Search

This paper presents brief scientific information concerning the role of activated carbons (AC) in solving economic and ecological problems in our society. Data concerning synthesis and adsorption of new activated carbons, used for soil remediation and wastewater treatment are depicted. The findings of investigations aimed to compare the structure parameters and adsorption capacities of the newly obtained native activated carbons in comparison with several activated carbon marks known in the world are explained. It has been shown that currently synthesized activated carbons are competitive with foreign marks.

This article presents the methodology of analysis of industrial and environmental materials using Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) technique. The application of thick target PIXE technique using a 3 MeV proton beam at 3 MV Tandetron at Horia Hulubei National Institute for R&D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH), Romania, in industrial and environmental complex studies proved to be very useful for the identification of a large series of trace elements, some of them being toxic for living organisms and humans and others contributing to the elemental cycling in natural environments. The main elements determined by PIXE are K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Br, Rb, Sr and Pb, using High Purity Germanium (HPGe) GDP-05145 (BSI) type detector of 20 mm2 surface, 8 mm thickness. In addition, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, and Cl could be determined using external beam PIXE with X-123 SDD Fast Amptek silicon detector of 25 mm2 surface, 500 µm thickness. PIXE technique successfully complements other atomic and nuclear techniques, such as: energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF), instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and ion beam technique particle-induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE). A discussion is made regarding the suitability of PIXE technique to be further used in studies related to soil-crop toxic metal transfer in an agroecosystem, as well as heavy metals biosorbtion from industrial wastewater, for the investigation of level of contamination with metals and toxicants occurrence in environmental factors and human health risk assessment. The paper was presented at the Scientific Conference of the Doctoral School of "Dunarea de Jos" University of Galati (SCDS-UDJG), 7th edition, Galati, Romania, 13-14 June, 2019.

Inventory of pesticide polluted sites in Republic of Moldova showed a huge number of high polluted sites and large pollution spectrum. The identified sites need effective remediation actions in order to diminish the risks for environment and public health. Some demonstration projects on the remediation technologies have been tested in the country.

The objective of this investigation is to develop a smart and connected prototype of sensors network for monitoring contaminants in surface and underground water sources globally in real-time. Several prototypes were developed using commercial off the shelf (COTS) sensors that capture data which is communicated to a central command and control center where the data is synthesized and analyzed for an actionable response. We present here prototypes capable of spatially monitoring surface and ground waterborne contaminants in real-time, termed as “Contamination Identification and Level Monitoring Electronic Display Systems (CILM-EDS) prototype. We also present a concept under development using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with hyperspectral imagers and Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), as an innovative platform to monitor and provide enhanced situational awareness in support of safety and security. The new UAV sensor platform (UAVSP) under development, has airborne COTS technology to capture relevant information from surface waters at several otherwise inaccessible Domains of Interest (DOI).

Water quality monitoring is a major issue toward maintaining safety and security for many countries. Due to many contaminants present in surface water in the Republic of Moldova, groundwater monitoring has become an exclusive source of drinking and potable water for many cities. In this investigation, we determined chemical contaminants in groundwater bodies of the Prut River basin for groundwater classification. For this investigation, monitoring wells were sampled by several field trials. The results of the chemical analysis have been used for the preliminary identification, characterization, and classification of groundwater bodies. The chemical content of water shows the current status of groundwater bodies under investigation, thus validating the study on the importance of groundwater monitoring. We examined several heavy metals in the groundwater from a national monitoring network. One hotspot (contaminated region) is the old Chismichioi pesticide deposit, which was studied for the assessment of actual status of the surrounding territory. It is also one of the largest deposits of toxic substances in the Low Danube Euro region. The following spectrum of persistent organic pollutants was identified in the samples: DDE, DDD, DDT, a-HCH, b-HCH, and g-HCH. Several other toxic organic substances were also studied at this site, including PAHs, triazine pesticides, and some other heavy metals. The general conclusion about the situation around the Chismichioi deposit is that the level of pollution from the time of the origination (in 1979) has not changed, in general. The zones with high pollution levels should be eliminated and recommendations have been made for the mitigation of the negative impacts to the environmental and water resources in this area of Moldova. At the conclusion of this extensive investigation, similar studies are planned for other locations and surface water sources. This will provide a valuable tool for the Republic of Moldova and may be extended to other regions as well.