Cellulose-based thermosensitive supramolecular hydrogel for phenol removal from polluted water.

Pollution of phenolic effluent from spice and plastics factories has become increasingly serious. Thus, developing a green and highly efficient adsorbent to remove phenolic compounds from wastewater is of urgent need. In this study, cellulose graft copolymer was synthesized through grafting 4-vinylpyridine monomer and polyethylene glycol methacrylate to a molecular skeleton of cellulose by free radical polymerization.

Distance impacts toxic metals pollution in mining affected river sediments.

The study of metals mobility derived from mining activities in an ultramafic lithology is limited. This study investigates the effects of distance on potentially toxic metals such as Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn pollution, and the geochemical processes of fluvial system downstream of an ex-copper mine (Mamut River). The toxicity level of the river was evaluated using various sediment quality guidelines, ecotoxicological risks (ecological risk and risk index) and pollution indices.

Modeling aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from human-exhaled particles in a hospital ward.

The COVID-19 pandemic has plunged the world into uncharted territory, leaving people feeling helpless in the face of an invisible threat of unknown duration that could adversely impact the national economic growths. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the SARS-CoV-2 spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the mouth or nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes. However, the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 through aerosols remains unclear.

Particulate matter (PM) as a potential SARS-CoV-2 carrier.

The rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 in the COVID-19 pandemic had raised questions on the route of transmission of this disease. Initial understanding was that transmission originated from respiratory droplets from an infected host to a susceptible host. However, indirect contact transmission of viable virus by fomites and through aerosols has also been suggested.

The microbially driven formation of siderite in salt marsh sediments.

We employ complementary field and laboratory-based incubation techniques to explore the geochemical environment where siderite concretions are actively forming and growing, including solid-phase analysis of the sediment, concretion, and associated pore fluid chemistry. These recently formed siderite concretions allow us to explore the geochemical processes that lead to the formation of this less common carbonate mineral. We conclude that there are two phases of siderite concretion growth within the sediment, as there are distinct changes in the carbon isotopic composition and mineralogy across the concretions.

Characterization of rainwater chemical composition after a Southeast Asia haze event: insight of transboundary pollutant transport during the northeast monsoon.

Open biomass burning in Peninsula Malaysia, Sumatra, and parts of the Indochinese region is a major source of transboundary haze pollution in the Southeast Asia. To study the influence of haze on rainwater chemistry, a short-term investigation was carried out during the occurrence of a severe haze episode from March to April 2014. Rainwater samples were collected after a prolonged drought and analyzed for heavy metals and major ion concentrations using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) and ion chromatography (IC), respectively.

Assessment of heavy metals contamination in Mamut river sediments using sediment quality guidelines and geochemical indices.

This paper describes the concentration of selected heavy metals (Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in the Mamut river sediments and evaluate the degree of contamination of the river polluted by a disused copper mine. Based on the analytical results, copper showed the highest concentration in most of the river samples. A comparison with Interim Canadian Sediment Quality Guidelines (ICSQG) and Germany Sediment Quality Guidelines (GSQG) indicated that the sediment samples in all the sampling stations, except Mamut river control site (M1), exceeded the limit established for Cu, Ni, and Pb.