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Iran's most important iron ore mine is located in the central region, and because of the water shortage in this area, the need to reuse the effluent from this mine is essential. On the other hand, there are no suitable conditions for treating large effluent volumes in iron mine in central Iran. For this reason, produced effluent should be reduced and returned to the consumption cycle by using appropriate technology. This study aimed to investigate the ozonation/lime effect on polymer consumption reduction and evaluate the treatment and economic efficiency compared to the currently used treatment method (coagulation-flocculation without ozonation/lime). The use of ozonation along with the coagulation and flocculation process has been an effective factor in reducing all the studied indicators, which has been a much more significant reduction effect for turbidity (95%), decreasing from 374-350NTU in the non-ozonation process to 110-160NTU, and Chemical oxygen demand (37%). In addition to increasing the treatment efficiency, the hybrid ozonation/coagulation and flocculation process reduced operation costs. The ozonation process caused the high-level conversion of Fe2+ and Al2+ to Fe3+ and Al3+ (> 90%), thus it improved wastewater treatment and increased cost benefit. The hybrid process was affected in improving the effluent quality and reducing the produced sludge volume. The ozonation process caused sludge volume reduction or has photocatalytic effect on it. It effected the micro-sized bubbles production reduction in sludge volume unit. However, estimating the cost–benefit of using this method can be beneficial in making the final decision on whether to use it or not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the effect of exposure to pesticides and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D). In a cross-sectional study with a population of 9088, the data were collected through Persian Adult Cohort Questionnaire in Shahedieh area of Yazd, Iran. Based on the results, variables such as age, gender, body mass index, physical activity, and education level in the studied population had a significant association with the prevalence of diabetes. Although the obtained data in this study did not show a relationship between exposure to pesticides and the risk of developing T2D, further prospective studies are needed to determine the association between exposure to pesticides and the development of T2D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze zero valent iron nanoparticles (NZVIs) by a novel green method, taken from Thymus vulgaris (TV) plant extract, were synthesized and applied to degrade reactive black 5 (RB5) azo dye. Design/methodology/approach: The optimum conditions for the highest removal of RB5 dye were determined. Characterization of NZVIs was done by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The NZVIs were used for the removal of dye RB5, and the parameters affecting were discussed like pH, initial concentration, contact time and NZVIs dosage. Findings: The characterization results of NZVIs by SEM, TEM, FTIR and XRD show that polyphenols, organic acids and proteins reduce not only the green synthesis of NZVIs but also the aggregation of nanoparticles. The maximum dye removal efficiency of 99.6 per cent occurred at pH 4, NZVIs dose of 600 mg/L, and contact time of 5 min. The adsorption of RB5 dye onto the NZVIs surface and scavenging of the azo bond (−N = N) by the strong reduction of NZVIs were the proposed mechanisms for dye removal. The application of NZVIs to treat wastewater containing reactive dye shows high degradation efficiency. Research limitations/implications: The findings may greatly benefit the application of the NZVIs taken from Thymus vulgaris (TV) in the fields of dye adsorption. Practical implications: The present study is novel because it incorporated the morphological and structural properties of the synthesized NZVIs using a native plant of Iran and studied the capability of green-synthesized NZVIs to remove RB5 as a water contaminant. Social implications: The native plant presented here can be developed for reduced environmental pollution before discharge to accepted water. Originality/value: The NZVIs is prepared via green-synthesized method, which is prepared with leaves of TV. There are two main innovations. One is that the novel NZVIs is prepared successfully by native plant via green-synthesized method. The other is that the optimized conditions were obtained for the removal of RB5 dye as a water contaminant. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, no study has ever investigated the removal of RB5 by NZVIs produced using a native plant in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]