Search

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a plasticizer derived from phthalate ester, is used as an additive in industrial products such as plastics, paints, and medical devices. However, DEHP is known as an endocrine-disrupting chemical, causing cancers and adverse effects on human health. This study evaluated DEHP biodegradation efficiency via food waste composting during 35 days of incubation. At high DEHP concentrations (2167 mg kg

Access to sufficient water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services is a crucial requirement for patients during therapy and general well-being in the hospital. However, in low- and middle-income countries, these services are often inadequate, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality of patients. This study aimed at assessing the current situation of WASH services in six District Health Care Facilities (DHCFs) in rural areas of the Mekong Delta provinces, Vietnam. The results showed that these services were available with inappropriate quality, which did not compromise the stakeholders' needs. The revealed WASH infrastructures have raised concerns about the prolonged hospital stays for patients and push nosocomial infections to a high level. The safety of the water supply was doubted as the high E. coli (> 60%) and total coliform incidence (86%) was observed with very low residual chlorine concentration (

Benzophenone (BP) and its derivatives are extensively used as ultraviolet filters in modern society and increasingly being released into the environment. Co-composting of food waste with sawdust and mature compost was successfully demonstrated to treat high BP concentration (927 ± 229 mg kg−1), with a removal efficiency of 97% after 35 days of incubation. The highest biodegradation rate of 55 mg kg−1day−1 was observed at the thermophilic stage. The biodegradation followed second-order kinetics, and the half-life of BP was 1.3 days during the co-composting process. Additionally, malodorous gas emissions from the co-composting process were also analyzed. The malodorous compounds, including ammonia (NH3), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and volatile organic sulfide compounds (VOSCs), peaked at the thermophilic phase. NH3 and H2S were the main components contributing to 92% and 7.6% of the total malodorous concentration (617 ppm). Dimethyl disulfide (28.9 ppb) and dimethyl sulfide (23.5 ppb) concentrations accounted for ∼ 58.9% of the total VOSC emitted. The malodorous emissions were positively correlated with temperature, pH, and negative with oxygen content during the co-composting. Sawdust and mature compost enhanced oxygen penetration in the compost mixture and thereby reduced odor emission. These results support that co-composting could be a technically and economically feasible treatment technology for the degradation of BP and can be used to treat other emerging organic pollutants.