Environmental measures to reduce air pollution on the territory of a specialized facility

A detailed narrowly focused survey was carried out on one of the three zones of the technological infrastructure of a specialized facility - a hangar for aircraft (LA). A general list of pollutants (SV) released into the atmosphere at the 2nd site - the hangar of a special facility was established. Generators – installations and constructs of polluting components on a specific area of stationary and mobile type, which operate at a special facility, are fixed in the selected sectors. In accordance with the nature of the released components and the nature of the emission source (stationary or mobile type), the 2nd site is divided into 4 sectors. The measurement by sectors was implemented and the concentration of emissions was calculated according to the recommended regulatory acts of the Russian Federation. Indications of the concentration of a number of substances above the regulated MPC for 2 sectors of the 2nd site for the energy and test site of the special facility have been established. In connection with the recorded results, techniques and procedures of organizational and technical regulations that contribute to minimizing the accumulation of pollutants (gases) of functioning aircraft engines are analyzed and recommended. A method of attenuation of near-Earth smoke at an interval of up to two meters from the surface where aircraft engines operate is proposed based on the analysis of environmental measures at specialized facilities. The method is based on a variation in the orientation of the outflow of gas flows from functioning aircraft engines during launch, taxiing, takeoff, landing, and passage of an aircraft (VS) along the airfield track.

Forecasting a meteorological indicator of pollutant dispersion in surface air

An improved algorithm for calculating a meteorological indicator of pollution dispersion in surface air (MIPD) using the COSMO-Ru7 configuration forecast data with a discreteness of 1 hour is presented. Using the MIPD as a function of the transport rate and thermal stratification in the atmospheric boundary layer, precipitation and advective temperature changes, the entire range of atmospheric conditions affecting the dispersion of pollutants is divided into three types: weak (the first type), moderate (the second type), and strong (the third type) dispersion. The worst conditions for the pollutant dispersion are provided by the MIPD of the first type; the set of meteorological parameters that determines it corresponds to adverse weather conditions (AWC) that contribute to the accumulation of pollutants in surface air. The proposed detailing within each type of MIPD in the form of subtypes can be useful for predicting AWC for single sources. Illustrations of the MIPD connection with fluctuations in the level of air pollution during the AWC episodes are given using automated measurements of pollutant concentration and fixed network measurements. An algorithm for the probabilistic forecasting of the MIPD, that allows taking into account the uncertainty of the forecast when issuing AWC warnings, is proposed and implemented. Keywords: meteorological conditions of air pollution, adverse weather conditions, numerical prediction

Recent Improvement Strategies on Metal-Organic Frameworks as Adsorbent, Catalyst, and Membrane for Wastewater Treatment

The accumulation of pollutants in water is dangerous for the environment and human lives. Some of them are considered as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that cannot be eliminated from wastewater effluent. Thus, many researchers have devoted their efforts to improving the existing technology or providing an alternative strategy to solve this environmental problem. One of the attractive materials for this purpose are metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) due to their superior high surface area, high porosity, and the tunable features of their structures and function. This review provides an up-to-date and comprehensive description of MOFs and their crucial role as adsorbent, catalyst, and membrane in wastewater treatment. This study also highlighted several strategies to improve their capability to remove pollutants from water effluent.

OMICs, Epigenetics, and Genome Editing Techniques for Food and Nutritional Security

The incredible success of crop breeding and agricultural innovation in the last century greatly contributed to the Green Revolution, which significantly increased yields and ensures food security, despite the population explosion. However, new challenges such as rapid climate change, deteriorating soil, and the accumulation of pollutants require much faster responses and more effective solutions that cannot be achieved through traditional breeding. Further prospects for increasing the efficiency of agriculture are undoubtedly associated with the inclusion in the breeding strategy of new knowledge obtained using high-throughput technologies and new tools in the future to ensure the design of new plant genomes and predict the desired phenotype. This article provides an overview of the current state of research in these areas, as well as the study of soil and plant microbiomes, and the prospective use of their potential in a new field of microbiome engineering. In terms of genomic and phenomic predictions, we also propose an integrated approach that combines high-density genotyping and high-throughput phenotyping techniques, which can improve the prediction accuracy of quantitative traits in crop species.

Conceptual Background of Bioaccumulation in Environmental Science

Environmental metal pollution is one of the serious global problems with severe health effects due to its persistence and accumulation in living organisms, these require biological strategies such as bioaccumulation for remediation, the main environmental contaminants are associated to water, soil, and air. Meanwhile, Bioaccumulation is the accumulation of pollutants in living organisms which enable to assess the risk related to their presence in the ecosystems. In other words; Bioaccumulation is the net result of all uptake and loss processes, such as respiratory and dietary uptake, and loss by egestion, metabolism, passive diffusion, transfer to offspring and growth. Hence, this paper provides the conceptual background of bioaccumulation factors, effect of heavy metals on the ecosystems, and the organisms involved in the processes as well as some fishes and plants responsible for bioaccumulation.

Arctic Freshwater Environment Altered by the Accumulation of Commonly Determined and Potentially New POPs

Chemical composition of Arctic freshwater ecosystems depends on several factors. They include characteristics of the surrounding landscape, its lithology, geomorphology, vegetation, and hydrological features, as well as accumulation of anthropogenic pollution. In the Arctic, the problem of environmental contamination is widespread. That is why research on lakes and river catchments in terms of their chemical composition has enjoyed increasing interest among scientists worldwide. The freshwater reservoirs of the Arctic are fragile and particularly vulnerable to the uptake of pollutants that become trapped in the water and sediments for an extended period. This review summarises selected studies of freshwater bodies in the Arctic to highlight the problem of the accumulation of pollutants in these reservoirs. Moreover, it emphasises the possible negative impact of chemical pollutants on both animal and human health.

Bioindication of Aerotechnogenic Pollution of Agricultural Landscapes Caused by the Activities of Industrial Hubs

The article provides the assessment of the levels of aerotechnogenic pollution caused by the emissions from stationary pollution sources of industrial agglomerations in Zhytomyr, taking into account climatic conditions that affect the dispersion and accumulation of pollutants in soils and vegetation cover of surrounding agricultural landscapes. The examination of dust accumulated on the surface of leaves showed that it contains high concentrations of Mn, Cr, Pb, Ni, and Cu. The bioindication method with the use of white-tip radishes was applied to estimate the extent of aerotechnogenic pollution. The results of the investigation testified to the high informativeness of the offered test objects. The indexes of soil saturation with heavy metals indicated the presence of intensive processes of their accumulation. As a consequence, this territory became unsuitable for agricultural production. The inhibition of growth of radish roots identified the toxicity level of the investigated technogenic substrates as medium and higher than average. Also, there is inverse close correlation relationship between the distance from the emission source and the soil phytotoxicity indicators in all the investigated directions.

SMFC as a tool for the removal of hydrocarbons and metals in the marine environment: a concise research update

Marine pollution is becoming more and more serious, especially in coastal areas. Because of the sequestration and consequent accumulation of pollutants in sediments (mainly organic compounds and heavy metals), marine environment restoration cannot exempt from effective remediation of sediments themselves. It has been well proven that, after entering into the seawater, these pollutants are biotransformed into their metabolites, which may be more toxic than their parent molecules. Based on their bioavailability and toxic nature, these compounds may accumulate into the living cells of marine organisms. Pollutants bioaccumulation and biomagnification along the marine food chain lead to seafood contamination and human health hazards. Nowadays, different technologies are available for sediment remediation, such as physicochemical, biological, and bioelectrochemical processes. This paper gives an overview of the most recent techniques for marine sediment remediation while presenting sediment-based microbial fuel cells (SMFCs). We discuss the issues, the progress, and future perspectives of SMFC application to the removal of hydrocarbons and metals in the marine environment with concurrent energy production. We give an insight into the possible mechanisms leading to sediment remediation, SMFC energy balance, and future exploitation.

New estimates of eco-intensity considering the hazardous industrial pollution accumulation

The paper proposes a new approach to environmental and economic assessments based on the author’s economic and mathematical model that takes into account the accumulation of hazardous pollutants in natural environments. It also presents the results of calculations showing the dynamics of the increase in the negative impact depending on the natural assimilation of pollutants. This data can be considered as a quantitative assessment of the “environmental cost” that society pays by consuming goods the production of which is accompanied by the accumulation of long-lived pollutants. It is shown that this “price” can very significantly exceed the eco-intensity calculated without taking into account the accumulation of pollutants. Thus, the accumulation of pollutants as a result of economic activity is an important factor in the context of the impact on the ecological and economic balance. The implementation of the results obtained in the adjustment of the calculations of payments for negative environmental impact is proposed: to set payments per unit of production which are not proportional to emissions, but proportional to the eco-intensity calculated according to the proposed methodology. In this case, the accumulation of harmful substances in natural environments, the added value of production and the timing of project implementation will be taken into account. This corresponds to the concept of “green” economy, which provides the growth of well-being and quality of life with the maximum possible reduction of the negative anthropogenic pressure and improvement of the quality of the environment.

Assessment of the soil quality of Haridwar Uttarakhand India: A comparative study

The present study aims to compare the quality of soil of different region of Haridwar with reference to physicochemical and heavy metal parameters. To fulfill the objectives of present study, soil sampling was performed in forest (control site), industrial, residential and agricultural areas in and around Haridwar. Soil samples were analyzed for different physicochemical and heavy metal parameters. Values of all the studied soil parameters were found highest (an increase of 32% in temperature (16.63 to 21.640C), 121% in soil moisture (13.05 to 28.39%), 29.02% in soil porosity (37.56 to 49.03%), and 19.6% in the water holding capacity (36.22 to 43.58%), 74.18% in conductivity (0.25 to 0.40 µMhos/cm), and 203.78% in chloride (16.67 to 53.97mg/gm)) at the industrial area in comparison to other sites. During the course of the study, an increasing trend in all the parameters at all the sites was observed this may be due to the dumping of industrial solid waste and effluent. Although no negative impact was observed on the soil quality but continuous dumping will results in harmful impacts due to the accumulation of pollutants. Therefore there is a need for safe and proper disposal and utilization techniques to manage the enormous quantity of industrial waste. All the heavy metals (such as copper (0.050 to 0.055mg/gm), manganese (0.232 to 0.242mg/gm), nickel (0.035 to 0.036mg/gm), lead (0.039mg/gm), and iron (1.19 to 1.22) were found in higher concentration during the study period while cadmium was found absent during the study period.