An Investigation of the Efficacy of Cuttlefish Bone Powder in the Removal of Reactive Blue 19 Dye from Aqueous Solutions: Equilibrium and Isotherm Studies

Introduction: Discharge of textile wastewater causes the reduction of sunlight penetration, interferes with the receiving waters ecology and damage the environment. The aim of this study was to determine the removal efficiency of reactive blue 19 dye from aqueous solutions by cuttlefish bone powder. Materials & Methods: This study was performed experimentally and in laboratory scale. In this research, the effect of adsorbent dose, contact time, initial dye concentration and pH was evaluated. Dye concentration in unknown samples was determined by UV/Vis spectrophotometer. In order to better understand the adsorption process, the experimental data were analysed with Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Results: Results showed that increasing the adsorbent dose up to 0.4 gr/100ml and increasing of contact time, led to an increase in the efficiency of dye removal. Increasing the initial pH had no effect on the adsorption efficiency and increasing the initial concentration of dye decreased the removal efficiency. The Removal efficacy of the dye was found to be 60%, 45%, 37.5% and 31.9% at the time interval of 3h and the initial dye concentrations of 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg/l, respectively. The experimental data were in good concordance with Langmuir isotherm model (R2=0.993). Conclusion: Cuttlefish bone powder is a natural and inexpensive adsorbent that can be used for the removal of environmental contaminations. The adsorption process is affected by sorbent dose, initial dye concentration and contact time but pH had no significant effect on removal efficienc

The Effect of Exposure to Respirable Dust on Blood Parameters of Workers in a Tile and Ceramic Industryin, Yazd

Introduction: The relationship between elevated level of gas and particulate pollutants with increased mortality resulting from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases has been presented in epidemiological studies. Although the principal mechanisms of diseases are still unknown, inflammatory and homeostatic processes have been known to be related to this issue. Accordingly, this study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the relationship between exposure to respirable particulates and blood parameters of workers in a tile and ceramic industry in Yazd Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 80 healthy workers who were exposed to mineral particulates participated. To determine the concentration of respirable particulates, sampling was performed on the respiratory area based on NIOSH_0600 method, and the blood parameters were measured using standard method. Results: The mean concentration of respirable dust was 2.55 mg/m3, which is lower than standard limit (3 mg/m3). To determine the relationship between the concentration of respirable dust and blood parameters, robust regression test was used and this concentration was significantly and positively correlated with WBC. There was also a significant and negative relationship between MCH and respirable dust in the crude model. Conclusion: Exposure of individuals to respirable dust within a level of 0.05-82.84 mg/m3 has been followed by elevated WBC. As a significant number of people work in tile and ceramic industry and are exposed to high levels of pollutants and are also susceptible to different diseases, change to improve the work and preventive measures are essential

Determination of Health Effects Related to Particular Matter (PM2.5) in Ambient Air of Urmia City

International agency for research on cancer (IARC) has defined outdoor air pollution as a mixture and particulate matter specifically as carcinogenic to humans (IARC Group 1). Outdoor air pollution is a combination of different pollutants result from natural and man-made sources. This study aimed to evaluate exposure to PM2.5 and its effects on human health in north-west of Iran during 2015 to 2016 using AirQ model. The data were taken from online monitoring stations in Urmia city and total mortality estimated using AirQ model. The annual mean of PM2.5 concentrations was 23 μg/m3, which was too higher than 10 μg/m3 recommended by world health organization (WHO) guideline. The total cases for mortality in central relative risk 1.015 were found 143 cases. The main sources of PM were the combustion of fossil fuel. The salty dust storms caused by climate change and drying Urmia Lake. Therefore, increasing green space and extensive activities such as desertification are need to control this phenomenon that is extremely challenging

Determination and risk assessment of heavy metals in air dust fall particles

Background: Urban and industrial development has increased the concentration of heavy metals in various environments, and also, increased their amount in dust fall particles. The aim of this study was to determine and assess the risk of heavy metals in air dust fall particles. Methods: Sampling of air dust fall particles was performed using the British model Dust Fall Jar devices. Heavy metals concentrations in the samples were determined using an atomic absorption spectrometer device. Then, the risk assessment of heavy metals in air dust fall was calculated by three indicators including enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), and integrated pollution index (IPI). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Excel 2016 software. Results: Zn was the most abundant heavy metal. The results of EF index showed that the highest degree of enrichment of dust fall particles with heavy metals is related to Ag and the lowest one is related to Cr. Also, the changes of Mean of both Igeo and IP indicators were as Ag > Pb > Zn > Cd > Cu > Co > Cr. Conclusion: According to the results, it can be concluded that Cr metal is originated from the earth and other metals are of man-made origin and are mainly due to the emissions of vehicles and industries. Also, on average, the samples had very low pollution in relation to all metals. Although the amount of pollution caused by heavy metals has not exceeded the allowable limits, but considering industrial development programs in the region, continuous measures to control air pollution caused by industries, are absolutely necessary. Keywords: Metals, Air pollution, Risk assessmen

Waste to Energy: Challenges and Opportunities in Iran

Introduction: Countries around the world are looking for an appropriate, stable, and affordable replacement for the natural energies. Therefore, the waste is considered as an available resource to produce energy, which by controlling, its effects on the environment could be minimized. Materials and Methods: To conduct this review article, the scientific data related to the topic were gathered from scientific databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Elsevier, Scopus, Springer, Magiran, and SID using waste to energy, Biogas, Incinerator, Landfill, and Pyrolysis as the keywords. In addition, 53 articles were used for this research (from 1993 until 2016). Results: The results indicated that from a technical point of view, according to Iran’s current environment and the properties of the produced waste, most methods mentioned in the study are applicable. However, the important issue is to choose the best technologies with the best functionality in Iran, based on the composition of the municipal solid waste, proved technologies, and the municipal solid waste management strategies. Conclusion: This study recommends construction of incineration plants with an appropriate location for processing municipal, household, and industrial hazardous wastes, as well as energy recovery. In addition, promoting application of household biogas reservoirs in villages and use of pyrolysis for some industries to converse industrial waste into fuel, are further suggested

Determinants of carbon load in airway macrophages in pregnant women

The airway macrophages carbon loading (AMCL) has been suggested to be a biomarker of the long-term exposure to air pollution; however, to date no study has characterized AMCL for the pregnancy period. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the determinants of AMCL during pregnancy in Iran, a middle-income country. This study was based on a sample of 234 pregnant women with term and normal vaginal delivery who were residing in Sabzevar, Iran (2019). We characterized 35 potential determinants of personal exposure to air pollution for each participant, including six personal, nine indoor, and 20 home-outdoor factors. We applied Deletion/Substitution/Addition algorithm to identify the most relevant determinants that could predict AMCL levels. The median (IQR) of AMCL level was 0.12 (0.30) μm2 with a successful sputum induction in 82.9% (194) of participants. Ambient residential PM2.5 levels were positively associated with higher AMCL levels. On the other hand, increased residential distance to the traffic lights, squares and ring-roads, the duration of opening window per day, and opening window during cooking were inversely associated with AMCL levels. Our findings provide novel insights on the different personal, indoor, and outdoor determinants of personal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy in a middle-income country