Peroxodisulphate salts as novel photooxidants for color wastewater treatment

Ispuštanje obojenih otpadnih voda iz pogona primjene bojila kao što je tekstilna industrija, jedna je od glavnih prijetnji okolišu zbog opasnosti za zdravlje cjelokupne flore i faune zbog toksičnosti, vrlo često i kancerogenosti organskih onečišćivala prisutnih u obojenim otpadnim vodama. Takve otpadne vode neophodno je obraditi prije ispusta. Upravljanje tehnološkim otpadnim vodama podrazumijeva multidisciplinarni pristup i usuglašavanje sa sve strožom zakonskom regulativom Europske unije. U ovom radu, napredni oksidacijski procesi (engl. Advanced Oxidation Processes – AOP): procesi Fentonovog tipa, UV/O3, UV/S2O82-/O3, primijenjeni su za razgradnju i mineralizaciju organskog bojila C.I. Reactive Red 45 (RR 45) u vodenoj otopini. Za navedene procese određeni su optimalni uvjeti za maksimalnu djelotvornost razgradnje organskog onečišćivala, a na osnovi promjene sadržaja ukupnog organskog ugljika (TOC). Fotooksidativna razgradnja i mineralizacija RR45 ispitana je primjenom UV zračenja u prisutnosti peroksodisulfata u šaržnom fotoreaktoru. Ispitivan je utjecaj početne koncentracije peroksodisulfata, pH vrijednosti, koncentracije bojila RR45 i dodanog sintetskog zeolita na stupanj razgradnje i mineralizacije. U procesima ozonacije mijenjane su početne pH vrijednosti te je ispitan utjecaj koncentracije peroksodisulfata i ozona na ukupnu djelotvornost procesa obrade. Dobiveni rezultati pokazuju da maksimalan stupanj mineralizacije ovisi o reakcijskim uvjetima za svaki od primijenjenih procesa.The discharge of colored wastewaters from the plant application industries, such as the textile industry, is one of the major threats to the environment due to the documented health hazards caused by the toxicity and very often by the carcinogenic nature of contained organic contaminents. Hence, such wastewater is necessary to treat prior to discharge. Wastewater management technology involves a multidisciplinary approach and complies with stringent law regulation of the European Union. In the present study, Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs): Fenton type processes, UV/ O3, UV/ S2O82-/O3, have been applied to degrade and mineralize organic dye C. I. Reactive Red 45 (RR 45) in water solution. Optimal process conditions for the highest mineralization efficiency were determined on the basis of total organic carbon (TOC). The photooxidative degradation and mineralization of RR45 was investigated using UV radiation in the presence of peroxodisulfat (S2O82-) salt in a batch photoreactor. The influence of peroxodisulfat dosage, pH, initial dye concentration and added synthetic zeolites ZSM5 type on the rate of color removal and mineralization extents was also studied. In the case when ozonation processes were applied the influence of initial pH, peroxodisulfat dosage and initial dye concentration on the rate of color removal and decrease of TOC values was studied. Obtained results show that maximal partial mineralization extents depended on the reaction conditions for each of the applied processes

Long-term changes in macrophyte distribution and abundance in a lowland river

The aim of this study was to reveal the changes of macrophyte community over time and along the course of the Ižica River. In 1996, 2000, and 2016, we surveyed the distribution and abundance of macrophyte species in the lowland Ižica River, which originates in the town of Ig and then flows through an agricultural landscape. We calculated the River Macrophyte Index (RMI), which reflects the ecological status of the river. In 2016, ecomorphological conditions of the river, using the Riparian, Channel and Environmental inventory, were also assessed. In just 10.5 km of the river, we identified 27 taxa of macrophytes, among which Potamogeton natans, Sagittaria sagittifolia, and P. perfoliatus were the most abundant. Detrended correspondence analysis showed that, in 1996, the surveyed stretches differed more according to macrophyte composition than in the following years. The assessed environmental parameters explained 43% of the variability of the macrophyte speciesriverbank stability explained 20%, riverbed structure 10%, while vegetation type of the riparian zone and bottom type explained 7 and 5%, respectively. The species composition of the macrophyte community revealed significant changes over the years of the riverine ecosystem. Comparison of RMIs in 1996 revealed better conditions in the upper and middle part of the river, while in 2016, the situation was the opposite, since the conditions in the upper part deteriorated significantly over time, while the lower part of the river had the best ecological status. These changes may be due to a considerable increase in the population of the settlement Ig, while better status in the lower course of the river may be a consequence of improvements in the infrastructure and the use of sustainable agricultural practices in the catchment due to the establishment of a formal area of protection

Artificial neural network models for advanced oxidation of organics in water matrix–Comparison of applied methodologies

21-29This study focuses on development, characterization and validation of an artificial neural network (ANN) model for prediction of advanced oxidation of organics in water matrix. The different ANNs, based on multilayer perceptron (MLP) and radial basis function (RBF) methodologies, have been applied for modeling of the behavior of complex system; zero-valent iron activated persulfate oxidation (Fe0/S2O82-) of reactive azo dye C.I. Reactive Red 45 (RR45) in aqueous solution. The input variables for ANN modeling are corresponding to Fe0/S2O82- process parameters such as pH, dosage of zero-valent iron and concentration of persulfate, while the system output is the mineralization extent of aqueous RR45 solution after the treatment by Fe0/S2O82- at set conditions. The performance of developed ANN models has been compared and evaluated with regard the applied methodology, training algorithm, activation function and network topology. The results show that MLP methodology needs sinusoidal activation function to reveal the maximal capability. It is demonstrated that although ANN model based on RBF methodology offers good predictive ability, its capability to extrapolate is limited. The full potential of ANN modeling is reached using MLP methodology and scaled conjugate gradient training algorithm in combination with sinusoidal activation function, 6 hidden layer neurons and 8 experimental data points. Based on external validation set, it is demonstrated that the developed model is accurate with the average of relative error 1.70%, and there is no absolute or proportional systematic error. </span

Enhancing the Photocatalytic Performance of BiVO₄ for Micropollutant Degradation by Fe and Ag Photomodification

Wider application of BiVO4 (BVO) for photocatalytic water treatment is primarily limited by its modest photocatalytic effectiveness, despite its appropriately narrow band gap for low-cost, sunlight-facilitated water treatment processes. In this study, we have photomodified an isotype BVO, consisting of a tetragonal zircon and monoclinic scheelite phase, with Fe (Fe@BVO) and Ag (Ag@BVO) ionic precursors under UV illumination in an aqueous ethanol solution in order to assess their effect on the opto-electronic properties and effectiveness for the removal of ciprofloxacin (CIP). Fe@BVO failed to demonstrate enhanced effectiveness over pristine BVO, whereas all Ag@BVO achieved improved CIP degradation, especially 1% Ag@BVO. At pH 4 and 6, 1% Ag@BVO demonstrated nearly 24% greater removal of CIP than BVO alone. Photomodification with Fe created surface oxygen vacancies, as confirmed by XPS and Mott–Schottky analysis, which facilitated improved electron mobility, although no distinct Fe-containing phase nor Fe-doping was detected. On the other hand, the introduction of mid-band gap states by oxygen vacancies decreased the reducing power of the photogenerated electrons as the flat band potentials were shifted to more positive values, thus likely negatively impacting superoxide formation. In contrast, Ag-photomodification (Ag@BVO) resulted in the formation of Ag2O/AgO and Ag nanoparticles on the surface of BVO, which, under illumination, generated hot electrons by surface plasmon resonance and enhanced the mobility of photogenerated electrons. Our research underscores the pivotal role of photogenerated electrons for CIP degradation by BiVO4-based materials and emphasizes the importance of appropriate band-edge engineering for optimizing contaminant degradation

Guidelines for treatment of atopic dermatitis

Atopijski dermatitis česta je, kronično recidivirajuća upalna bolest kože karakterizirana složenom etiopatogenezom i raznolikim kliničkim fenotipom. Klinička slika može biti različita, a bolest je obilježena ponavljajućim dermatitisom, izraženim svrbežom i značajnim utjecajem na kvalitetu života oboljele osobe i cijele obitelji. Dijagnoza se postavlja na temelju kliničke slike prema standardiziranim dijagnostičkim kriterijima, a procjena težine bolesti prema standardiziranim instrumentima za procjenu težine bolesti. Liječenje treba prilagoditi svakom bolesniku, a cilj liječenja je smanjiti simptome svrbeža, obnoviti oštećenu kožnu barijeru, spriječiti egzacerbaciju bolesti, spriječiti odnosno liječiti komplikacije i komorbiditete te smanjiti negativni utjecaj bolesti na kvalitetu života. Zahvaljujući napretku u razumijevanju etiopatogeneze, terapijske mogućnosti su zadnjih godina značajno napredovale. Hrvatsko dermatovenerološko društvo Hrvatskoga liječničkog zbora predstavlja smjernice za dijagnostiku i liječenje atopijskog dermatitisa. Smjernice su rezultat konsenzusa hrvatskih stručnjaka za atopijski dermatitis koji su kritički proučili mjerodavnu znanstvenu literaturu, koja se temelji na najboljim dokazima.Atopic dermatitis is a common, chronically recurrent inflammatory skin disease characterized by a complex etiopathogenesis and a variable clinical phenotype. The clinical presentation is heterogeneous, and the disease is characterized by a recurrent dermatitis, intense itching and a significant impact on the quality of life of patients and their family. The diagnosis is based on the clinical presentation according to the standardized diagnostic criteria, while the assessment of disease severity of the disease is based on the standardized tools for disease severity assessment. Treatment should be tailored to each patient profile, and the goal of the treatment is focused on decreasing symptoms and renewing damaged skin barrier, preventing the exacerbation of the disease and preventing or treating the complications and comorbidities, and decreasing the negative influence of the disease on the patient’s quality of life. Due to progress in understanding the etiopathogenesis, treatment options have significantly expanded in the past years. The Croatian Society of Dermatovenerology of the Croatian Medical Association is presenting guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of atopic dermatitis. These guidelines are the result of consensus of Croatian experts based on critical analysis of relevant, evidence-based scientific literature

Guidelines for treatment of atopic dermatitis

Atopijski dermatitis česta je, kronično recidivirajuća upalna bolest kože karakterizirana složenom etiopatogenezom i raznolikim kliničkim fenotipom. Klinička slika može biti različita, a bolest je obilježena ponavljajućim dermatitisom, izraženim svrbežom i značajnim utjecajem na kvalitetu života oboljele osobe i cijele obitelji. Dijagnoza se postavlja na temelju kliničke slike prema standardiziranim dijagnostičkim kriterijima, a procjena težine bolesti prema standardiziranim instrumentima za procjenu težine bolesti. Liječenje treba prilagoditi svakom bolesniku, a cilj liječenja je smanjiti simptome svrbeža, obnoviti oštećenu kožnu barijeru, spriječiti egzacerbaciju bolesti, spriječiti odnosno liječiti komplikacije i komorbiditete te smanjiti negativni utjecaj bolesti na kvalitetu života. Zahvaljujući napretku u razumijevanju etiopatogeneze, terapijske mogućnosti su zadnjih godina značajno napredovale. Hrvatsko dermatovenerološko društvo Hrvatskoga liječničkog zbora predstavlja smjernice za dijagnostiku i liječenje atopijskog dermatitisa. Smjernice su rezultat konsenzusa hrvatskih stručnjaka za atopijski dermatitis koji su kritički proučili mjerodavnu znanstvenu literaturu, koja se temelji na najboljim dokazima.Atopic dermatitis is a common, chronically recurrent inflammatory skin disease characterized by a complex etiopathogenesis and a variable clinical phenotype. The clinical presentation is heterogeneous, and the disease is characterized by a recurrent dermatitis, intense itching and a significant impact on the quality of life of patients and their family. The diagnosis is based on the clinical presentation according to the standardized diagnostic criteria, while the assessment of disease severity of the disease is based on the standardized tools for disease severity assessment. Treatment should be tailored to each patient profile, and the goal of the treatment is focused on decreasing symptoms and renewing damaged skin barrier, preventing the exacerbation of the disease and preventing or treating the complications and comorbidities, and decreasing the negative influence of the disease on the patient’s quality of life. Due to progress in understanding the etiopathogenesis, treatment options have significantly expanded in the past years. The Croatian Society of Dermatovenerology of the Croatian Medical Association is presenting guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of atopic dermatitis. These guidelines are the result of consensus of Croatian experts based on critical analysis of relevant, evidence-based scientific literature