A systematic review of methodologies and solutions for recycling polyurethane foams to safeguard the environment.

Today, plastic plays a pervasive role in everyday life. Their improper disposal can create ongoing environmental challenges. Polyurethane (PU) is a polymer with elastomeric properties that exhibits significant adhesion and durability.

Estimating the health impacts of exposure to Air pollutants and the evaluation of changes in their concentration using a linear model in Iran.

In big and industrial cities of developing countries, illness and mortality from long-term exposure to air pollutants have become a serious issue. This research was carried out in 2019-2020 to estimate the health impacts of PM, NO and O pollutants by using AirQ and R statistical programming software in Arak, Isfahan, Tabriz, Shiraz, Karaj, and Mashhad. Mortality statistics, number of people in required age groups, and amount of pollutants were gathered respectively from different agencies like Statistics and Information Technology of the Ministry of Health, Statistical Center, and Department of Environment and by using Excel, the average 24-hour and 1-hour concentration and maximum 8-hour concentration for PM, NO and O pollutants were gathered.

Evaluating the photocatalytic performance of MOF coated on glass for degradation of gaseous styrene under visible light.

Styrene is a volatile organic compound with various applications, especially in the plastics and paint industries. Exposure to it leads to symptoms such as weakness, suppression of the central nervous system, and nausea, and prolonged exposure to it increases the risk of cancer. Its removal from the air is a topic that researchers have considered.

Investigating PM toxicity in highly polluted urban and industrial areas in the Middle East: human health risk assessment and spatial distribution.

Exposure to particulate matter (PM) can be considered as a factor affecting human health. The aim of this study was to investigate the concentration of PM and heavy metals and their influence on survival of A549 human lung cells in exposure to PM breathing air of Ahvaz city. In order to assess the levels of PM and heavy metals, air samples were collected from 14 sampling stations positioned across Ahvaz city during both winter and summer seasons.

Synthesis of BiOI@NH-MIL125(Ti)/Zeolite as a novel MOF and advanced hybrid oxidation process application in benzene removal from polluted air stream.

One of the popular process in volatile organic compounds removal in gas phase is advanced oxidation process. We in this research, synthesized BiOI@NH-MIL125(Ti)/Zeolite nanocomposite as a novel nanocomposite to degradation of benzene in hybrid advanced oxidation process. The nanocomposite synthesized via solvothermal method.

Improving the performance of double-expansion chamber muffler using dielectric beads; optimization using factorial design.

Purpose: Noise pollution is a common health hazard worldwide which is emitted along with chemical air pollutants, simultaneously from many sources. Some studies have been conducted to control these pollutants, simultaneously with promising results being achieved. Dielectric beads have been used in air pollution control technologies, successfully and probable effectiveness of them in noise reduction can be promising in dual use of them in the exhausts emitting noise and air pollution, simultaneously.

Potential cytotoxicity of PM2.5-bound PAHs and toxic metals collected from areas with different traffic densities on human lung epithelial cells (A549).

Laboratory and epidemiological researches have indicated that ambient air particulate matter have a plays critical role in causing diseases. The current research evaluated the chemical attributes of PM2.5 in the ambient air of the cities of Karaj and Fardis and determined its toxicological effects on human lung epithelial cells (A549).

Effect of short-term exposure to air pollution on COVID-19 mortality and morbidity in Iranian cities.

Purpose: The association between air pollutant (PM, PM, NO, and O) concentrations and daily number of COVID-19 confirmed cases and related deaths were evaluated in three major Iranian cities (Tehran, Mashhad, and Tabriz).

Methods: Hourly concentrations of air pollutants and daily number of PCR-confirmed cases and deaths of COVID-19 were acquired (February 20, 2020 to January 4, 2021). A generalized additive model (GAM) assuming a quasi-Poisson distribution was used to model the associations in each city up to lag-day 7 (for mortality) and 14 (for morbidity).

Urinary level of heavy metals in people working in smoking cafés.

Previous researches have reported significant levels of heavy metals in indoor air of smoking cafés. The current research aimed to evaluate the potential exposure of smoking cafés workers to heavy metals through quantifying amounts of these pollutants in urine samples. To this end, 35 waterpipe/cigarette cafés workers were selected as the exposed population, 35 employees from non-smoking cafe' as the control group 1 (CG1) and 25 cases of the normal citizens as the control group 2 (CG2); and their urine samples were taken.

Synthesis of new composite based on TiO immobilized in glass fibers for photo-catalytic degradation of chlorobenzene in aqueous solutions.

In this study photo-catalytic degradation of chlorobenzene from aqueous solutions using CQD decorated Fe-doped TiO immobilized in Glass Fibers (GF) was investigated. Characteristics of the synthesized photo-catalyst were determined by EF-SEM, EDX, BET, XRD, FTIR, and DRS analysis. Additionally, DRS analysis demonstrated adding CQD to the TiO-Fe reduced its band gap energy from 2.

The detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in indoor air of dental clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the indoor environment of dental clinics, dental personnel and patients are exposed to a risk of infection because of the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via particles or droplets. This study investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in indoor air of dental clinics in Tehran, Iran. Air sampling was done (n = 36) collecting particulate samples on PTFE filters at flow rates of 30 to 58 L/min.

Investigation of metabolic kinetics in different brain regions of awake rats using the [H-C]-NMR technique.

Energy metabolism and neurotransmission are necessary for sustaining normal life activities. Hence, neurological or psychiatric disorders are always associated with changes in neurotransmitters and energy metabolic states in the brain. Most studies have only focused on the most important neurotransmitters, particularly GABA and Glu, however, other metabolites such as NAA and aspartate which are also very important for cerebral function are rarely investigated.

Photo-catalytic degradation of bisphenol-a from aqueous solutions using GF/Fe-TiO-CQD hybrid composite.

In this photocatalytic study, removal of bisphenol-A from aqueous solution was studied using the GF/Fe-TiO-CQD composite. Due to its health and environmental effects, this compound should be disposed of sources that are mainly industrial wastewater. The phis-chemical properties of the composite were determined by traditional analyzes of EF-SEM, EDX, BET, XRD, FTIR and DRS.

Learning and memory disorders related to hippocampal inflammation following exposure to air pollution.

It has been demonstrated that sub-chronic exposure to air pollution containing nanoscale (˂100 nm) diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) may lead to excessive oxidative stress and neuro-inflammation in adult male mice. Hereby, we investigated the effects of DEPs on hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and neuro-inflammation and memory-related gene expression in male mice. In this study, we divided 48 adult NMRI male mice into control group VS.

Removal of sulfur dioxide from air using a packed-bed DBD plasma reactor (PBR) and in-plasma catalysis (IPC) hybrid system.

Sulfur dioxide, a noxious air pollutant, can cause health and environmental effects, and its emissions should be controlled. Nonthermal plasma is one of the most effective technologies in this area. This study evaluated the efficiency of a packed-bed plasma reactor (PBR) and in-plasma catalysis (IPC) in SO removal process which were finally optimized and modeled by the use of the central composite design (CCD) approach.

Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on medical waste management: a case study.

Covid-19 Pandemic leads to medical services for the society all over the world. The Covid-19 pandemic influence the waste management and specially medical waste management. In this study, the effect of the Covid-19 outbreak on medical waste was evaluated via assessing the solid waste generation, composition, and management status in five hospitals in Iran.

Presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the air of public places and transportation.

This study investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in air of public places such as shopping centers, a post office, banks, governmental offices, and public transportation facilities including an airport, subways, and buses in Tehran, Iran. A total of 28 air samples were collected from the eight groups of public and transportation locations. The airborne particle samples were collected on PTFE or glass fiber filters using two types of samplers with flow rates of 40 and 3.

Assessment of littered cigarette butt in urban environment, using of new cigarette butt pollution index (CBPI).

Cigarette butts (CBs) are hazardous wastes usually littered by smokers and are of the prevalence wastes in the environment. Although various studies have been done regarding the quantity of CBs on the coast, few studies have been conducted on its density and distribution in urban areas. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the quantity and distribution of CBs in urban areas to define an index to convert the results into comparable data in various conditions and cities.

Use of NHCl for activation of carbon xerogel to prepare a novel efficacious adsorbent for benzene removal from contaminated air streams in a fixed-bed column.

Background: Ammonium chloride as an explosive salt has proved to be a prominent activation agent for adsorbents and increase the specific surface area and volume of cavities. In this work, the ability of this substance was scrutinized for activation of carbon aerogel to prepare an efficient adsorbent for benzene removal from air streams.

Methods: A carbon xerogel was fabricated from Novallac polymer and activated by ammonium chloride.

Occurrence, spatial distribution, seasonal variations, potential sources, and inhalation-based health risk assessment of organic/inorganic pollutants in ambient air of Tehran.

The present study evaluated the concentrations, spatial distribution, seasonal variations, potential sources, and risk assessment of organic/inorganic pollutants in ambient air of Tehran city. Totally, 180 air samples were taken from 9 sampling stations from March 2018 to March 2019 and were analyzed to determine the concentrations of organic pollutants (BTEX compounds and PM-bound PAHs) plus inorganic pollutants (PM-bound metals and asbestos fibers). The results revealed that the mean concentrations of ∑ PAHs, BTEX, ∑ heavy metals, and asbestos fibers were 5.

Determination of metals and BTEX in different components of waterpipe: charcoal, tobacco, smoke and water.

Background: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of heavy metals and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene) in smoke and water bowl of 5-most commonly used tobacco brand in waterpipe in Tehran, the capital of Iran.

Methods: Five types of conventional tobacco in Tehran were investigated. Heavy metals and BTEX were analyzed in waterpipe smoke, tobacco, charcoal and water bowl prior to and after smoking by using ICP-OES and GC-MS, respectively.

Bioremediation of diesel and gasoline-contaminated soil by co-vermicomposting amended with activated sludge: Diesel and gasoline degradation and kinetics.

Present study aims to examine the efficiency of co-vermicomposting amended with activated sludge and E. fetida earthworm for bioremediation of diesel and gasoline from contaminated soil. The diesel and gasoline removal efficiency and degradation rates coefficients were estimated with gas chromatography (GC) analysis and first-order kinetics.

A modeling concept on removal of VOCs in wire-tube non-thermal plasma, considering electrical and structural factors.

In this study, benzene was selected as an indicator of VOCs, and a modeling procedure was carried out on benzene removal (outflow concentration of benzene, C/inflow concentration of benzene, C), in DC and AC non-thermal plasma systems. Different diameters (18, 23, and 36 mm) of wire-tube plasma reactors were prepared, and models were raised based on the results of experiments with influencing factors of the used voltage, gap size inside the reactor, current density, and specific energy. The results showed correlation between the factors and benzene removal in both DC and AC discharge non-thermal plasma.