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In recent decades, there has been growing concern and negativity from the environmental impact of industrial development, which produces lots of technological changes. The significant contribution of the leather industry has a good impact on the economic sector; however, it is faced with challenges caused by pollution to the environment. Special attention is required for disposal of solid wastes because of the large amounts that are generated and legal restrictions. Environmental problems are caused by the large amount of wastes originating from chemicals during processing, especially in dehairing process. Conventional dehairing by lime sulfide process causes high chemical oxygen demand emission, biological oxygen demand, and total suspended solids. The dehairing mechanism is vaguely understood at present from the point of view of the enzyme specificity, which is needed for consistent and satisfactory hair removal without deleterious effect on the leather quality. It is known that the use of enzymes has potential as an alternative that can be used to reduce the harm caused by toxic chemicals including for waste management. Recently, there has been increasing research on application of enzymes in various leather production processes. The use of protease and keratinase enzymes in leather processing industry has the most promising potential to improve the surrounding environment. Therefore, this study aimed to review relevant literature in terms of dehairing processes without adverse effects in order to make good quality leather. Further scientific discussion is needed for understanding the gap of these critical issues in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the fast development of industrialisation, the environment has been exposed to various elements which are hazardous. The soils are found to be the major sink of variety of contaminants. Most important of these contaminants are heavy metals. The study aimed to investigate heavy metal soil profile from five locations of an agricultural field in vertical direction. The study area chosen is village Salarpur in Tehsil Tijara, District Alwar, Rajasthan, India. Presence of Heavy metals is also compared at two depths i.e. 0 to 1 cm and 1 to 5 cm at each location. Zn, Pb, Cd, Cu, As, Fe, and Ni concentrations in the soil samples were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry ICP-MS. Cr III was estimated by spectrophotometric method. The study of the area reveals that Total Zn, Total Pb, Total Cu, Fe and Ni content in soil decreases with depth at locations 1, 2, and 3 but increase with depth at locations 4 and 5. Total Cd content of soil increases with depth at location 1, 2, 3, and 4 but decreases with depth at location 5. The non-uniform distribution of Total Zn, Total Pb, Total Cu, Fe, Cd and Ni contents with depth is revealed. Concentration of Cr-III of soil increases with depth at all locations. Strong positive correlation of Zn with Pb, Cu, Fe and Ni, Pb with Cu, Fe and Ni, Cu with Fe and Ni, Fe with Ni is revealed at both the depths i.e. 0-1 cm and 1-5 cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper highlights environmental injustices in South Africa as well as the accompanying continuation of mega-extraction-based violence. In doing so, the paper examines how the history of environmental injustices has left its mark in various parts of this country, where industrialization practices and policies from the apartheid era lead to environmental degradation that disproportionately impacts black people. This exemplifies how epistemic injustice occurs when dominant structures in knowledge production eliminate and silence the epistemic integrity of the sufferers, as well as how their contributions to the environmental knowledge system have been undermined, misinterpreted, and curtailed in discursive practices. In this context, the paper explores how a decolonial ecological turn and practices in South Africa can integrate environmental and development policies for sustainability and pluriversal peacebuilding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two trends will dominate biosecurity over the next decade, shaping both opportunities and threats. The first is industrialization, as biotechnology becomes a globally important manufacturing base and economic force. The second is personalization, as an increasing number of individuals become able to harness the biological sciences to their own ends. The rules and regulations that emerge to govern the field will have an important impact. Safety will also be a major concern, because no laboratory is 100 percent accident free; to lower the risk to lab workers and the public, establishing protocols, using protective equipment, and raising the political profile of biosafety are essential. To meet the biosecurity challenge it will also be necessary to have health care systems that can rapidly respond to epidemics. Partnerships between nations will become even more important for learning early about potential threats, preventing them where possible, and acting quickly to limit their consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenges of global climate change transcend international boundaries, which was primarily caused by industrialization in developed countries and, to a lesser extent, by natural factors. Its consequences are experienced more in developing countries in the South, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, which unlike affluent Western countries, can ill-afford the cost of mitigation. The Constitution, being the supreme and fundamental law of a state, constitutes the grundnorm, which gives validity to other laws while regulating the relationship between the citizens and the state. It guarantees the citizens' basic fundamental rights. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFRN) 1999 does not expressly provide adequate measures by the state and the citizens to curtail climate change. Its provisions on the environment suffer a major setback of non-justiciability, creating no legally enforceable rights and obligations for the citizens and the government; rather, it has to be aided by other Sections of the Constitution to provide enjoyment of rights. The environment is humanity's only sustenance, with which any undue interference or adverse dealing brings a threat to life and continued human existence. It thus behooves the state to protect and improve the environment to combat climate change, failing which results in a catastrophe. The Constitution sought to create a right in Section 20 but simultaneously abrogated the same right in Section 6(6)(c) thereof. This has engendered plagues by way of drought and desertification, oil pollution, soil erosion, flooding, land degradation, air pollution, and biodiversity loss, resulting in poverty in diverse parts of the country. As a mark of concern for the environment and its people's enjoyment of a safe environment, the country has been actively participating in global efforts aimed at preventing dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system by way of its membership in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement, and the addition of a Climate Change Department in its Federal Ministry of the Environment. This article will attempt to examine the relevant provisions of the Constitution in relation to combating climate change in Nigeria. Though no express provisions relating thereto exist, the existing provisions suffer inexorably from major setbacks, a situation that must be rescued to settle once-for-all the perennial denial of rights of the Niger Delta region be spotlighted in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change, being a product of industrialisation, can easily fuel the idea that adaptation to climate impacts is something new. Scholars of the past, however, show that societies have dynamically and heterogeneously coped with climate variability and with recurrent and abrupt weather extremes. This research aims to explore climate adaptation in preindustrial societies taking into account different levels of social organisation. We argue that this multilevel perspective can enrich our understanding of the different strategies to cope with climate impacts in past societies. Archival research was carried out in the early modern villages of Terrassa and Sant Pere (Barcelona, Spain) to reconstruct the set of strategies to cope with recurrent droughts both at community and household levels. We found that peasant families developed a wider range of strategies than communities, but that many strategies used by households and communities overlapped, potentially generating a redundancy effect and fostering complex strategies operating through cross-level interactions. By studying past adaptation strategies with common taxonomies and detailed methodologies, our paper aims to improve interdisciplinary communication with research about the human dimensions of anthropogenic climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on material architecture and its role in capitalism. It reports on political economy related to physical infrastructure, models organization and industrialization. It also highlights the digitization of social organization and reflects on the progress of electricity consumption, as of the year 2020.

The article focuses on the role of information technology and communication in capitalism. It highlights the impact of infrastructure development, financial transactions and architectural organizational structure of industry on ecology. It also highlights the characterization of technical and digital components involved in capitalism.

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In view of understanding the impact of effluents and on the occurrence and distribution of macrobenthic organisms, an investigation has been carried out for a period of 8 months from October 2006 to May 2007 in the nearshore water of Thannirbhavi and Chitrapur receiving treated industrial effluents and Bengre coast having estuarine influences. The quality composition of benthic organism revealed the presence of hydroids such as Obeliasp,Cordylophorasp and companularia sp. Polychaetes belonging to 15 diferent families have been identified and their distribution revealed variation with respect to the type of the effluents. 24 different types of molluscss have been identified and their occurrence and distribution was found to be related to type of sediment and the quality of the effluents. Bulks of crustaceans were formed mainly due to species of Gammarus, Caprellids and Tanaidaceans. The great abundance and diversity of benthic organisms was observed in the Thannirbhavi receiving effluents from a fertilizer industry, when compare to the Chitrapur receiving treated effluents from a dye industry and an oil refinery industry. Silty-clayey sediment harbored higher density of polychaetes where as sandy-silty sediment supported greater abundance of molluscs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An object's creation history plays an important role in how we perceive, value, and interact with that object, and has consequences for policy on sustainable consumption. Here, we propose that laypeople in industrialized societies have three dominant concepts of how objects can be created: art, craft, and manufacture. These concepts are differentiated by the perceived properties and environmental sustainability of objects, as well as the perceived capabilities of producers. In three experiments, we examined the consequences of framing an object's creation history as art, craft, or manufacture. In general, art and craft objects were valued more highly than manufactured objects, and this effect was partially mediated by the perceived transfer of positive emotional residue. Mass‐produced goods may be treated as disposable consumables, whereas arts and crafts are more deserving of preservation. That this effect was stronger in Australia than China suggests that these effects may be related to a postmaterialist orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to rapid urbanization and industrialization that occurred in Al- Muthanna province in southeastern Iraq during the last decade, pollutants such as heavy metals were emitted into the environment and became a serious threat to human health. Environmental pollution could be caused by different types of pollutants, which come from different sources. This study aims to assess the environmental magnetism efficiency for heavy metal pollution assessment using the magnetic susceptibility technique which became a more rapid and cost-effective compared to conventional methods. Increasing heavy metal contents in soils causes an increase in the magnetic mineral concentration. The study area is located in Al- Muthanna province, southeast of Iraq, and contains three cement plants, an oil refinery, bricks factories, and power plants. Fifty topsoil and subsoil samples (0-50 cm depth) were collected from five sites; Al- Jinoob cement plant (one site), Samawa oil refinery (two sites) and Al- Muthanna cement plant (two sites). In this study, magnetic properties of samples in vertical sections and levels of heavy metal elements; of selected samples from regions with different geological settings were compared. The heavy metals analysis included chromium (Cu), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), Arsenic (As) and lead (Pb), which could give indications of heavy metal pollution in soil. The highest magnetic susceptibility value (65.23 x10-8 m3kg-1) was recorded in Al-Muthanna cement plant (TSL-4) and the highest Cu concentration (602.57 ppm) was also recorded in Al- Muthanna cement plant (TSL-5-3). The results of magnetic properties show the dominance of coarse magnetite, which is supposed to have originated from pedogenic particles in natural soils, causing the positive correlation between magnetic susceptibility (χ) and anhysteretic remanent magnetisation (ARM). According to the results of frequency dependent susceptibility ratio (κfd%), the magnetic particles showed an admixture of multi-domain and pseudo-single domain behaviour. Magnetic susceptibility and heavy metal analyses results indicated emissions from nearby industrial plants. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) was carried out for heavy metal analyses which supported our results. Results of this study demonstrate the suitability of applying magnetic techniques for assessing environmental situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the authors aim to present some aspects about the history of treatment plants. If the importance of providing drinking water for a community has been paramount since the beginning of mankind, sewage and wastewater treatment have become widespread only in the modern era. Water consumption increased with the industrialization. The populated centers developed and the population density increased also. At first, after the sewerage networks were built, the sewage, regardless of its nature, was discharged directly into the river. Subsequently, the purification of these waters became a necessity. The first treatment plants offered only a mechanical treatment. It is interesting to see how they were made 100 years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate induced-displacement is a massive threat to humanity. In industrialization and greenhouse gas emissions, the world has seen a range of changing climate patterns which have continued to affect the lives of people. Keeping climate change and displacement apart, this paper shows that, while the impact of rising temperatures are gradual, climateinduced displacement has risen sharply on the ground and has become a universal problem. When environmentally displaced persons are not given a legal definition and, therefore, no protection under international law, their plight becomes more pathetic than that of political refugees. The given numbers and future estimates of displaced people due to climate change vary but are higher than those displaced due to violence. The paper discusses the challenges faced by developing countries in general and Bangladesh in particular. However, it also points out displacements in the developed countries with differences in magnitude and their capacity to deal with it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Ethiopia's sustainable industrial transition experiment could become a model for other African countries. • Green transition is sought by articulating pressure from global decarbonisation agenda as opportunity for economic growth. • With industrial clustering and eco-industrial parks, Ethiopia is taking significant steps down a low-carbon pathway. • Strong political will is yielding progress, but limited human and financial resources remain a formidable challenge. • The institutional framework for coordinating a sustainable industrial transition needs to be strengthened further. Abstract The concept of 'sustainable industrialisation' is now integral to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. However, there are no historical examples or current models to emulate. Scholarly analyses of putative initiatives to green industrialisation, especially in developing countries, are few and limited. This article explores the conception and implementation of green industrialisation in Ethiopia, one of the world's poorest nations, where an ambitious Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy has been created, alongside a multi-sectoral Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP), to leapfrog environmentally unsustainable development and bring the country to middle-income status by 2025. Using the socio-technical transition (STT) perspective and in particular Smith, Stirling, and Berkhout (2005) framework for assessing sustainable transition programmes, it analyzes the 'selection pressures' on the industrial 'regime' and its 'adaptive capacity'. It finds: (i) clear articulation of the imperative for climate change mitigation and economic growth; (ii) strong high-level government commitment to a greening agenda within the context of accelerated industrialisation; and (iii) a nascent innovation system that is beginning to evolve according to these priorities. However, the analysis also identifies important challenges, including: coordination mechanisms between different stakeholders; framing issues; availability of resources; and ongoing tension between addressing climate change and promoting economic growth. It also highlights the importance of the availability of cross-border resources for purposive sustainability transition within low-income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypodaphnis zenkeri is a monotypic taxon whose position is basal in the phylogenetic tree of the family Lauraceae. Cuticular information on the plant is lacking. Given the systematic relevance of this character in the family and absence of its record for the species, the leaves of the species were investigated with the aid of light and scanning electron microscopy. Also, volatile organic compounds in leaves and fruits were studied with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), for the first time. Taxonomically useful cuticular features of the species include long stomatal rim and aperture, granulated periclinal walls on the adaxial surface and superficial stomatal orientation. The leaves and fruits of the plant are rich in volatile organic compounds such as 1,2-benzene-dicarboxylic acid, hexadecanoic acid ester and stigmasta-3,5-diene. Based on these features, the species can be distinguished from other related taxa in the family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air quality on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia is influenced by local anthropogenic and biogenic emissions as well as marine air masses from the South China Sea and aged emissions transported from highly polluted East Asian regions during the winter monsoon season. An atmospheric observation tower has been constructed on this coastline at the Bachok Marine Research Station. Daily PM 2.5 samples were collected from the top of the observation tower over a 3-week period, and ion chromatography was used to make time-resolved measurements of major atmospheric ions present in aerosol. SO42- was found to be the most dominant ion present and on average made up 66 % of the total ion content. Predictions of aerosol pH were made using the ISORROPIA II thermodynamic model, and it was estimated that the aerosol was highly acidic, with pH values ranging from -0.97 to 1.12. A clear difference in aerosol composition was found between continental air masses originating from industrialised regions of East Asia and marine air masses predominantly influenced by the South China Sea. For example, elevated SO42- concentrations and increased Cl- depletion were observed when continental air masses that had passed over highly industrialised regions of East Asia arrived at the measurement site. Correlation analyses of the ionic species and assessment of ratios between different ions provided an insight into common sources and formation pathways of key atmospheric ions, such as SO42- , NH4+ and C2O42-. To our knowledge, time-resolved measurements of water-soluble ions in PM 2.5 are virtually non-existent in rural locations on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Overall this dataset contributes towards a better understanding of atmospheric composition in the Maritime Continent, a region of the tropics that is vulnerable to the effects of poor air quality, largely as a result of rapid industrialisation in East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Spatiotemporal variations of CO 2 emissions were explored from multiple perspectives. • Impact factors of CO 2 emissions were quantified and compared at different levels. • Spatiotemporal variations of CO 2 emissions are greater at the prefecture level compared to the provincial level. • Impact factors of CO 2 emissions vary substantially across two levels. Abstract Due to the continuing industrialization and urbanization, China's CO 2 emissions have experienced a rapid increase in recent 30 years. The increase of CO 2 emissions will not only effect country's own sustainable development, but also potentially pose a negative impact on the global climate stability. Since the socioeconomic development is sensitive to geographic scales and regional heterogeneity, a systematic investigation of spatiotemporal variations (SV) of CO 2 emissions and their impact factors (IF) across different levels will help to develop more effective and reasonable policies and measures for CO 2 emissions mitigation. However, multi-scale analysis of those issues is still lacking. Hence, using two administrative levels (e.g., prefectures or provinces) in China as experimental objects, this study attempted to quantify and compare SV and IF of CO 2 emissions from nighttime light images and socioeconomic data at different levels using the variation coefficient (VC), spatial autocorrelation spatial model, and spatial econometric model. Our results show that the VC of CO 2 emissions is uninterruptedly increases from 0.66 in 1997 to 0.73 in 2006, and then gradually decreases to 0.69 in 2012 at the provincial level, and it consistently decreases from 1.29 in 1997 to 1.03 in 2012 at the prefectural level. The Global Moran's I of CO 2 emissions increases from 1997 to 2012 at the provincial and prefectural levels. Specifically, the Global Moran's I gradually increases from 0.23 in 1997 to 0.27 in 2012 at the provincial level, while it shows a rapid growth trend, from 0.23 in 1997 to 0.34 in 2012 at the prefectural level. The proportion of second industry has been demonstrated as a major factor influencing CO 2 emissions at different levels, while gross domestic product, urbanization rate, and population play more important roles in CO 2 emissions at the prefectural level. This study illustrates that China's CO 2 emissions are sensitive to the spatial-temporal hierarchy of multi-mechanisms, and suggests that "proceed in the light of local conditions" strategies can help Chinese government for CO 2 emissions mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract How to protect the Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (IAHS) has become a practical problem to be solved due to its number increasing rapidly. To promote the industrial integration development (IID) in IAHS sites was an essential measure regarded widely. This paper first reviewed IID theories, and then analyzed resources characteristics in IAHS sites and IAHS conservation requirements. Then based on these aspects, an IID theoretical framework was built for IAHS sites. In the theoretical framework, the definition and connotation and the principles that IID should abide by were proposed first, and then an implemented procedure of IID was built. The implemented procedure drew an IID route for IAHS sites, which describes the key indexes of assessment on the IID level, how to analyze resources characteristics, which resource types can be used, how to achieve industrial integration, how to organize operating entities of industries and how to balance benefits of stakeholders. The theory indicated the distinctiveness and key aspects of IID in IAHS sites and suggested how to promote the IID in IAHS sites and which themes are research priorities. Highlights • Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (IAHS) conservation is a crucial work for IAHS sites. • Promoting Industrial Integration Development (IID) in IAHS sites is an essential protective measure. • IID in IAHS sites is restrained by conservation conditions but also has many resources advantages. • This paper proposes a theoretic framework of IID in IAHS sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Rapid increase in industrialization and urbanization in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia has led to the intense release of petroleum and products of petroleum into the environment. Surface sediment samples were collected from the Selangor River in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia during four climatic seasons and analyzed for PAHs and biomarkers (hopanes). Sediments were soxhlet extracted and further purified and fractionated through first and second step column chromatography. A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used for analysis of PAHs and hopanes fractions. The average concentrations of total PAHs ranged from 219.7 to 672.3 ng g−1 dw. The highest concentrations of PAHs were detected at 964.7 ng g−1 dw in station S5 in the mouth of the Selangor River during the wet inter-monsoonal season. Both pyrogenic and petrogenic PAHs were detected in the sediments with a predominance of the former. The composition of hopanes was homogeneous showing that petroleum hydrocarbons share an identical source in the study area. Diagnostic ratios of hopanes indicated that some of the sediment samples carry the crankcase oil signature.Graphical Abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stomach cancer (SC) is a severe health burden, with nearly half of the world's cases found in China. Noticeably, the emissions of heavy metals into the environment have increased alongside rapid urbanization and industrialization in China. However, as regards carcinogenic associations, the relationship between heavy metals and SC is yet unclear. Based on 9378 newly diagnosed SC cases in Hangzhou City from 2009 to 2012, this work is concerned with the quantitative characterization of the spatial distribution pattern of SC incidence and its geographical association with soil heavy metals by means of a novel geographical model. The results show that (a) Cd is one of the severe soil pollutants in Hangzhou; (b) higher SC incidence clusters are in central Hangzhou, whereas lower clusters are found in the northeast and southwest with a male to female incidence ratio about 2.2:1; (c) although when considered separately, the heavy metals in this work do not have a considerable impact on the distribution of SC incidence in Hangzhou City, nevertheless, the joint effects of multiple heavy metals have significant impacts on SC risk. The present work calls for a rigorous quantitative assessment of the integrated heavy metal soil pollution and its effects on SC incidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While metal pollution and distribution in soil are well documented for many countries, the situation is more serious in developing countries because of the rapid increase in industrialization and urbanization during last decades. Although it is well documented in developed countries, data about substantial metal pollution in Indian soil, especially in eastern Ganges alluvial plain (GAP), are limited. In this study, eight different blocks of Patna district located in eastern GAP were selected to investigate the contamination, accumulation, and sources of metals in surface soil considering different land use types. Additionally, human health risk assessment was estimated to mark the potential carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effect of metals in soil. The concentration of all metals (except Pb) in soil was below the Indian standard limit of the potential toxic element for agricultural soil. Pb was the most abundant in soil, followed by Zn and Cu, and accounted for 52, 33 and 8% of the total metal. In terms of land use types, roadside soil detected higher concentrations of all metals, followed by park/grassland soil. Principal component analysis results indicated traffic pollution and industrial emissions are the major sources of heavy metals in soil. This was further confirmed by strong inter-correlation of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu and Pb). Human health risk assessment results indicated ingestion via soil as the primary pathway of heavy metal exposure to both adults and children population. The estimated hazard index was highest for Pb, suggesting significant non-carcinogenic effect to both adults and children population. The children were more prone to the non-carcinogenic effect of Pb than adults. However, relatively low cancer risk value estimated for all metals suggested non-significant carcinogenic risk in the soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current debate on critical raw materials lacks a historical dimension. While the idea of identifying certain raw materials as particularly problematic - and therefore critical - to future development is not a new one, a historical perspective has not yet been systematically integrated into the debate. This article explores concepts from history of technology to make suggestions about how we can better understand the ways in which reflection triggers and shapes material change. It discusses the concepts of social construction of technology (SCOT) and the development of technological systems, applying them to the debates on the criticality of wood and limestone during the age of industrialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article talks about air and tries to present its understanding as a medium of life. Topics discussed include the impact of industrialization and modernization on air quality, with increased air pollution; the role played by air pollution in global climate change; and the Enlightenment theory of climate. Also mentioned are the increasing carbon dioxide emissions, the definition of atmosphere in climate science, and the human experience of weather and climate.

Intense mining, smelting, and tailing activities of polymetallic ore deposits have affected the environment in Nandan County, Guangxi, China. Samples of particulates with aerodynamic diameters low or equal 10 μm (PM10) were collected in Nandan County to investigate the concentrations of and health risks posed by 17 metals and metalloids in the PM10. The metal and metalloid concentrations were lower than those found in other industrial cities. The mean Cr concentration was 7.48 ng/m3. Significant higher metal and metalloid concentrations were found in PM10 from mining areas (Dachang and Chehe) than from the control area (Liuzhai) (p < 0.05). Principal component analysis indicated that the main sources of Ba, Co, Cr, Fe, K, Mg, Mo, Na, and Sr were resuspension of the soil produced through mineral erosion, the main sources of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Sb, and Zn were smelting and mining activities, and the main source of Ni was fossil fuel combustion. Higher non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks were posed in Dachang and Chehe than in Liuzhai. The non-carcinogenic risks posed to adults and children by individual metals and metalloids in PM10 at all the sites were low, but the non-carcinogenic risks posed to children by all the metals and metalloids together exceeded the safe level (i.e., risk value > 1). The carcinogenic risks posed by Cd, Ni, and Pb were negligible at all sites, while As, Co, and Cr posed potential carcinogenic risks to the residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid industrialization and urbanization have contaminated air and soil by heavy metals and metalloids from biogenic, geogenic and anthropogenic sources in many areas of the world, either directly or indirectly. A case study was conducted in three different microenvironments, i.e., residential sites, official sites and official sites; for each sites, we choose two different locations to examine the elemental concentration in fine particulate matter and soil and health risk assessment. The concentration values of heavy metals and metalloid in the air and soil in the Agra region were measured using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrophotometry. The exposure factor and health risk assessment for carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects due to heavy metals and metalloid contaminants have been calculated for both children and adults by following the methodology prescribed by USEPA. For the elements As, Cr, Cd, Ni and Pb selected for the carcinogenic health risk assessment, the calculated results lie above the threshold ranges. We observed the lifetime exposure to heavy metals through mainly three pathways, ingestion, inhalation and dermal contact of soil and air from that particular area. Therefore, the overall hazard quotient (HQ) values for children are more than that of adults. The assessment of health risk signifies that there were mainly three exposure pathways for people: ingested, dermal contact and inhalation. The major exposure pathway of heavy metals to both children and adults is ingestion. The values of HQ are higher than the safe level (=1), indicating a high risk exists in present condition. Meanwhile, HQs value for children is higher than that for adults, indicating that children have higher potential health risk than adults in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid industrialization and urbanization pose pressure on water resources in China. Virtual water trade proves to be an increasingly useful tool in water stress alleviation for water-scarce regions, while bringing opportunities and challenges for less developed water-rich regions. In this study, Yunnan, a typical province in southwest China, was selected as the case study area to explore its potential in socio-economic development in the context of water sustainability. Both input-output analysis and structural decomposition analysis on Yunnan's water footprint for the period of 2002–2012 were performed at not only an aggregated level but also a sectoral level. Results show that although the virtual water content of all economic sectors decreased due to technological progress, Yunnan's total water footprint still increased as a result of economic scale expansion. From the sectoral perspective, sectors with large water footprints include construction sector, agriculture sector, food manufacturing & processing sector, and service sector, while metal products sector and food manufacturing & processing sector were the major virtual water exporters, and textile & clothing sector and construction sector were the major importers. Based on local conditions, policy suggestions were proposed, including economic structure and efficiency optimization, technology promotion and appropriate virtual water trade scheme. This study provides valuable insights for regions facing “resource curse” by exploring potential socio-economic progress while ensuring water security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxicity of heavy metals from industrialization poses critical concern, and analysis of sources associated with potential human health risks is of unique significance. Assessing human health risk of pollution sources (factored health risk) concurrently in the whole and the sub region can provide more instructive information to protect specific potential victims. In this research, we establish a new expression model of human health risk based on quantitative analysis of sources contribution in different spatial scales. The larger scale grids and their spatial codes are used to initially identify the level of pollution risk, the type of pollution source and the sensitive population at high risk. The smaller scale grids and their spatial codes are used to identify the contribution of various sources of pollution to each sub region (larger grid) and to assess the health risks posed by each source for each sub region. The results of case study show that, for children (sensitive populations, taking school and residential area as major region of activity), the major pollution source is from the abandoned lead-acid battery plant (ALP), traffic emission and agricultural activity. The new models and results of this research present effective spatial information and useful model for quantifying the hazards of source categories and human health a t complex industrial system in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the water ecosystem is being polluted due to the rapid industrialization and massive use of antibiotics, fertilizers, cosmetics, paints, and other chemicals. Chemical oxidation is one of the most applied processes to degrade contaminants in water. However, chemicals are often unable to completely mineralize the pollutants. Enhanced pollutant degradation can be achieved by Fenton reaction and related processes. As a consequence, Fenton reactions have received great attention in the treatment of domestic and industrial wastewater effluents. Currently, homogeneous and heterogeneous Fenton processes are being investigated intensively and optimized for applications, either alone or in a combination of other processes. This review presents fundamental chemistry involved in various kinds of homogeneous Fenton reactions, which include classical Fenton, electro-Fenton, photo-Fenton, electro-Fenton, sono-electro-Fenton, and solar photoelectron-Fenton. In the homogeneous Fenton reaction process, the molar ratio of iron(II) and hydrogen peroxide, and the pH usually determine the effectiveness of removing target pollutants and subsequently their mineralization, monitored by a decrease in levels of total organic carbon or chemical oxygen demand. We present catalysts used in heterogeneous Fenton or Fenton-like reactions, such as H2O2-Fe3+(solid)/nano-zero-valent iron/immobilized iron and electro-Fenton-pyrite. Surface properties of heterogeneous catalysts generally control the efficiency to degrade pollutants. Examples of Fenton reactions are demonstrated to degrade and mineralize a wide range of water pollutants in real industrial wastewaters, such as dyes and phenols. Removal of various antibiotics by homogeneous and heterogeneous Fenton reactions is exemplified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human activities such as industrialisation, urbanisation and agriculture have adversely impacted terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Water pollutants such as heavy metals and nanoparticles can undergo bioaccumulation and bioaugmentation. Heavy metals cannot be degraded and are hence added permanently. Nanoparticles are a potential threat because of their small size and unique properties. This article reviews the impact of various pollutants on aquatic biota and presents remediation methods. Benthic macroinvertebrates can be used as bioindicators to study the impact of pollutants on aquatic ecosystems. Fishes occupy the highest trophic level in the aquatic food chain and can therefore accumulate large amounts of metal from water, ultimately leading to biomagnification. Some organic compounds such as pesticides and fungicides are carcinogenic and sometimes resistant to degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the prevalence of high air pollution levels in Beijing, China. Topics discussed include failure of the Chinese government's efforts to clean the air since the 2008 Olympic games which was organized in the city, the accumulation of a murky kong qi wu ran smog and its health impacts and the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the region. Topics including impact of industrialization on the environment in China and the country's air pollution control approaches are discussed.

The rapid development of industry has made great progress in economy and society. However, the problems of resource shortage and environmental pollution are becoming more and more serious. The coordinated development of economy, energy and environment in industrial sector is an important guarantee for achieving global sustainable development goals. This study took 11,909 micro industrial enterprises in Anhui Province, China as the research objects, used super-efficient data envelope analysis models to measure corporate performances before and after considering energy constraints, analyzed performance changes and explored corporate attributes corresponding to these changes. The results show that although energy constraints reduced the corporate performance of the enterprise sample as a whole, the effects vary among enterprises. Performance may increase, decrease or remain constant, and the increasing degree of corporate performance is significantly lower than the corresponding reduction. Corporate performances mostly change by a small amount, and the closer an enterprise’s performance is to the market average, the less it is influenced by energy constraints, and vice versa. Enterprises that increase performance are mainly low energy-consuming enterprises, small-scale enterprises and private enterprises. In contrast, enterprises that experience performance reduction are mostly high energy-consuming enterprises, large-scale enterprises and state-owned enterprises. In the future, enterprise development should differentiate energy saving and emission reduction policies, provide more financial support for technological innovation, guide a reasonable size distribution among enterprises, encourage stock diversification and establish strict market access systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid development and industrialization in Southeast (SE) Asia has led to environmental pollution, potentially exposing the general population to environmental contaminants. Human biomonitoring (HBM), measurement of chemical and/or their metabolites in human tissues and fluids, is an important tool for assessing cumulative exposure to complex mixtures of chemicals and for monitoring chemical exposures in the general population. While there are national HBM programs in several developed countries, there are no such national programs in most of the SE Asian countries. However, in recent years there has been progress in the field of HBM in many of the SE Asian countries. In this review, we present recent HBM studies in five selected SE Asian countries: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand. While there is extensive HBM research in several SE Asian countries, such as Thailand, in other countries HBM studies are limited and focus on traditional environmental pollutants (such as lead, arsenic and mercury). Further development of this field in SE Asia would be benefited by establishment of laboratory capacity, improving quality control and assurance, collaboration with international experts and consortiums, and sharing of protocols and training both for pre-analytical and analytical phases. This review highlights the impressive progress in HBM research in selected SE Asian countries and provides recommendations for development of this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Environmental management systems (EMS) have been introduced globally to reduce environmental degradation issues brought about by industrial development. The research discussed in this paper is aimed at identifying the benefits and motivations of the implementation of EMS in compliance with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 standard in Malaysian industries by using the pairwise comparison method. Experts in EMS from the Scientific and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia were invited to participate in the research panel. Based on the experts’ input, data analysis was carried out by using multi‐criteria pairwise comparisons. The findings showed the ranked benefits and motivations of the implementation of the ISO 14001 standard for businesses. The results can indicate to policy‐makers and business advisors how businesses can be encouraged to implement the ISO 14001. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We carried out field measurements of aerosols in Lhasa, a major city in the Tibetan Plateau that has been experiencing fast urbanization and industrialization. Aerosol number size distribution was continuously measured using an optical particle size spectrometer near the center of Lhasa city during the Asian summer monsoon season in 2016. The mass concentration of fine particles was modulated by boundary layer dynamics, with an average of 11 μg m −3 and the high values exceeding 50 μg m −3 during religious holidays. Daytime high concentration coincided with the religious burning of biomass and incense in the temples during morning hours, which produced heavy smoke. Factor analysis revealed a factor that likely represented religious burning. The factor contributed 34% of the campaign-average fine particle mass and the contribution reached up to 80% during religious holidays. The mass size distribution of aerosols produced from religious burnings peaked at ∼500 nm, indicating that these particles could efficiently decrease visibility and promote health risk. Because of its significance, our results suggest that further studies of religious burning, a currently under-studied source, are needed in the Tibetan Plateau and in other regions of the world where religious burnings are frequently practiced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is considered to be the most systematic methodology that is widely used in the area of energy analysis. However, embodied energy (EE) and carbon (EC) analysis requires significant time and effort to ensure the reliability of the LCA results. Therefore, a more comprehensive model of conducting the energy analysis is required to provide more realistic EE and EC analysis in turn. Hybrid LCA has been identified as the best model in improving the completeness of EE and EC inventory data. However, such a benefit was not empirically verified extensively, especially in the Malaysian construction industry. This paper demonstrates an extended application of hybrid LCA to Malaysian building design systems, and further investigates the completeness of the model. Finally, the potential for EE and EC reduction through the allocation of low EE and EC intensities of alternative materials, products or components has been evaluated. The results revealed that the hybrid LCA improved the completeness of the EE and EC inventory data compared with other models. By using low EE and EC intensity materials, products or components, a total EE and EC reduction of 43% and 41%, respectively was achieved. The results showed that the proposed methodology can assist designers practically during the early stage of the design process in the Malaysian construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]