A combined approach of electrodialysis pretreatment and vacuum UV for removing micropollutants from natural waters.

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) augment traditional water treatment methods, enhancing the removal of persistent contaminants. Efficiency of AOPs that utilize UV radiation for oxidants generation (e.g.

Hydrothermal processing of polyethylene-terephthalate and nylon-6 mixture as a plastic waste upcycling treatment: A comprehensive multi-phase analysis.

Accumulation of plastic waste is harming eco-systems and it is time to move towards a circular plastic economy. Sustainable production and recycling processes for plastics are challenged mostly by the lack of renewable building blocks. This study investigates hydrothermal processing (HTP) as a platform for depolymerization of two commonly used plastic polymers.

HS Removal from Groundwater by Chemical Free Advanced Oxidation Process Using UV-C/VUV Radiation.

Sulfide species may be present in groundwater due to natural processes or due to anthropogenic activity. HS contamination poses odor nuisance and may also lead to adverse health effects. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are considered promising treatments for hydrogen-sulfide removal from water, but conventional AOPs usually require continuous chemical dosing, as well as post-treatment, when solid catalysts are applied.

Gaseous pollutant transport from an underground parking garage in a Mediterranean multi-story building-Effect of temporal resolution under varying weather conditions.

Indoor air dynamics and quality in high density residential buildings can be complex as it is affected by both building parameters, pollution sources, and outdoor meteorological conditions. The present study used CONTAM simulations to investigate the intra-building transport and concentration of an inert pollutant continuously emitted from an underground garage of a 15-floor building under moderate Mediterranean weather. The effects of outdoor meteorological conditions (air temperature, wind speed and direction) on indoor distribution of the emitted pollutant was tested under constant conditions.

Does polyacrylamide-based adjuvant actually reduce primary drift of airborne pesticides?

Atmospheric drift of pesticides sprayed outside treated fields may pose serious environmental and health concerns. Chemical adjuvants, among other techniques, reduce drift by modifying the physicochemical properties of the pesticide solution, which presumably produces larger droplets upon spraying that are less prone to drift. Previous studies, that have addressed the effect of adjuvants on drift reduction, mainly rely on measurements of droplet sedimentation while ignoring the presence of pesticides in the forms of small aerosols and vapor.

Removal of organic micropollutants from biologically treated greywater using continuous-flow vacuum-UV/UVC photo-reactor.

Despite growing apprehension regarding the fate of organic micropollutants (MPs) of emerging concern, little attention has been paid to their presence in domestic greywater, where they mainly originate from personal care products. Many MPs are not fully removed in conventional greywater treatments and require additional treatment. Vacuum-UV radiation (VUV) can generate ·OH in situ, via water photolysis, initiating advanced oxidation process (AOP) without any chemical addition.

Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Polyurethane Mattresses under Variable Environmental Conditions.

Sleeping microenvironment (SME), is characterized by higher temperature, humidity, and CO concentration. Emission of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) in SME is important considering the long duration people spend there with high proximity between their respiration inlets and potential emission sources, such as bedding material. This study concentrates on the influence of SME conditions on VOC emissions from polyurethane mattresses, and provides first approximation for inhalation exposure during sleep, based on measured emissions.

Direct tracing of NH and NO emissions associated with urea fertilization approaches, using static incubation cells.

Nitrogen fertilization contributes significantly to crop production globally. However, low efficiency application management approaches lead to substantial N losses of which ammonia and nitrous oxide are known as environmental threats. Urea, the largest N fertilization source globally, is associated with high ammonia losses.

Seasonal variations of polybrominated flame retardants bound to car dust under Mediterranean climate.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are commercial flame retardants that have been commonly used in vehicle interior to reduce fire-related hazards. Due to high temperatures and intense insolation that can be attained inside cars parked in the sun, additive PBDEs are prone to leach out and attach to in-vehicle dust, as well as to photo-debrominate. This study examines seasonal variations of concentrations of three common PBDE congeners (BDE-47, BDE-99 and BDE-209) in car dust in Israel.

Photodegradation of micropollutants using V-UV/UV-C processes; Triclosan as a model compound.

Non-potable reuse of treated wastewater is becoming widespread as means to address growing water scarcity. Removal of micropollutants (MPs) from such water often requires advanced oxidation processes using OH radicals. OH can be generated in-situ via water photolysis under vacuum-UV (λ<200nm) irradiation.

Sorption and biodegradation of propylparaben in greywater by aerobic attached-growth biomass.

Greywater (GW) is becoming an important alternative water source for non-potable purposes, but requires treatment to remove contaminants, including micropollutants that in GW mainly originate from personal care products. Biofilters are commonly used for onsite GW treatment, but there are still significant knowledge gaps regarding their ability and mechanism of micropollutants removal. This study investigates the removal of propylparaben (PPB) by aerobic attached-growth biomass, quantifying the kinetics and the interplay between sorption and biodegradation.

Primary and secondary pesticide drift profiles from a peach orchard.

Atmospheric drift is considered a major loss path of pesticide from target areas, but there is still a large gap of knowledge regarding this complex phenomenon. Pesticide drift may occur during application (Primary drift) and after it (Secondary drift). The present study focuses on primary and secondary drift from ground applications in peach orchard (tree height of 3 m), under Mediterranean climate.

The Essential Role for Laboratory Studies in Atmospheric Chemistry.

Laboratory studies of atmospheric chemistry characterize the nature of atmospherically relevant processes down to the molecular level, providing fundamental information used to assess how human activities drive environmental phenomena such as climate change, urban air pollution, ecosystem health, indoor air quality, and stratospheric ozone depletion. Laboratory studies have a central role in addressing the incomplete fundamental knowledge of atmospheric chemistry. This article highlights the evolving science needs for this community and emphasizes how our knowledge is far from complete, hindering our ability to predict the future state of our atmosphere and to respond to emerging global environmental change issues.

Key environmental processes affecting the fate of the insecticide chloropyrifos applied to leaves.

Chlorpyrifos (CP) is still a commonly employed organophosphorus insecticide worldwide. In semi-arid and Mediterranean climates, applied CP is expected to remain on leaves surfaces for relatively long time due to the lack of summer rains and common use of drip irrigation. The present work examines the loss rate of CP from leaves via different surface processes: evaporation, direct photolysis and reactions with ozone and OH radicals.

Detection and quantification of water-based aerosols using active open-path FTIR.

Aerosols have a leading role in many eco-systems and knowledge of their properties is critical for many applications. This study suggests using active Open-Path Fourier Transform Infra-Red (OP-FTIR) spectroscopy for quantifying water droplets and solutes load in the atmosphere. The OP-FTIR was used to measure water droplets, with and without solutes, in a 20 m spray tunnel.

Reconstruction of passive open-path FTIR ambient spectra using meteorological measurements and its application for detection of aerosol cloud drift.

Remote sensing of atmospheric aerosols is of great importance to public and environmental health. This research promotes a simple way of detecting an aerosol cloud using a passive Open Path FTIR (OP-FTIR) system, without utilizing radiative transfer models and without relying on an artificial light source. Meteorological measurements (temperature, relative humidity and solar irradiance), and chemometric methods (multiple linear regression and artificial neural networks) together with previous cloud-free OP-FTIR measurements were used to estimate the ambient spectrum in real time.

Particle dynamics and deposition in true-scale pulmonary acinar models.

Particle transport phenomena in the deep alveolated airways of the lungs (i.e. pulmonary acinus) govern deposition outcomes following inhalation of hazardous or pharmaceutical aerosols.

Degradation of VX surrogate profenofos on surfaces via in situ photo-oxidation.

Surface degradation of profenofos (PF), a VX nerve gas surrogate, was investigated using in situ photo-oxidation that combines simple instrumentation and ambient gases (O2 and H2O) as a function of exposure conditions ([O3], [OH], UV light λ = 185 and/or 254 nm, relative humidity) and PF film surface density (0.38-3.8 g m(-2)).

Synergetic effect between photocatalytic degradation and adsorption processes on the removal of phenolic compounds from olive mill wastewater.

The photocatalytic degradation of two phenolic compounds, p-coumaric acid and caffeic acid, was performed with a suspended mixture of TiO(2) and powdered activated carbon (PAC) (at pH=3.4 and 8). Adsorption, direct photolysis and photocatalytic degradation were studied under different pH and UV light sources (sunlight vs.

Fuel derived pollutants and boating activity patterns in the Sea of Galilee.

MTBE (Methyl tert-Butyl Ether) is a fuel additive that replaced lead as an antiknock compound in internal combustion motors. Few years after its introduction, detectable levels of MTBE were found in various water bodies. MTBE has a very low taste and odor threshold and is a potential carcinogen.

Chemical stability and extent of isomorphous substitution in ferrites precipitated under ambient temperatures.

The ferrite process is an established method for treating wastewaters containing dissolved toxic metals, using precipitation at temperatures above 65 °C. Various ambient-temperature operation methodologies have also been proposed, but the effects of temperature reduction on product stability, and on the extent of isomorphous substitution (in terms of x in Me(x)Fe(3-x)O(4), Me representing a non-iron metal), have not been adequately quantified. At ambient temperature precipitation, maximal x of Zn(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+) and Cd(2+) was found in the current study to be approximately 0.

Extent and mechanism of metal ion incorporation into precipitated ferrites.

The ability of many noniron metals to be incorporated into the structure of ferrites is being utilized in numerous industrial and environmental applications. The incorporation of some of these metals during Fe(II) oxidation-induced precipitation at moderate temperatures (80-100°C) appears to be limited, for reasons not fully understood, and to extents not always agreed (e.g.

Thirdhand smoke: heterogeneous oxidation of nicotine and secondary aerosol formation in the indoor environment.

Tobacco smoking is well-known as a significant source of primary indoor air pollutants. However, only recently has thirdhand smoke (THS) been recognized as a contributor to indoor pollution due to the role of indoor surfaces. Here, the effects of relative humidity (<10% RH and ∼ 45% RH) and substrate (cellulose, cotton, and paper) on secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from nicotine-ozone-NO(x) reactions are discussed.

Sorption, desorption, and surface oxidative fate of nicotine.

Nicotine dynamics in an indoor environment can be greatly affected by building parameters (e.g. relative humidity (RH), air exchange rate (AER), and presence of ozone), as well as surface parameters (e.

Allocation of routinely monitored mixing ratios of nitrogen oxides to their sources.

In many urban areas throughout the world, the rising mean and peak levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) are a concern. Road traffic and local industry are usually the major NOx sources in urban environments, buttheir relative contributions to the spatial distribution of the NOx volumetric mixing ratio is normally unknown. This missing piece of information is required for designing effective abatement measures to reduce ambient NOx levels.