Micropollutants belong to various groups of chemicals. One of the most diverse and large group of them are pharmaceuticals. The presence of pharmaceutical residues in wastewater poses a significant challenge to water quality and environmental health. This paper provides an overview of recent advancements in the removal of pharmaceuticals from water, focusing on various treatment processes and their effectiveness in eliminating micropollutants. Through a review of the literature, including studies on ozonation, UV irradiation, sulfate radical-based technologies, and photocatalytic processes, insights into degradation mechanisms and optimal conditions for their removal are synthesized. Additionally, with new legislation mandating the monitoring of selected micropollutants and the implementation of quaternary treatment in wastewater treatment plants, the paper discusses prospects for future research and recommendations for effective pharmaceutical removal. Key actions include conducting c... [more]

River and lake dredging projects inevitably produce significant quantities of wastewater and sediment. This accumulation results in dredged soil with high moisture content, characterized by low strength, rendering it unsustainable for use. To facilitate environmentally friendly utilization of wastewater and sediment, solidifying agents and basalt fibers are introduced to solidify the wastewater within the dredged sediment. This process transforms the wastewater, sediment, solidifying agents, and basalt fibers into a novel, strengthened material. This transformation allows for their application as stabilized soil for engineering endeavors. Indoor experiments and scanning electron microscope analyses were performed to examine the deformation characteristics of fiber-stabilized soil and analyze its micro-mechanisms. Research findings suggest that as the curing age increases, the curing agent’s reaction becomes more comprehensive. Fibers have the potential to ameliorate soil damage. The pr... [more]

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New substances and particles appearing in the environment following technological development pose new challenges for separation methods. Moreover, the growing amount of waste also forces us to look for environmentally friendly solutions. One way to create filtration structures with the desired properties is to combine known techniques, thanks to which the advantages of one technique complement the deficiencies and disadvantages of another. Combining the melt-blowing and solution-blowing processes seems to be promising. Fibres created from melt-blowing will provide mechanical strength, while solution-blowing will allow the introduction of nanofibres into the structure with unique filtration and functional properties. Both methods enable working with biodegradable polymers, so the resulting filter can also be environmentally friendly after operation. Our research aimed to check whether combining two fibre production techniques (melt-blown and solution-blowing) is possible and how the jo... [more]

Today’s environmental challenges, marked by escalating pollution levels, climate change and diminishing natural resources, urgently require innovative solutions, particularly in waste and wastewater management [...]

This Special Issue, titled “Sustainable Development Processes for Renewable Energy Technology II: An Overview”, presents a collection of papers in the field of sustainable development in the mineral resource sector, detailing the “seamless” process of transforming energy production into the use of renewable sources [...]

Large-scale deployment of CO2 capture, transport, and storage (CCTS) requires the rolling-out of extensive value chains. In this study, we present the development, design, techno-economic, environmental, and regulatory analysis of four pioneering chains that capture and condition CO2 from existing European industrial plants and their multi-modal transport to selected ports in Northern Europe. The pioneering chains can avoid between 65% and 87% of the industrial emissions, including scope 3, with a cost of CO2 avoided ranging between 100 and 300 euro/tCO2. The economic and environmental performance of the CCTS chains are substantially affected by the geographic location of the industrial emitters and the CO2 volumes to be transported. The analysis relies on the assumption that the four industrial plants would be early movers. While, in the future, technology maturation and infrastructure development are expected to reduce costs and emissions associated with the CCTS chain, this study q... [more]

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-cont... [more]

In recent years, the drilling technology applied to deep and ultra-deep formations has developed rapidly, but the drilling speed for hard formations is low. Therefore, it is very important to study the drilling methods for deep and hard strata. Particle pulsed jet drilling is a new drilling method based on particle jet impact drilling technology and high-pressure pulsed water jet impact drilling technology. In this paper, the mathematical models of the shear layer amplification coefficient and wave velocity are established based on a similar network theory, and the motion equations of a single particle and particle swarm are established according to the motion of particles in a pulsed jet environment. Then, based on the self-designed particle jet impact rock-breaking experimental platform, the numerical simulation results are compared, analyzed, and verified. The results show that the rock-breaking efficiency increases with the increase in the average velocity of the particle pulsed je... [more]

The main obstacles to scaling up membrane distillation (MD) on a commercial level are membrane fouling and temperature polarization. Therefore, in this study, the significance of the pulsation feed flow phenomenon was used for membrane distillation (DCMD) polarization, and comparisons were made using steady-state feed flow. Two different Hertz and amplitudes of pulsation feed flow trends were used in DCMD using different sources of water, including distilled water, seawater, and wastewater. Compared to steady-state feed flow, the results revealed that flux was enhanced for seawater once the operating flow became turbulent, and it enhanced even more once the flow rate was increased and the turbulence flow was moved. For wastewater, pulsation in the feed flow had an impact on delaying the beginning of the flux decline point and enhancing the overall freshwater recovery. In both pulsation feed flows (1 and 2 Hertz), the results also revealed a deficiency in fouling and an improvement in t... [more]

Municipal and industrial wastewater discharge is a longstanding environmental problem that pollutes water bodies, affecting both the landscape and human health. In the department of Sucre, Colombia, nearby urban sewage is discharged into the Arroyo Grande de la Sabana, and only Sincelejo city has a treatment system in place. Therefore, it is critical to identify effective treatment methods for removing contaminants from water. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of a constructed wetland (CW) with horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF) planted with Thalia geniculata for treating wastewater from the Arroyo Grande de la Sabana in Sucre, Colombia. The study investigated the effectiveness of a constructed wetland planted with Thalia geniculata for treating wastewater from the Arroyo Grande de la Sabana in Sucre, Colombia. Two different hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 3 and 5 days were tested, and the plant population density was analyzed to determine the better adaptat... [more]

Despite that previous research exists, there is a need for further research on the quantitative aspects of this Nexus. Existing Water-Energy-Environment Nexus management tools and frameworks are based on indicators aiming to model the whole system, analyze the involved resources, and test potential management strategies. The environmental, social, and economic consequences of actions already taken and ongoing projects require important focus because of the strong relationship between water and energy supply, and that both are key issues for society’s development and sustainability. The present research focuses on the indicators that the Water-Energy-Environment Nexus tools and frameworks use to analyze the whole problem. Existing tools often require large amounts of data, becoming a time-consuming process that lowers the capacity to evaluate the political problems of high pollutants. With the aim of accelerating time evaluation, this research builds an indicator to rapidly evaluate the... [more]

Challenges associated with mesophilic digestate (MD) involve volume, odor, and pathogens, which effective post-digestion treatments can address. The efficiency of MD post-treatment can be enhanced by conditioning with ferric chloride (FeCl3), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and polymer. This study aimed to observe the effect of combined chemical conditioning on volume reduction, phosphorus (P) release, odor, and pathogen reduction potential for MD. MD was conditioned with polymer only, polymer and FeCl3 at pH adjusted to 8.0 with lime (Ca(OH)2), and a blend of polymer, FeCl3, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) at pH 8.0. The results show that adding all three chemicals improved post-treatment efficiency at 2.1 kg/t DS FeCl3, 2.1 kg/t DS polymer, and 600 mg/L H2O2 at pH 8.0, compared with polymer or dual conditioning. At the combined dose, cake solid content, centrate P removal, and odor reduction capability improved compared with raw MD by 20%, 99%, and 66%, respectively. Combined chemical treatme... [more]

The background of “dual carbon” is accelerating low-carbon transformation in the energy field, and oil field enterprises are facing challenges in energy conservation and emissions reduction for sustainable development. However, oil field gathering and transfer station systems, which are crucial components of the onshore transportation system, face challenges in energy conservation and emissions reduction. Therefore, it is necessary to predict the carbon emissions of oil field gathering and transfer station systems. To improve the accuracy of carbon emission prediction for the system, this study proposes an improved GA-decision tree (IGA-decision tree) algorithm. First, chaotic mapping was introduced to initialize the population, ensuring a uniform distribution of initial particles in the search space and enhancing population diversity. Second, the firefly perturbation strategy was employed to avoid the problem of genetic algorithms becoming trapped in local optima during the later stag... [more]

Hydrogen vehicles, encompassing fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), are pivotal within the UK’s energy landscape as it pursues the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. By markedly diminishing dependence on fossil fuels, FCEVs, including hydrogen vehicles, wield substantial influence in shaping the circular economy (CE). Their impact extends to optimizing resource utilization, enabling zero-emission mobility, facilitating the integration of renewable energy sources, supplying adaptable energy storage solutions, and interconnecting diverse sectors. The widespread adoption of hydrogen vehicles accelerates the UK’s transformative journey towards a sustainable CE. However, to fully harness the benefits of this transition, a robust investigation and implementation of safety measures concerning hydrogen vehicle (HV) use are indispensable. Therefore, this study takes a holistic approach, integrating quantitative risk assessment (QRA) and an adaptive decision-making trial and evaluation laborat... [more]

Vis-NIR and XRF spectroscopy are widely used in monitoring heavy metals in soil due to their advantages of being fast, non-destructive, cost-effective, and non-polluting. However, when used individually, XRF and vis-NIR may not meet the accuracy requirements for Cd determination. In this study, we focused on the impact area of a non-ferrous metal smelting slag site in Gejiu City, Yunnan Province, fused the pre-selected vis-NIR and XRF spectra using the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC), and identified the characteristic spectra using the competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) method. Based on this, a quantitative model for soil Cd concentration was established using partial least squares regression (PLSR). The results showed that among the four fusion spectral quantitative models constructed, the model combining vis-NIR spectral second-order derivative transformation and XRF spectral first-order derivative transformation (D2(vis-NIR) + D1(XRF)) had the highest coefficient... [more]

Carbon emissions have gained worldwide attention in the industrial era. As a key carbon-emitting industry, achieving net-zero carbon emissions in the manufacturing sector is vital to mitigating the negative effects of climate change and achieving sustainable development. The rise of intelligent technologies has driven industrial structural transformations that may help achieve carbon reduction. Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is an important part of digitalization, providing new technological tools and directions for the low carbon development of enterprises. This study selects Chinese A-share listed companies in the manufacturing industry from 2012 to 2021 as the research objects and uses a fixed-effects regression model to study the relationship between AI and carbon emissions. This study clarifies the significance of enterprise AI technology applications in realizing carbon emissions reduction and explores the regulatory mechanism from the perspective of the innovation effec... [more]

A split grouting-reinforced body (SGRB) is the new surrounding rock that forms after split grouting reinforcement in tunnels and underground engineering, and its shear-seepage behavior is one of the critical factors affecting tunnel stability. The effects of seepage pressure, confining pressure, and the roughness of the soil−slurry interface on the shear-seepage characteristics of SGRB specimens were investigated using a modified triaxial shear-seepage coupling test system. The failure mechanism for the SGRB was analyzed taking into account its seepage behavior and mechanical characteristics. The results showed that the seepage process of the SGRB specimens could be divided into four stages according to the seepage velocity, including the waterless, rapid, decelerating, and steady seepage stages, and the corresponding water turbidity in the seepage stages was classified as turbid, mildly turbid, or clear, respectively. The peak shear stress of the soil−slurry interface of the SGRB spec... [more]

Waste valorization is attracting not only the scientific world but also the world. Acetylcellulose wastes from cigarette filter residuals are signified as the largest global impact of solid waste. Acetylcellulose recycling for desired products is a promising way for environmental management. In this regard, the current investigation is dealing with the immersion of residual filters sequentially into aqueous solutions of alkali and ethanol before water washing, which converts them into a superhydrophobic acetylcellulose adsorbent material. The morphology and characteristics of the acetylcellulose fiber were characterized using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Fourier-Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The adsorption tendency was checked for Levafix Blue dye compromised in an aqueous stream as a model textile polluted effluent. The experimental results exposed that the acetylcellulose fiber displayed a sensible textile dye elimination from the dying stream. Langmuir isotherm... [more]

Considering the role that offshore CO2 storage is expected to play in deploying carbon capture and storage, enabling cost-efficient and flexible solutions for transporting CO2 to relevant storage locations. While several pipeline and ship-based approaches have been proposed to do so, subsea shuttles are a new concept that has also been proposed in the past couple of years. The present study seeks to understand if this new approach could be cost-efficient compared to current and upcoming ship-based transport concepts.
The result shows that the shuttle concept could be cost-competitive to currently mature 15 barg-based shipping, especially if the subsea shuttle connects to a CO2 pipeline infrastructure rather than to the reservoir directly, although cost-competitiveness is achieved only for a limited range of volumes and distances. However, it is unlikely that this concept would be cost-attractive compared to the upcoming 7 barg-based shipping, and sensitivity analyses highlight that th... [more]

In order to explore the indoor air quality during different cooking procedures, a very common kitchen in China is selected for experimental research. An indoor air quality meter is used to measure the temperature, relative humidity, and CO and CO2 concentrations of the indoor air above the stove when people cook four different dishes under different ventilation patterns in the kitchen. The results indicate that the heat and gas consumed during cooking are closely related to the temperature and concentrations of CO and CO2. Some cooking procedures such as boiling water are related to the indoor air temperature and relative humidity in the kitchen. In addition, in kitchens without mechanical ventilation, natural ventilation shows a more significant positive effect on controlling temperature, relative humidity, and concentrations of CO and CO2 during cooking procedures.

Given the urgency to combat climate change and ensure environmental sustainability, this review examines the transition to net-zero emissions in chemical and process industries. It addresses the core areas of carbon emissions reduction, efficient energy use, and sustainable practices. What is new, however, is that it focuses on cutting-edge technologies such as biomass utilization, biotechnology applications, and waste management strategies that are key drivers of this transition. In particular, the study addresses the unique challenges faced by industries such as cement manufacturing and highlights the need for innovative solutions to effectively reduce their carbon footprint. In particular, the role of hydrogen as a clean fuel is at the heart of revolutionizing the chemical and process sectors, pointing the way to cleaner and greener operations. In addition, the manuscript explores the immense importance of the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the... [more]

The absorption of triclosan on the surface of four different carbon adsorbents, obtained on the base of plant and household waste (RDF), provided by Sofia Waste Plant, was investigated. The obtained results indicate that the most important parameters, which determine the process of triclosan adsorption by adsorbent surface are pore texture, the size of the accessible surface for the molecules of triclosan, and the chemical nature of the adsorbent surface. It was found that the obtained adsorbents can be successfully applied for the extraction of triclosan from waste and drinking water. The possibilities for solid products, obtained by thermal treatment of household and vegetable waste, to be applied successfully in a water purification technique are discussed.

Lacustrine shale has garnered significant attention due to its significant resource potential. The Jurassic shale in the Sichuan Basin is an important target for lacustrine shale exploration in China. However, previous studies have predominantly focused on the Da’anzhai member of the Ziliujing Formation, and little attention has been paid to the shale of other strata. This paper aims to address this gap by investigating the Jurassic Dongyuemiao member in the Sichuan Basin. The study systematically characterizes the geological properties of the Dongyuemiao shale system, reconstructs the paleosedimentary environment, identifies the key factors influencing organic matter (OM) enrichment and physical properties, and assesses its resource potential through comparative analysis. Our results show that the Dongyuemiao shale was deposited in an oxic and semi-humid sedimentary environment characterized by intense weathering conditions. The enrichment of OM in the shale is primarily controlled by... [more]

Adsorbents presenting high adsorption capacity, fast adsorption rate, easy regeneration, and a good possibility for reusability are ideal for removing 4-chloro-2-methyl-phenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) or other pesticides from wastewater. Here, the effects of regeneration treatments on adsorption−desorption cycles are examined using two commercial activated carbons (ACs) (Merck and Norit 1240 X). MCPA adsorption was fast on Merck and Norit ACs in powder form (6 h) but on Norit AC, in granular form, adsorption was too slow, and the equilibrium time was reached only after 288 h. MCPA adsorption kinetic data were analyzed by applying pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and Weber−Morris models. The pseudo-second-order model fit better to all data, and the Weber−Morris representation allows confirming that on Norit 1240 X, in granular form, the pore diffusion was the limiting factor concerning the MCPA adsorption. Merck and Norit 1240 X (in powder and granular form) ACs loaded with MCPA were... [more]