Search

Background and Aims: Severe contamination with organic compounds and very high color is characteristic of yeast industry wastewater. Discharging this wastewater into the environment has adverse effects on the environment. The present study was conducted to determine the efficiency of the electrocoagulation (EC) using aluminum electrodes for the removal of color, turbidity, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from the baker's yeast industry wastewater. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, the effect of current densities (60, 80, 100, and 120 A/m2) and reaction times (15, 30, 45, and 60 min) using aluminum electrode was investigated on removal efficiencies of COD, color, and turbidity. The pilot consisted of a reactor with a useful volume of 2.5 l of epoxy glass, a direct current power supply, and aluminum electrodes of 8 cm × 8 cm in diameter. Results: The highest removal efficiencies were obtained to be 83% for COD, 93% for color, and 96% for turbidity at density of 80 A/m2 and 45-min contact time (pH = 7). Under these conditions, the power and electrode consumption was 16.89 kWh and 94.3 g/m3, respectively, and the treatment cost of wastewater was estimated to be 1.5 $ per each cubic meter. Conclusion: The results showed that EC process using aluminum electrode is an appropriate and effective method for removing color, turbidity, and COD from baking industry wastewater.

Background: Nowadays, increasing the use of pesticides to manage the agriculture production resulted in increased pesticide residues in final products and concerns about environmental pollution and prevalence of emerging diseases. This study aims to investigate the residual amount of Phosalone toxin in the early and late varieties of peach orchards in Saman city located in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. Methods: In this study, 60 samples of early and late peach varieties of peach orchards were selected randomly. Phosalone residues in early and late peach varieties before and after washing, and after peeling were extracted by QUECHERS method and the amount of extracted toxin were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The data were analyzed using SPSS v.24 software. Results: Phosalone residues in early peach varieties before and after washing were 3.55 ± 0.94 and 0.31 ± 0.29 mg/kg, respectively. The concentration of Phosalone residues in unwashed early and late peach varieties before washing was 3.17 ± 0.97 mg/kg but decreased to 0.64 ±0.74 mg/kg after washing. Peeling reduced 97.79% of the Phosalone residues in late peach. Early and late peaches covered by the plant pathology clinic and unwashed late peaches not covered by plant pathology clinic were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than the Iranian national standard (2 mg/kg). Conclusion: Washing and peeling the peach significantly decreased the toxin residues. In order to minimize the risk of exposure to Phosalone residues, integrated pest control management programs are essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgroundand Aim. Natural organic matter (NOM) has become one of the most serious environmental problems due to its persistence in aqueous solutions and the risk of carcinogenesis. In this study, the removal efficiencies of real and synthetic humic acid (HA) by multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) coated with iron oxide were evaluated. Materials and Methods. The MWCNs were synthesized and coated with iron oxide. In addition, the effects of pH, contact time, mixing speed, and adsorbent dose on the removal efficiency of NOM by MWCNTs-Fe3O4 were studied. Then, the removal efficiency of NOM from real samples was investigated at optimal conditions. The MWCNT-Fe3O4 was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) test and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Data analysis was performed using Minitab software based on the Taguchi method. Results. The results showed that MWCNTs were coated with Fe3O4. The SEM test shows particle (MWCNTs-Fe3O4) size in the range of 48–143 nm, and the particles have uniform spherical shapes. Enix software was used to identify the phase in this sample. The conditions including p H = 3 , mixing speed = 120 rpm, adsorbent dosage = 1.5 g·L−1, and contact time = 90 minutes were selected as optimal for NOM adsorption. The mean removal efficiencies of NOM in synthetic samples at 5, 10, and 20 mg·L−1 concentrations were 86.6%, 84.87%, and 95.41%, respectively. In addition, the mean removal efficiency of NOM in Choghakhor Wetland was 77%. Conclusion. Our findings demonstrated that the MWCNTs-Fe3O4 can be potentially used as an adsorbent for removing natural organic matter (HA) from aqueous solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the ambient air quality had monitored in views of particulate matter levels and their heavy metals content in a high-altitude region, Shahr-e Kord for the first time. The levels of Total Suspended Particles (TSP), PM10, PM2.5, PM1, TSP-bound Heavy metals, and the related health risks had evaluated from December 2018 to March 2019. The average concentrations of TSP, PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 were 61.85, 51.57, 19.28, and 3.03 µg/m3in December, 54.15, 19.68, 7.37, and 4.89 µg/m3in February, 24.05, 11.32, 4.42, and 2.88 µg/m3in January, 68.22, 33.72, 14.21, and 3.73 µg/m3in March respectively. The concentrations of HMs in TSP ranked in the following decreasing order: Hg>As>Mn> Ni> Cr> Cu>Pb (ng/m3). The health risk assessment showed that the inhabitants in Shahr-e Kord were within the safe range of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks attributed to the exposure with heavy metals present in ambient air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental exposure to heavy metals is a well-known risk factor for cancers. In this study, the content of toxic and essential elements (Pb, Ni, As, Cu, Zn, Fe, and Se) in drinking water, blood, hair, and intestinal tissues of ulcerative colitis (UC) patients was examined. The results demonstrated that the mean concentration of the elements in clinical samples was in the order of intestinal tissue > hair > blood. Health risk assessment showed that As and Pb in drinking water of UC patients may pose non-carcinogenic risk. Also, there is possible cancer risk to drinking water consumers for As. The potential high health risks and the significant correlation between the elements contents of drinking water and clinical samples imply that such environmental pollution should not be overlooked in Chaharmahal-Va-Bakhtiari province, Iran. Special attention should be paid on As pollution of drinking water due to its high canrcinogenic risk (CR), probably on UC tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have adverse effects on the organisms, plants, and soil structure. Therefore, they should be removed by an appropriate and effective method. In this study, simultaneous removal of 500 mg/kgsoil of phenanthrene and pyrene was investigated for the individual and combined application of Tween 80, Triton X-100, and sodium persulfate from the alluvial soil. The results revealed that the maximum removal efficiencies of phenanthrene (94.06 ± 0.30%) and pyrene (90.07 ± 0.19%) were observed in the presence of Triton X-100 + sodium persulfate (0.5 M) within 1 hour, respectively. Also, individual application of surfactants and sodium persulfate had efficiencies of less than 80%. It should be noted that the removal of phenanthrene and pyrene followed the first-order kinetic model. Economic evaluations of combined treatment demonstrated that the application of more proportion of Triton X-100 (10000 mg/L) + less proportion of sodium persulfate (0.3 M) is more cost-effective for the remediation of soil in the field study. Based on the results, the combined application of the washing process by Triton X-100 and persulfate oxidant can significantly improve the removal efficiencies and is a promising technique in the remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contaminated soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of synthetic dyes and heavy metals in textile wastewater is a serious problem. These compounds should be removed before discharge into the environment by an appropriate method. The present study was conducted for the characterization of efficient multi-functional strain Bacillus cereus MS038EH for the simultaneous removal of Reactive Black-5 and Chromium(VI). Maximum decolorization efficiency of 94.74% was achieved at pH 7, 35 °C, and 4% inoculum size for 900 mg/L of Reactive Black-5. Also, 94.10% efficiency was observed in the presence of 8 g/L of yeast extract as an optimum nitrogen source, while carbon sources had no significant effect on decolorization. It should be pointed out that the decolorization efficiency was decreased from 94 to 64% by increasing NaCl concentrations from 0 to 50 g/L, respectively. Bacillus cereus strain MS038EH could decolorize 94.31% of Reactive Black-5 (900 mg/L) and remove 87.31% of chromium(VI) (30 mg/L) within 36 h. Results of Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy proved that Reactive Black-5 was cleaved into the lower molecular weight products without any azo bonds. However, the phyto-toxicity analysis showed that Reactive Black-5 was not toxic for Triticum aestivum and Maize, while biologically treated Reactive Black-5 was toxic for seeds. Therefore, ultraviolet-C/H2O2 was applied for the detoxification of biotransformed products. When ultraviolet-C/H2O2 was applied as post-treatment, the seeds were germinated completely. It is demonstrated that the application of ultraviolet-C/H2O2 after anaerobic treatment is effective for toxicity reduction of textile wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION. The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is an increasing major global public health threat. Mortality rate varies across countries, therefore conducting studies on this disease in different countries is necessary, and will improve disease management worldwide. OBJECTIVE. This study aimed to investigate the COVID-19 disease course characteristics in Iran. METHODS. This is a retrospective study of 108 patients with confirmed COVID-19 from Feb 20 to June 20, 2020, at one Hospital in Iran. In summary, we obtained demographic data, clinical, laboratory, and chest CT findings of patients. The statistical analysis evaluated patients in two groups: recovered or died. RESULT. In brief, cough (70/108, 64.8%) and fever (69/108, 63.9%) were the most common symptoms. CT scan findings of patients with COVID-19 showed that bilateral lung involvement was more common in deceased patients than recovered ones (20/26, 76.9% vs. 30/70, 42.8%, p = 0.026). Laboratory findings of routine blood tests including Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), White Blood Cell (WBC), the number of platelets (PLTs) showed a significant difference between the two groups (p <0.05). There were no significant differences in age and gender between the two groups. CONCLUSION. In this study, we described the features of deceased and recovered patients with COVID-19. Our findings suggest that levels of FBS, ESR, WBC, and PLTs, also patterns of lung involvement, existence of underlying disease, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation can be predictors of mortality risk. Further studies are proposed to investigate these characteristics in different populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, advanced oxidation processes, particularly photocatalyst process and catalytic ozonation by ZnO nanoparticles, are the most efficient method of eliminating pharmaceuticals. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficiency of ultraviolet/zinc oxide (UV/ZnO) and ozone/zinc oxide (O3/ZnO) techniques as advanced oxidation processes in the removal of trimethoprim (TMP) from aqueous solutions. The process consisted of 0.6 g/L of ozone (O3), pH = 7.5 ± 0.5, TMP with a concentration of 0.5–5 mg/L, ZnO with a dose of 50–500 mg/L, 5–30 min reaction time, and 30–180 min contact time with UV radiation (6 W, 256 nm) in a continuous reactor. The high removal efficiency was achieved after 25 minutes when ZnO is used in 1 mg/L TMP under an operational condition at pH 7.5. When the concentration of the pollutant increased from 0.5 to 1, the average removal efficiency increased from 78% to 94%, and then, it remained almost constant. An increase in the reaction time from 5 to 25 minutes will cause the average elimination to increase from 84% to 94%. The results showed that the efficiency of O3/ZnO process in the removal of TMP was 94%, while the removal efficiency of UV/ZnO process was 91%. The findings exhibited that the kinetic study followed the second-order kinetics, both processes. With regard to the results, the photocatalyst process and catalytic ozonation by ZnO nanoparticles can make acceptable levels for an efficient posttreatment. Finally, this combined system is proven to be a technically effective method for treating antibiotic contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenols and phenolic compounds are widely used in everyday life and industry. Environmental stability, solubility in aqueous medium and high toxicity of these compounds are due to their high attention. The purpose of this study is the removal of catechol from wastewater based on the comparative use of two photocatalytic hematite/UV and hematite/sunlight processes. In this experimental laboratory study, the hematite nanoparticles are used with the separate application of UV and sunlight to reduce 10–50 mg L-1 concentration of catechol. The effect of parameters such as hematite concentration, reaction time and pH is studied on the catechol removal efficiency of both processes. The 6-W UV lamp as well as UV-A sunlight is used for radiation on the reactor contents. The remaining catechol concentration in the samples is measured by spectrophotometer within the wavelength of 600 nm. The best catechol removal efficiency by UV/Fe2O3 and Fe2O3 /sunlight processes is 92.3% and 88% obtained at pH = 2, contact time of 60 min, hematite concentration of 4.0 g L-1 and catechol concentration of 50 mg L-1. UV/Fe2O3 process with 0.4 g L-1 Fe2O3 obtained COD removal of 71.3%, while sunlight/Fe2 O3 process achieved lower COD removal of 50.9%. The results showed that UV/Fe2O3 andFe2O3 /sunlight photocatalytic processes have a good potential in catechol removal from aqueous solutions at pilot scale. However, statistical analysis of results did not show a significant difference between the processes. Therefore, it is proposed to study the performance of these processes as a clean and environmentally friendly practice in full scale with real wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, removal of an antibiotic (SDZ) from wastewater using an advanced oxidation process of persulfate (PS) in the presence of iron sulfate (S2O8–2/Fe+2) was investigated. The operational variables such as; the effect of pH, contact time, iron and PS ion concentrations and initial concentration of SDZ on the efficiency of SDZ removal was studied. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the analysis and monitoring of SDZ concentration. It was found that the highest rates of SDZ removal were found to be 95.83±1.342%, 87.15±0.929% and 69.09±0.848%, respectively, for initial SDZ concentration of 0.08, 0.2 and 0.4 mmol. The results showed that the S2O8–2/Fe+2 system would be optimized by contact time of 60 min, pH 4 and iron to PS molar ratio of 1. Therefore, these findings would help to better apply the AOPs to remove recalcitrance pollutants such as SDZ from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, cyanide degradation (at pH12) using S, N-TiO2 photo-catalyst, synthesized by sol-gel method, stabilized on glass microbeads and scoria stones were investigated. The main raw materials were thiourea (Tu) as a source of S and N and tetra butyl orthotitanate (TBOT). The effects of S and N amount, visible and sun light, irradiation time and different initial cyanide concentrations (50, 100, 200 and 300 mg/L) on destruction of cyanide were studied. The S, N-TiO2 film with 0.25 g thiourea showed the best cyanide destruction in visible light. The results showed that cyanide (50 mg/L) was destructed up to 94% in visible light and approximately 100% in sun light by S, N-TiO2/glass microbead. The results also indicated 85% and 94% destruction in visible and sun light respectively by S, N-TiO2/scoria stone within 4 h. Finally, the S, N-TiO2 stabilized on glass microbeads can be effectively implemented as a new method for treatment of wastewater containing free cyanide under sun light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical precipitation is an effective and relatively low cost method for removal of heavy metals. The removal of lead ions from wastewater by a precipitation process was investigated using sodium sulfide and sodium carbonate. Precipitation experiments were performed using storage battery wastewater with lead concentration of 8.8 mg/L and synthetic wastewater with different lead concentration ranging from 5 to 600 mg/L. A series of experiments (each concentration) were carried out under different pH (ranging from 3 to 11) to evaluate the effect of pH on the removal efficiency. The results showed that the removal efficiency of Pb (II) using both chemical reagents (sodium sulfide and sodium carbonate) was increased by increasing pH and initial concentration of lead. Sodium sulfide and sodium carbonate are good predicating agents for lead removal in the pH ranges of 9- 11. Sodium sulfide is found to be effective than sodium carbonate in removing the lead ions from wastewater. The highest lead removal efficiencies for actual and synthetic wastewater using sodium carbonate were 96.8 and 95.7% at pH 11, respectively. The maximum lead removal efficiencies for actual and synthetic wastewater using sodium sulfide were 98.9 and 99.3% at pH 11, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Regarding failure to establish the statistical presuppositions for analysis of the data by conventional approaches, hierarchical structure of the data as well as the effect of higher-level variables, this study was conducted to determine the factors independently associated with hospital mortality due to myocardial infarction (MI) in Iran using a multilevel analysis. Methods: This study was a national, hospital-based, and cross-sectional study. In this study, the data of 20750 new MI patients between April, 2012 and March, 2013 in Iran were used. The hospital mortality due to MI was considered as the dependent variable. The demographic data, clinical and behavioral risk factors at the individual level and environmental data were gathered. Multilevel logistic regression models with Stata software were used to analyze the data. Results: Within 1-year of study, the frequency (%) of hospital mortality within 30 days of admission was derived 2511 (12.1%) patients. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) of mortality with (95% confidence interval [CI]) was derived 2.07 (95% CI: 1.5-2.8) for right bundle branch block, 1.5 (95% CI: 1.3-1.7) for ST-segment elevation MI, 1.3 (95% CI: 1.1-1.4) for female gender, and 1.2 (95% CI: 1.1-1.3) for humidity, all of which were considered as risk factors of mortality. But, OR of mortality was 0.7 for precipitation (95% CI: 0.7-0.8) and 0.5 for angioplasty (95% CI: 0.4--0.6) were considered as protective factors of mortality. Conclusions: Individual risk factors had independent effects on the hospital mortality due to MI. Variables in the province level had no significant effect on the outcome of MI. Increasing access and quality to treatment could reduce the mortality due to MI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to determine the relationship between the environmental factor, clinical risk factors, and individual variables with mortality due to acute myocardial infarction (MI) in Isfahan. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed between April 2012 and March 2013. The data on the patients' mortality due to MI in Isfahan were obtained from the MI National Registry. The international classification system (ICD10:I21-I22) was used to diagnose MI. The air quality indicators and environmental variables were used to measure the air pollution. Multilevel logistic regression in the Stata software was used to determine the factors associated with mortality in patients and odds ratios (ORs) were calculated. Results: Six hundred eleven patients with MI were studied during 1-year. 444 (72.2%) patients were male and the rest were female. 4.7% of the patients died due to MI. The mean age at MI incidence was 62.2 ± 13 years. Of the air pollution parameters, PM10 ad the maximum mean concentration (49.113 ppm), followed by NOX, NO, NO2, CO, SO2, and O3. The adjusted OR of mortality was derived 2.07 (95% CI: 1.5-2.85) for right bundle branch block, 1.5 (95% CI: 1.3-1.7) for ST-segment elevation MI, 1.84 (95% CI: 1.13-3) for age, 1.06 (95% CI: 1.01-1.20) for CO, 1.1 (95% CI: 1.03-1.30) for O3, and 1.04 (95% CI: 1.01-1.4) for SO2, all of which were considered as the risk factors of mortality. However, OR of mortality was 0.79 for precipitation (95% CI: 0.74-0.84) and 0.52 for angioplasty (95% CI: 0.4-0.68) were considered as protective factors of mortality. The individual characteristics including age, history of MI in the immediate family, hypertension, and diabetes were significantly associated with mortality from MI. The indices of air pollution including SO2, CO, O3, and environmental factors such as the precipitation and temperature were the determinants of mortality in patients with MI. Conclusion: With regards to the factors associated with mortality from MI reported in this study, air pollution and environmental factors, in addition to the risk factors and predictive factors, should be particularly addressed to control the mortality from MI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread use of glyphosate and the high dependence of the agricultural industry on this herbicide cause environmental pollution and pose a threat to living organisms. One of the appropriate solutions in sustainable agriculture to deal with pollution caused by glyphosate and its metabolites is creating a symbiotic relationship between plants and mycorrhizal fungi. Glomalin-related soil protein is a key protein for the bioremediation of glyphosate and its metabolite aminomethyl phosphonic acid in soil. This study uses homology modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamic simulation approaches to investigate the binding mechanism of glomalin-related soil protein from arbuscular mycorrhiza (GmHsp60) with glyphosate and its metabolite and the role of soil protein in the removal and sequestering of common agricultural soil pollutants. GmHsp60 protein structure was predicted by homology modeling, and the quality of the generated model was assessed. Then, the interaction between glyphosate and aminomethyl phosphonic acid and the modeled GmHsp60 protein was explored by molecular docking. Based on docking results, GmHsp60 has an efficient role in the bioremediation of glyphosate and aminomethyl phosphonic acid (-6.03 and -5.34 kcal/mol). Glyphosate forms three hydrogen bonds with Lys258, Gly262, and Glu58 of GmHsp60, and aminomethyl phosphonic acid forms three hydrogen bonds with Lys258, Gly261, and Gly262 of GmHsp60. In addition, the glyphosate's and its metabolite's stability was confirmed by molecular docking simulations and binding free energy calculations using MM/PBSA analysis. This study provides a molecular-level understanding of GmHsp60 expression and function for glyphosate bioremediation.

Introduction: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is an increasing major global public health threat. Mortality rate varies across countries, therefore conducting studies on this disease in different countries is necessary, and will improve disease management worldwide., Objective: This study aimed to investigate the COVID-19 disease course characteristics in Iran., Methods: This is a retrospective study of 108 patients with confirmed COVID-19 from Feb 20 to June 20, 2020, at one Hospital in Iran. In summary, we obtained demographic data, clinical, laboratory, and chest CT findings of patients. The statistical analysis evaluated patients in two groups: recovered or died., Result: In brief, cough (70/108, 64.8%) and fever (69/108, 63.9%) were the most common symptoms. CT scan findings of patients with COVID-19 showed that bilateral lung involvement was more common in deceased patients than recovered ones (20/26, 76.9% vs. 30/70, 42.8%, p = 0.026). Laboratory findings of routine blood tests including Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), White Blood Cell (WBC), the number of platelets (PLTs) showed a significant difference between the two groups (p <0.05). There were no significant differences in age and gender between the two groups., Conclusion: In this study, we described the features of deceased and recovered patients with COVID-19. Our findings suggest that levels of FBS, ESR, WBC, and PLTs, also patterns of lung involvement, existence of underlying disease, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation can be predictors of mortality risk. Further studies are proposed to investigate these characteristics in different populations., (© National Institute of Public Health NIH – National Research Institute.)