Evaluation of the water quality of the Shkumbini river in the Elbasan area

River is one of the main rivers with a length of 181 km. The watershed of this river (2445 km), includes the eastern and central part of Albania, and is characterized by forested areas. Part of the water is collected from deforested areas with high erosion. Natural factors (erosion) are dominant in the upper stream of the river, contributing to the values of TSS and different metals. But the anthropogenic factor, which is related to urban emissions and industrial activities, has a big impact. This happens in the middle stream of the river flow (Elbasan field). For this purpose, the water quality of the Shkumbini river was monitored for 4 years (2017-2020) in two stations (Labinot and Paper). Ten physico-chemical parameters. pH, Total hardness (TH), Nitrite (NO-2) , Nitrate (NO-3), Chloride (Cl-), Alkalinity, TSS and TDS, DO and Conductivity (EC) were analyzed and compared with WHO standard values and NIVA classification. The evaluation shows that we have an impact of human and industrial activity on the river waters. Determining the level of anthropogenic pollution is very important since about 28,000 ha of agricultural land is irrigated by this river

New consideration for Biodiesel laboratory scale production using modeling and simulation techniques

Biodiesel is a material serving as a promising energy alternative to cover the demand of clean sustainable energy sources. Conventional biodiesel production is done by transesterification method using stirred tank reactor and homogeneous base or acid catalyst then followed by purification process. However, there are some disavantages related with this method. They include soap formation, sensitivity to free fatty acid (FFA) content and purification difficulties.Transesterification process depends upon a number of process parameters which are required to be optimized in order to maximize the biodiesel yield. In this paper we have worked for flow sheet constructions of Biodiesel small plant using computer simulating software. All the conclusion results will be shown in simulation part of paper. The core objective of this paper would to design and develop a profitable biodiesel production plantby examining all models

Environmental and livelihood impacts of dams: a case study

Albanian hydrographical territory is 57% (more than 152 rivers) larger than its geographical territory. Although with small flows, their considerable cascade makes these rivers substantially important for the hydropower potential offered to the country. Traditionally, Albania electricity is based on hydropower which stays precisely 99.8%. The rise of electricity from hydropower production has been the only solution and therefore, the electricity security strategy is based on the increased generation capacities. This paper aims to present the environmental and socioeconomic impact of Fierza hydro power plant, Koman hydro power plant and Vau i Dejës hydro power plant. Therefore, the main problems and challenges of the municipalities where the hydropower plants are located are identified. In all three hydropower plants, the main environmental problems are solid waste pollution, pollution from the discharge of urban wastewater from dwellings, commercial and industrial entities without prior treatment, sediment accumulation, deforestation, erosion and floods. The economy is not very developed. It is mainly based on the rural economy. Investment absence, mainly in road infrastructure has affected the underdevelopment of agriculture and tourism. Financial problems have affected demographic movements towards large cities. This has affected the closure of schools. These are areas with very good climate and geographical position, which need investment to recover

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

An Alternative Way to Manage Waste Cooking Oils for Biodiesel Production

Biodiesel is a promising alternative energy solution to meet the need for sustainable sources of clean energy. Biodiesel has proven to be the best substitute for fossil oil due to its unique properties such as: low toxicity, no sulfur emissions, no particulate pollution, significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and biodegradability. Biodiesel production can be the solution to the problem of how to deal with waste cooking oils (WCO) and the associated problem of environmental contamination. Every year, tones of WCO are poured into toilets and drains, contaminating water supplies and creating serious problems in waste water treatment plants. WCO is a waste material that can be used to produce biodiesel. The main aim of this study is to determine how the type of WCO (and how much it has been used) affect the quality of the biodiesel obtained. Several processes for the production of biodiesel have been developed, among which transesterification using alkaline catalysis gives high levels of conversion of triglycerides to their corresponding methyl esters in short reaction times. Used cooking oils are used as raw materials, adaptation of continuous transesterification process and recovery of high-quality glycerol from biodiesel by-products (glycerin) are the main options to be considered to reduce the cost of biodiesel. There are four main ways to make biodiesel, direct use and blending, micro emulsions, thermal cracking (pyrolysis) and transesterification. The most common method is transesterification of vegetable oils and animal fats. The transesterification reaction is affected by the molar ratio of glycerides to alcohol, catalysts, reaction temperature, reaction time, and the free fatty acids and water content of the oils or fats. The mechanism and kinetics of transesterification show how the reaction occurs and progresses

Toxicity tests using living organisms

Toxic chemicals pose a serious and continuous risk for specific parts of the food chain, leading to the extinction of different communities. The effects of toxins might be direct or indirect. The sub lethal effects lead to the change of the behavior of an organism. The acute or chronic tests might be performed for water or terrestrial organisms, according to the OECD standards, in different levels of the food chain and thus it is possible to predict the pollution effect in the ecosystem. This study has taken in consideration the acute and chronic tests using Daphnia sp. The goal of the research is the behavior evaluation of these organisms, common inhabitants of water systems, towards the change of the concentration of different chemicals. These organisms are taken from their natural habitat and then raised in laboratory conditions, in accordance with their natural habitat needs. Acute tests are performed using different concentrations of specific chemicals. Physical-chemical parameters of their natural water habitat are taken in consideration as well. The experimental laboratory data are then elaborated in order to determine the highest concentration of the tested chemical that shows adverse effects on Daphnia population, as well as the lowest concentration with no effect. The laboratory results are evaluated and compared with other similar studies

Drinking water quality determination through the water pollution indicators, Elbasan district

Today's drinking water supply in the Elbasan district continues to be an issue of concern. The population growth nowadays is accompanied by the increase of request for water use. To complete their needs, people have chosen to use groundwater by opening wells. Having their personal well does not guarantee water safety. The aim of this paper is to determine the quality of drinking water through coliform bacteria indicators, in Elbasan district. There are three groups of coliform bacteria, total coliform, intestinal enterococci and Escherichia coli. Each of these is an indicator of drinking water quality and each has a different level of risk. In this study are analyzed many water samples taken from villages Labinot fushë, Gjergjan, Papër, Shushicë, and Bradashesh. In some of these villages, the water samples are taken from wells and pipes. The total coliform, E. coli, and intestinal enterococci in drinking water of these villages are reflected in this study. The data recorded shows which of the analyzed water sources are within the international standards to be used as drinking water. The coliform pollution levels are higher in the wells water than in the pipes one. The distant areas from the city of Elbasan are more polluted than those nearby