When the source of irrigation water is wastewater, then there are concerns about the pollution of crop products, the contact of farm workers with pathogens and environmental tensions on the farm''s surface. The purpose of this applied research was to investigate the quality of the wastewater of the combined cycle plant of Montazer Ghaem for re-using in agriculture. In this study, the characteristics of inlet wastewater and outlet effluent from the urban wastewater treatment plant of Montazer Ghaem were investigated based on the statistics of the period of operation and sampling. During the study, the effects of the medium –term usage on the physical and chemical properties of the soil and several plants affected by this water were studied. For this purpose,three samples from the inlet wastewater and three samples of outlet effluents of the treatment plants were provided and 11 sewage quality parameters were tested. Also, three soil samples were prepared from 0 to 30 cm depths from adjacent lands under irrigation with wastewater and a control sample and their physical and chemical properties were determined. Analysis of the changes in the physicochemical parameters showed that, except for the pH which was approximately constant, all parameters including EC, TDS, COD, BOD, turbidity, fat, oil, heavy metals (Fe, Ni, Cr, Cd, Cu, V) in the inlet wastewater were decreased after refining and leaving the treatment plant. However, some of the parameters were higher than standard levels which indicate the improper performance of the refineries in the removal of physico-chemical contaminants

Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing, securing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In this study, the carbon sequestration capacity of Hedera colchica was investigated in soil of a semiarid region in Iran. Samples were taken from plants cultivated in the semiarid area of the polluted metropolis of Tehran and the amount of sequestered carbon in the aboveground and underground parts of the plant was measured. The conversion coefficient of carbon sequestration of plant organs (stem, leaf, and root) was determined separately by the combustion method. Carbon tax policy was used to evaluate the carbon sequestration function, as the shadow price of carbon. The results showed a significant difference in the amount of carbon sequestration in different organs of the plant. Stems and roots with 29.3 and 4.3 t ha−1, respectively, showed the highest and lowest amount of carbon deposition. The results of the economic value showed that the carbon shadow price was $40567.6 ha−1 on average. In general, the results of this study showed that the organs of H. colchica can have a beneficial effect in the process of carbon sequestration.

Heavy metals are one of the most important environmental pollutants. One of the methods of absorbing heavy metals from industrial wastewater is the use of synthesized nanosorbents. The high cost and low efficiency of some common industrial wastewater treatment processes have created limitations. One of the interesting methods is the absorption process by carbon nanotubes as a new method. The present research aims to investigate the application of Al nanoparticles coated with polyaniline and functionalized modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) for removal of Ni2+ and Zn2+ from a simulated industrial effluent. In the present study, the effect of absorption process time, pH, nickel and zinc ion dose, adsorbent dose and temperature on the efficiency of heavy metal absorption was investigated. The concentration of metal ions was measured using the ICP model ES-710. FTIR spectra for modified MWCNT nanotubes and polyaniline-coated alumina nanoparticles were recorded before and after adsorption using a PerkinElmer Spectrum One FTIR vacuum oven. X-ray diffraction patterns were obtained by XRD Rigaku Ultima IV, Japan, and SEM and TEM micrograph analysis were performed by FESEM TESCAN MIRA 3 and PHILIPS CM300, respectively.The maximum removal efficiency of nickel and zinc cations using nano alumina coated with polyaniline was obtained at pH 10 and 8, respectively. The maximum removal percentage of these two metal ions using functionalized MWCNTs can also be obtained at pH 7 and 8. The optimal concentration of metal ions for the highest removal efficiency of studied cations using surface modified alumina nanoparticles and functionalized MWCNT was obtained at 800 mg/L and 100 mg/L, respectively. In addition, the adsorption efficiency decreased with increasing process temperature. The obtained results showed that surface MWCNT with carbonyl, carboxyl and hydroxyl functional groups together with alumina nanoparticles modified by polyaniline can be considered as a potential adsorbent for absorbing nickel and zinc cations from simulated industrial effluents.

Landfill leachate contains heavy metals that contaminate water and soil near the landfill site. Phytoremediation is a process of decontaminating soil or water by using native plants to adsorb and accumulate or break down pollutants. This study aimed to evaluate absorption and accumulation of heavy metals from simulated landfill soil by nettle. Nettle seeds were collected from the Tonekabon landfill site and planted in 243 pots. After reaching the 6-leaf stage, the plants were exposed to three concentrations of four heavy metals (Pb, Cd, As, and Ni) during the growing season. An atomic absorption spectrometer was used to measure the concentrations of the heavy metals in nettle plants and the morphological features of nettle fibers. The results showed that increases in the concentrations of the heavy metals in the soils led to their higher concentrations in all organs of the nettle plants (Pb> Ni> Cd> Ar), and larger quantities of the heavy metals were accumulated in the aerial parts of the plants. In parallel with this result, the dry weights of stem, leaf and root, and leaf area index also decreased. Values of TF> 1 and BAC <1 in plant organs showed the ability of nettle to accumulate more heavy metals when they were present at higher concentrations in the soil. Bioremediation using native plants for removal of heavy metals from soil and their accumulation in these plants is a low-cost and environmentally friendly technology. Nettle is a plant that grows wild in the landfills in northern Iran and, due to its ability to accumulative heavy metals in its organs, is a suitable plant species for their removal from soil.

In the present study, beta-cyclodextrin/Allyl Glycidyl Ether (AGE)/thermo-sensitive polymer was grafted onto modified Fe3O4@SiO2 to be utilised as a possible adsorbent for diazinon removal from an aqueous solution. The modified magnetite Nano-Particles (NPs) were examined by using several techniques, including X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Elemental Analysis (EA), Vibrating Sample Magnetometry (VSM), and Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). The effects of different parameters, such as pH, contact time, adsorption isotherm, reaction temperature, ultrasonic desorption, and reusability was evaluated. The results demonstrated that the best adsorption of diazinon on the modified magnetite nano-sorbent occurred at 20 degrees C at the optimum pH of 6. The initial concentration and adsorbent dosage were 100 mg L-1 and 0.01 g, respectively. The kinetic study showed that the best time for the pesticide sorption was 2 min. Also, the Pseudo-Second-Order (PSO) model employed fitted the adsorption kinetics well, thus exhibiting high correlation coefficients. Diazinon adsorption capacity was found to be 34 mg g(-1). The equilibrium data of diazinon modified by the magnetite nano-sorbent were suitably shown by Langmuir, Freundlich, Redlich-Peterson, and Temkin models. The data fitted well to Langmuir equation, thus indicating the monolayer adsorption. The reusability experiments revealed excellent removal capabilities of at least 10 times. The results demonstrated that the proposed method had the significant advantages of simplicity and efficiency for diazinon determination from real water samples.

Nazli Tizro1, Keivan Saeb2* and Atif Khurshid Wani3 Author Affiliations 1Department of the Environment, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran 2Department of Plant Biology, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran 3School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, India Received: August 17, 2022 | Published: August 25, 2022 Corresponding author: Keivan Saeb, Department of Plant Biology, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2022.45.007263

Extensive use of petroleum has caused many habitats to be contaminated in sea worldwide. Oil pollution impacts the environment and poses a direct or indirect health treats to different forms of life. In order to reduce the dangers and threats of these pollutions, it is important to choose a suitable method for purification and removal of petroleum compounds. There is an urgent need to clean up the waters with environmentally friendly and inexpensive methods. This study investigated the biodegradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) using simultaneously Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Cladophora glomerata in southern Caspian Sea coastline. Coastline sediment samples were collected, with P. aeruginosa being the predominant strain. Afterwards gathered purified algae were placed in a lattice basket. Then bacteria and algae were cultured in triplicates in the presence of gasoline concentrations and under specific experimental conditions of varying temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen and incubation periods in aquariums of sea water. The data representing the gasoline biodegradation in the samples were statistically analyzed. In containing varying concentrations of gasoline and optimized experimental conditions for temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen and incubation period, maximum biodegradation of TPH was achieved by culturing P. aeruginosa strains and C. glomerata with the sea water samples of gasoline. Based on the results of statistical analysis the gram-negative bacteria, P. aeruginosa and the green algae C. glomerata almost completely biodegraded TPH contaminants from the samples’ culture media it was able to decompose almost 95% of crude oil over 28 days of incubation. It is concluded that the use of P. aeruginosa and C. glomerata together is an efficient method for the biodegradation of Caspian coastal waters contaminated with TPH.

The combination of activated sludge and microalgae in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) is a new promising solution in municipal wastewater treatment to remove nitrate (NO3-) and phosphate (PO43-). Furthermore, municipal wastewater contains a considerable amount of NO3- and PO43-, which is suitable for microalgae growth. It can be concluded from the literature that there is a direct relationship between microalgae biomass production and nutrient removal. Thus, the light cycle and the initial microalgae concentration (as two main factors for microalgae growth) can be optimized. In this study, the biomass productivity in three light-dark (L-D) cycles (h) (24-0, 16-8, and 12-12 h) and initial concentrations (0.5, 1, and 1.5 g . L-1) were measured. The L-D cycle of 24-0 and the initial concentration of 1 g . L-1 was used as the chosen parameter in the membrane photobioreactor (MPBR) containing microalgae. The initial concentration of nitrate, phosphate, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total dissolved solids (TDS) was investigated. The investigation was performed first on the MBR containing activated sludge and then on the treated wastewater via MBR to MPBR containing microalgae (MBR-MPBR). The duration of the experiment was 133 days. During this period, the removal amount of COD, nitrate, and phosphate was reported at 92.35%, 47.55%, and 36.46% in the MBR, respectively. In MBR-MPBR, the average of nitrate and phosphate removal increased to 93.88% and 88.44%, respectively. However, TDS did not show any notable alterations in both operating systems. According to the findings, the second stage of the treatment process, MBR-MPBR outperformed the MBR system in terms of NO3- and PO43- removal. (C) 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Kiaklayeh wetland is being destroyed due to the actions of the municipality and the negligence of the natural resources department. The growth and development of urban and industrial activities has led to the release of heavy metals into aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, in the present study, the concentrations of iron, aluminum, zinc, nickel, vanadium, manganese, barium and lead in the sediment of three areas of Kiaklayeh wetland that are affected by Mehr housing effluent, agricultural effluent and municipal waste landfill were investigated. Also, the enrichment coefficient (EF) and land accumulation index (Igeo) were studied among the three regions. The results showed that the accumulation of aluminum, manganese and nickel in sediments receiving agricultural and housing effluents is more than an area of the wetland that is affected by the municipal landfill, but the concentration of lead in sediments near the landfill is more than two areas in another parts of the wetland. An Enrichment ratio higher than 1 was obtained for zinc and lead in the area affected by the landfill, for aluminum in the area affected by agricultural effluent and for vanadium in the area contaminated with Mehr housing effluent.

Phytoremediation is an effective and affordable technological solution to extract or remove metal pollutants from contaminated soil. In this study, the ability of Hedera colchica plant for the removal of Pb and Ni metals with different concentrations from soil and also metal efficacy on morphological parameters of the plant were investigated. The morphological results showed that as the concentration of heavy metals increases in soil up to 600mg.kg(-1) soil, the dry weights of shoot and root reduce about 46 and 60% with Pb and 18 and 51% with Ni, and also total length up to 31% with Pb and 3% with Ni, respectively. The maximum concentration of Pb and Ni in shoots (92.2 and 77.2 mg.kg(-1) Dwt, respectively) and roots (252 and 218 mg.kg(-1), respectively) were recorded in the cultivated plant in soil amended with metal high concentrations. The highest bio-concentration (BCF) and translocation factor (TF) were recorded for Pb in the roots. In addition, this study showed that H. colchica plant was more favorable for Pb uptake compared to Ni, but we do not suggest using it for the remediation of the contaminated soils with Pb and Ni metals.

Introduction and purpose: Municipal wastewater effluents contain high amounts of nitrate and phosphate nutrients. Microalgae have been considered as a bioreactor to absorb nutrients in wastewater due to their environmental friendliness and ability to produce valuable products. In the present study, the effects of light-dark cycles and microalgae biomass concentrations on the nitrate and phosphate removal from municipal wastewater were investigated. Methods: In this study, Chlorella vulgaris (green microalgae) was first cultured in a membrane photobioreactor with a light intensity of 300 μmol photons in three light cycles (12 h light-12 h dark, 16 h light-8 h dark, and 24 h light and 0-h dark). Afterward, the best light cycle in municipal wastewater effluent was investigated at constant concentrations of microalgae (0.5 g L-1, 1 g L-1, and 1.5 g L-1). Results: According to the results, the highest growth rate (2.3 g L-1) and the highest amount of nitrate and phosphate removal (87% and 86%) were obtained in the 24-0 light cycle. Following that, the concentration of 1 g L-1 of microalgae in the 24-0 light cycle was recorded as the highest amount of nitrate and phosphate removal from municipal wastewater (91% and 87%, respectively). Conclusion: The results indicated that light-dark cycles and initial concentrations of microalgal inoculation could have an undeniable effect on the growth of microalgae. Moreover, it could have a significant impact on the removal of nitrate and phosphate from municipal wastewater through microalgae cultivation. This removal percentage increased with the optimization of light conditions and biomass concentration.

Mond protected area is a region in the northeast of the Persian Gulf with high species richness, which in recent years has undergone changes and oil pollution. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can damage aquatic organisms and food chains. This study was performed in May and June 2016. The purpose of the study is to specify the origin and concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and n-alkanes contamination in two kinds of bivalves (Saccostrea cucullata and Mytilus edulis), two species of birds’ eggs (Dromas ardeola and Egretta gularis) and sediments and to find the best biomonitoring species from Nakhiloo Island for these contaminants. After two stages of column chromatography, the POPs compounds were identified by a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method. PAHs and n-alkanes concentrations were determined for sediments (28.3–218.58 ng g−1 and 183.57–594.54 µg g−1, respectively), S. cucullata (25.89–57.04 ng g−1 and 24.50–32.26 µg g−1, respectively), M. edulis (15.20–59.54 ng g−1 and 34.59–53.50 µg g−1, respectively), D. ardeola (162.90–404 ng g−1 and 118.40–217.39 µg g−1, respectively) and E. gularis (97.50–375.12 ng g−1 and 63.39–195.16 µg g−1, respectively). The concentration of compounds in the birds’ eggs was higher than in the bivalves. Diagnostic ratio of POPs usually showed petrogenic origin, and low molecular weight compounds predominated. Saccostrea cucullata showed the highest correlation with the sediments, which shows that it is the best biomonitor agent for this region. The concentration of pollutants in this area was low, and all concentrations were below the threshold level. Their principal cause of origin points to petrochemical plants, various types of vessels and in particular fishing activities in Mond protected area, and it is shown that filter feeders can do better biomonitoring than predators because of their physiological status.

The present study evaluated the treatment of hospital wastewater by the electrocoagulation process using aluminum and iron electrodes. The effects of pH, voltage and reaction time on the removal efficiencies of the antibiotic cefazolin, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and turbidity were investigated. The results showed that by increasing reaction time and input voltage, the removal efficiency of pollutants was increased. The highest removal efficiency of cefazolin, COD, and turbidity occurred at neutral pH, which may have been related to the formation of aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)3) flocs through the combination of aluminum released from the surface of the electrode and the hydroxide ions present in the solution. The conductivity of the treated wastewater at neutral to alkaline pH decreased compared to acidic pH, which may have been due to the adsorption of anions and cations from the solution by the Al(OH)3 flocs. The electrode and energy consumption in the present study was higher than in other studies, which may have been due to the high concentration of COD in and the turbidity of the solution.

Magnetite nano-particles (MNPs) have better potential in environmental, biomedical, and clinical use, because they have several unequaled properties. This study was conducted to investigate the preparation and use of grafted beta-cyclodextrin/thermo-sensetive polymer onto modified Fe3O4@SiO2 nano-particles (MNPs-AGENVC-CD) for the removal of fenitrothion from aqueous solution. MNPs were synthesized and characterized by using Xray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX), elemental analysis (CHN), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effect of some operational parameters, such as pH value, adsorption isotherms, sorption kinetics, reusability, adsorption/desorption temperature, and ultrasound effect on desorption of fenitrothion removed from aqueous solution were examined. In this study, the optimized parameters were also tested for pesticide removed from real water samples. The results showed that the best sorption of fenitrothion on the MNPs-AGENVC-CD took place at 25 degrees C and optimum pH of 6. The initial concentration and nano-sorbent dosage were 100 mg L-1 and 0.01 g, respectively. The kinetic study showed that the best time for the pesticide sorption was 5 min. Also, the pseudo-second-order model used fitted the adsorption kinetics well, thus exhibiting high correlation coefficients. Fenitrothion sorption capacity was found to be 30 mg g(-1). The equilibrium data of fenitrothion modified by the MNPs-sorbent were correctly shown by Langmuir, Freundlich, Redlich-Peterson, and Temkin models. The data fitted well to Langmuir equation, thus showing the monolayer adsorption. According to the results, fenitrothion adsorption efficiency by MNPs-AGENVC-CD from aqueous solution and real water samples was > 99%. Therefore, the proposed method was the promising method for the adsorption of fenitrothion.

Shoreline is a zone between beach and sea. This zone is so fertilizing and have different ecosystems for great ranges of animals as nesting, feeding, breeding and shelter zone. One of the important pollutant factors in the marine ecosystems that has so much negative effect, is oil spill. Oil pots, as a result of oil spilling, have possibility to absorb in the biomass and marine ecosystem. ESI is an important factor to evaluate the shoreline zone to oil spill that provides a base for coastal resources due to probability of oil spilling with high sensivity. Case study in this research is shoreline Zone of Abbas Abad Township located on the west of Mazandaran province and south of Caspian Sea. The base data for mapping included: physical and biological resources, human use of resources is done during summer and autumn of 2012, by scrolling through shoreline, observation and collecting existing documents in the zone, photography, questionnaire of local people and dotting with GIS. According to field study, data collecting and mapping, in this zone, 7 main categories and 9 subcategories are identified, that are known as 3A,4,5, 6B, 8A,8B, 8C,9B,10B. Based on sensivity, identified rankings in the shoreline are two low sensivity 3A and 4, two medium sensivity 5 and 6B and high sensivity 8A,8B, 8C,9B,10B. High sensivity rankings are more than others and low sensitivity rankings covered more than 52% of this shoreline. The second level is for medium sensivity with approximately 38%.

Background: Water plays an essential role in supporting life on earth and sea worldwide, requiringclean, safe, high quality and sustainable resources. Nowadays, many water resources have been contaminatedwith toxic compounds originating from petroleumdue to economical and industrial developments. There is anurgent need to clean up the waters with environmentally friendlyand inexpensive methods. This study investigated the biodegradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) using Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) in southern Caspian Sea coastline. Methods: Coastline sediment samples were collected, with P. aeruginosa being the predominant strain. The bacteria were cultured in triplicates in the presence of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4% of gasoline andunder specific experimental conditions of varying temperature, pH, salinity, shaker speed, and incubation periods. The data representing the gasoline biodegradation in the samples were statistically analyzed. Results: At optimized experimental conditions for temperature, pH, salinity, incubation period, and shaker speed, maximum biodegradation of TPH was achieved by culturing P. aeruginosa strains with the sea water samples containing varying concentrations of gasoline. Conclusion: The gram-negative bacteria, P. aeruginosa, almost completely biodegraded TPH contaminants from the samples’ culture media over 28 days of incubation. We conclude that the use of P. aeruginosa is an efficient method for the biodegradation of Caspian coastal waters contaminated with TPH.

In special petroleum areas where the petrochemical, petroleum and gas industries are located, ambient emissions are the first and most environmental pollutants that are undetectable. The present study aims to assess the environmental pollutants resulting from leaks and fixed resources of Olefin unit in the Arya Sasol Petrochemical Complex located in Asaluyeh, south of Iran. In this study, the LIAM method (LDAR, IR Camera, Analyzing & Modeling) was for sampling process during four seasons from 2016 to 2017. Leak points of the unit were detected by IR Camera and LDAR program. AERMODE software was also used to model the dispersion of SO2, NOX, CO2 and particulate matters released from the fixed resources. In the next, IDW method in ArcGIS 10.2 was conducted to interpolate the environmental pollutants. The interpolation of the annual average of pollutants showed that the concentration of benzene, butadiene, ethylbenzene, heptane and SO2 in some sections is higher than the environmental standards. The results of AERMODE modeling showed that the maximum 24-h concentration and annual average of SO2 only in autumn have exceeded the clean air standard. The combination of proposed methods in this study can be used as a smart way to evaluate the industrial pollutants.

In recent decades, due to groundwater withdrawal in the Kabodarahang region, Iran, Hamadan, hazardous events such as sinkholes, droughts, water scarcity, etc., have occurred. This study models groundwater level (GWL) of the Kabodarahang region using two novel techniques including Self-Adaptive Extreme Learning Machine (SAELM) and Wavelet-Self-Adaptive Extreme Learning Machine (WA-SAELM). Using the stepwise selection as different lags along with different input combinations, ten different SAELM and WA-SAELM models were developed. First, the best activation function is chosen for numerical models. After that, GWL values were normalized to equalize the values and enhance speed and accuracy of modeling. Then, an optimized mother wavelet is selected in order to simulate GWLs. Next, the best model was introduced as the superior model in which values of the correlation coefficient (R), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSC) were obtained 0.969, 0.358 and 0.939, respectively. In addition, the results of the superior model are compared with classical neural network models such as Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Wavelet-Artificial Neural Network (WA-ANN), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Wavelet-Support Vector Machine (WA-SVM). Among all models, WA-SAELM approximated GWLs with higher accuracy. Furthermore, based on the results obtained from an uncertainty analysis, the superior model was identified as a model with an underestimated performance. Additionally, an explicit and practical matrix was proposed for computing GWLs. Finally, the matrix was validated for another piezometer.

This study analyzes the chemical composition (water-soluble ions and trace elements) of the total suspended particles (TSP) and particulate matter less than 10 and 2.5 mu m (PM10 and PM2.5) in the Sistan basin, southeast Iran during the dusty and windy period June - October 2014. Extreme TSP, PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations, means of 1624.8, 433.4 and 320.8 mu gm(-3), respectively, were recorded in the Zabol sampling site, while the examined water-soluble ions and trace metals constitute small fractions (similar to 4.1%-17.7%) of the particulate masses. Intense winds on the dust-storm days result in weathering of soil crust and deflation of evaporate minerals from the dried Hamoun lake beds in the Sistan basin. The soil samples are rich in Ca2+, SO42-, Na+ and Cl- revealing the existence of non-sea salts, as well as in Al, Fe and Mg, while the similarity in the chemical composition between soil and airborne samples indicates that the dust events over Sistan are local in origin. In contrast, low concentrations of secondary ions (i.e., nitrate) and heavy metals (i.e., Pb, Cr, Ni, Cu) indicate less anthropogenic and industrial emissions. Enrichment Factor analysis for TSP, PM10 and PM2.5 reveals that the anthropogenic sources contribute a substantial amount in the heavy metals rather than soil crust, while Al, Fe, Sn, Mg are mostly of crustal origin. The results provide essential knowledge in atmospheric chemistry over Sistan and in establishing mitigation strategies for air pollution control. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.