Ali Reza Seifi; Hasan Ahmadi; Magid Peyrovi; Mehri Esfahanian
Abstract
Background and Aim: Due to the high pollutant load of paper mill effluent and in order to decrease contaminants, effluent should be treated before being discharged into the environment.Materials and Methods: After collecting samples of paper mill effluent in Babol city, high levels of COD and TSS were ...
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Background and Aim: Due to the high pollutant load of paper mill effluent and in order to decrease contaminants, effluent should be treated before being discharged into the environment.Materials and Methods: After collecting samples of paper mill effluent in Babol city, high levels of COD and TSS were found. Therefore, polymeric coagulants such as iron sulfate, ferric chloride, polyaluminum chloride, and alum were employed, as well as anionic and cationic polyacrylamide flocculants.Results: Ferrous sulfate, ferric chloride, aluminum polychloride and alum at their optimum pH removed 12%, 13.5%, 15%, and 23% of effluent COD, respectively, as well as 45.5%, 47%, 49% and 52% of TSS. Then, by examining the coagulants concentration effect, alum with an optimal concentration of 1 g/l removed 23.7% COD and 56.4% TSS. Additionally, the effects of anionic and cationic polymeric coagulants were studied. According to the results, using an anionic coagulant at a concentration of 0.004 g / l in combination with the optimal amount of alum resulted in the elimination of 48.6 % COD and 69.6 % TSS.Conclusion: Based on the results, the coagulation and sedimentation methods can be utilized to treat the effluent of paper mills. Furthermore, using an alum coagulant and an anionic coagulant at the same time improves the efficiency of the coagulation and flocculation processes in removing pollutants from paper mill effluent.
Mojtaba G.Mahmoodlu; Mostafa Raghimi; Maryam Ramezani Mojaveri
Abstract
Background and purpose: Fluoride is one of the important ions in drinking water, which in low or high concentrations causes some problems related to human health, such as tooth decay, dental fluorosis, or skeletal fluorosis. Present study was carried out to investigate the fluoride concentration as well ...
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Background and purpose: Fluoride is one of the important ions in drinking water, which in low or high concentrations causes some problems related to human health, such as tooth decay, dental fluorosis, or skeletal fluorosis. Present study was carried out to investigate the fluoride concentration as well as the effective factors in the fluoride distribution in drinking water supply sources of Golestan province.Materials and Methods: For this purpose, Golestan province was divided into four regions according to the distribution of loess. Next, groundwater samples from these areas were collected and chemical parameters of TDS, HCO3-, Cl-, SO42-, NO3-, NO2-, F-, PO42-, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+ and Fe2+analyzed. After hydrogeochemical and statistical assessment, the relationship between fluoride and loess deposits and some physicochemical parameters were investigated.Results: Results of four regions showed that the fluoride amount is directly related to the loess deposits spread, so that in region 1 including Maraveh Tappeh, Kalaleh, and Gonbad there is the most spread of loess deposits, the fluoride amount is more than other areas. Results revealed that high correlation of fluoride with some ions such as calcium, bicarbonate, iron, sodium, and phosphate. Also, there is a high correlation between electrical conductivity as a salinity parameter and fluoride concentration in groundwater. So, an increase in salinity, the fluoride amount in the province's water resources has increased significantly. Water-rock reaction is the main factor controlling the groundwater chemistry and as a result, most possible factor for the fluoride leaching into groundwater.Conclusion: Chemical cement of loess along with some clay minerals is the main source of fluoride in groundwater sources in region 1 with the most spread of loess deposits. Saline water of the lower layers and their intrusion into the fresh water aquifer can be considered as the fluoride second source in Gorgan Plain.
Sadegh Hosseinniaee; Mohammad Jafari; Ali Tavili; Salman Zare
Abstract
Background and Purpose: Public concern over the effects of environmental pollutants on human health has intensified, prompting heightened scrutiny of toxic substances in human and animal diets over recent decades. This study aims to assess the impact of municipal waste compost on diminishing lead (Pb) ...
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Background and Purpose: Public concern over the effects of environmental pollutants on human health has intensified, prompting heightened scrutiny of toxic substances in human and animal diets over recent decades. This study aims to assess the impact of municipal waste compost on diminishing lead (Pb) concentrations in the diets and organs of grazing ruminants. Materials and Methods: In a controlled greenhouse experiment, compost was incorporated into naturally Pb-contaminated soil at four concentrations: 0%, 1%, 3%, and 5% (w/w). Stipa arabica plants were cultivated over six months. Subsequently, the Pb content in soil and plants was measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The daily Pb intake by cattle and sheep and its accumulation in their organs were then calculated using food chain models. These findings were evaluated against EU standards for animal product quality, focusing on animal health and human food safety. Results: The study identified the 1% compost addition as the most effective concentration, reducing Pb intake by 65% in cows and 60% in sheep, aligning with permissible health standards. Lead accumulation in the organs followed the pattern of kidneys > liver > muscle tissue, with a 64.77% decrease observed upon compost application. The Pb levels in all tested organs were lowered to safe thresholds concerning animal health. Moreover, Pb concentrations in meat fell below the standard limits, ensuring food safety for human consumption. Conclusion: Municipal waste compost, as an organic amendment, can significantly lower lead concentrations in the diets and tissues of grazing animals, ensuring levels remain within acceptable limits.
Ali Naghizadeh
Abstract
Background an Objectives: Natural organic matters because of production of disinfection by products such as trihalomethanes, which are often carcinogenic disinfection, are of particular importance. Carbon nanotubes due to large surface area, and many other applications, are effective adsorbents for the ...
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Background an Objectives: Natural organic matters because of production of disinfection by products such as trihalomethanes, which are often carcinogenic disinfection, are of particular importance. Carbon nanotubes due to large surface area, and many other applications, are effective adsorbents for the removal of natural organic matter. The present study aimed to investigate the removal of natural organic compounds from aqueous solution by single-walled carbon nanotubes and kinetics and equilibrium adsorption process. Methods: in present study, single wall carbon nanotubes used for removal of natural organic matters from aqueous solution. Different variables such as pH of zero point of charge, pH and different concentration of natural organic matters were investigated. Results: pH survey show that with decreasing pH adsorption capacity increased also pH of zero charge was 6.7. Adsorption capacity of single wall carbon nanotubes for initial concentration of natural organic matters of 10, 5 and 3 mg/L were 66.24, 40.63 and 29.77, respectively. Conclusion: Single-walled carbon nanotubes due to features such as high surface area have great potential for the removal of natural organic matter from aqueous solution
R. Rezaei Malidareh; M. Shokrzadeh; B. Khasi; S. Rouhi4; F. Zaboli
Abstract
Background & objective:The processes of cooking and also washing reduce the amount of heavy metals in rice. So identify the best method of cooking and washing is essential to reduce heavy metals. The aim of this study is to evaluate the remaining cadmium and lead after cooking and washing processes ...
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Background & objective:The processes of cooking and also washing reduce the amount of heavy metals in rice. So identify the best method of cooking and washing is essential to reduce heavy metals. The aim of this study is to evaluate the remaining cadmium and lead after cooking and washing processes in Tarom rice in Qaemshahr city. Materials & Methods:Qaemshahr city was divided into five regions and of each region; three rice samples were collected, randomly. The concentration of lead and cadmium were evaluated in 75 raw rice samples, washed by water, cooked, rinsed rice and Kateh. Results were analyzed using software SPSS.18 and t-test student, Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Duncan's post hoc. Results: According to t-test Student test, amount of lead and cadmium in rice was higher than the international and Iran standards. The minimum amount of cadmium was in the rinsed rice method (0.19 ± 0.08) and lead was in the washed by water method (0.87 ± 0.3). ANOVA showed that there was a significant difference between concentrations of cadmium and lead in samples of rice in different regions (p <0.05).Duncan test also showed that the average of the amounts of cadmium and lead in raw samples had a significant difference with all samples, and residue of these metals in raw rice was more than other samples (p <0.05). Conclusion: The amount of heavy metals in studied rice samples was higher than the standard limit. The minimum amount of metals was observed in the rinsing and washing methods. As regards that contamination in planted ricesnear industrial wastewater was higher than the others, So planting rice in areas closing to the industrial factories should be prevented, and best methods for rice cooking should be trained.
Sara GHolamhosein Ghoochani; Shabnam Hoshdar Tehrani; Reza Esmaili
Abstract
Background & objeftive: Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas and since it is colorless, odorless and tasteless, it often has no warning signs for people who are at risk of this pollutant. This study focused on the spatial distribution of carbon monoxide on a monthly basis with the interpolation method ...
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Background & objeftive: Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas and since it is colorless, odorless and tasteless, it often has no warning signs for people who are at risk of this pollutant. This study focused on the spatial distribution of carbon monoxide on a monthly basis with the interpolation method in Mashhad city. Materials & Methods: In this study, data were collected from 19 metropolitan stations in the city. Then the inverse weighing intervals, ordinary kriging, and universal kriging methods were used. To determine the best spetial distribution, the root mean square error were applied .finally, the best interpolation methods was selected.with the help of geostatistical map in Arc GIS, monthly zoning map have prepared during 2017-2018. Results: The results showed that ordinary kriging is a best method rather than universal kriging and inverse weighteing due to the lees error. By providing monthly zoning map in 2017-2018, it was cleared that in the months of April, May and June, the middle belt of the city was more polluted from northwest to southeast. The estern part of city in July, August and September have been more contaminated rather than other area. The months of October, November and December wre more polluted in central part of the urban area and from the western to southwestern of the city, in December, February and March, were indicated more pollution. Conclusion: A mong the metropolitan stations for measuring air pollution, southern part of Khayam and sadaf had a highest levels of carbon monoxide and Khaghani and Elahie were lowest rate. Also, monthly zoning maps indicated that the highest pollution rate in hot season was in the eastern and in cold season was in the western part of the city. However, the amount of carbon monoxide was less than standard level during 2017-2018.
Mansour Ahmadi Pirlou; Tarahom Mesri Gundoshmian
Abstract
Abstract Background and Aim: Increasing energy consumption has created an energy crisis in the world. Fossil fuels are limited and depleting. Biogas is considered a fuel that has attracted the attention of researchers. To increase biogas production, different pretreatments have been utilized. The purpose ...
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Abstract Background and Aim: Increasing energy consumption has created an energy crisis in the world. Fossil fuels are limited and depleting. Biogas is considered a fuel that has attracted the attention of researchers. To increase biogas production, different pretreatments have been utilized. The purpose of this study was to investigate the optimal mixing ratio of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and Sewage Sludge (SS), as well as the effects of various conditions of alkaline pretreatment on biodegradability of wastes and the amount of biomethane production. Materials and Methods: This study was done in a laboratory digester with 1 L volume at 37 °C with different concentrations of NaOH in a completely randomized design. Biogas volume, methane volume, and changes in pH were measured daily. Measurement parameters in the anaerobic digestion including total solids, volatile solids, and carbon and nitrogen content in the feedstock were determined according to the APHA standard methods. Results: The optimal mixing ratio of MSW to SS was 60:40 with the highest methane yield of 254.87 mL/g VS. Next, the effects of 2, 6, and 10% NaOH concentrations were evaluated on the amount of gas produced, indicating that 6% NaOH concentration significantly improved waste decomposition. Methane production, VS, and TS removal were compared to the control treatment, and there were increases of 30, 27.94, and 27.25%, respectively. Conclusion:The results showed that the mixing ratio of MSW to SS at 60:40 with 6% NaOH improves the decomposition of organic wastes and increases biomethane production. Keywords: Alkaline Pretreatment; Anaerobic Digestion; Biogas; Municipal Solid Waste; Sewage Sludge
Neda Fazelnejad; Rouhollah Mirzaei; Rasool Heidari
Abstract
Introduction: Nowadays, increasing the urban population, followed increasing in waste production has attracted the attention of environmental researchers towards the sanitary waste disposal. It is estimated that in Khorramabad city with a population of over than 348,216 people, about 458 tones of urban ...
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Introduction: Nowadays, increasing the urban population, followed increasing in waste production has attracted the attention of environmental researchers towards the sanitary waste disposal. It is estimated that in Khorramabad city with a population of over than 348,216 people, about 458 tones of urban waste are daily produced which are dumped in open lands. Therefore, finding a suitable site for waste disposal is necessary. The purpose of this study is to identify and introduce suitable locations for the sanitary waste disposal across the city using Electre as a Multi Criteria Decision Analysis. Material and methods: For this purpose, 14 criteria including soil erosion, geology, land use, distance to roads, distance to rivers, springs and kanats, distance to faults, distance to cities and villages, slope, elevation, groundwater depth, distance to protected areas and climate were used. Three common methods including Boolean, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Linear Combination Weighted (WLC) were used to combine the criteria maps. Considering the minimum area required for landfill sitting for a period of 20 years, five candidate sites were ultimately extracted from the final resulting map of WLC in order to introduce the best site for urban landfill. Then, these five candidates were ranked using Electre model. Results: Results of weighting process showed that the groundwater depth, distance to faults and cities had the highest weights whereas elevation and slope criteria had the lowest weights. The consistency ratio for the weighting process was 0.08, which was less than 0.1, presenting the consistency and credibility of the weighting process. According to the WLC method, major parts of north-west, west and north of the area under study were identified as optimal sites. According to the results of Electre model, a site with an area of 694 hectares located in the west of city was identified as the best alternative. Conclusion: The results showed that the Electre method along with multi-criteria evaluation methods can have high performance in locating sanitary municipal solid waste disposal.
Mohammad Saleh Ali Taleshi; Mazaher Moeinaddini; Sadat Feiznia; Reza Shahbazi; Stefania Squizzato
Abstract
Background and purpose: Atmospheric dust particles play a significant role in the transfer of chemical elements released from industrial and urban sources. So that the contaminants attached to these particles, can be transported over long distances and are as a function of meteorological conditions, ...
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Background and purpose: Atmospheric dust particles play a significant role in the transfer of chemical elements released from industrial and urban sources. So that the contaminants attached to these particles, can be transported over long distances and are as a function of meteorological conditions, the physical and chemical properties and nature of surface. The aim of this study was to evaluate the metal richness and degree of heavy metal contamination in atmospheric deposited dust in Tehran. Material and methods: Atmospheric dust samples were collected from eight locations in Tehran in 2018. Heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Mn and Al) were analyzed in dust using ICP-MS. Metal richness and degree of contamination were determined using Enrichment Factor (EF), Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo), degree of Contamination (Cd) and modified degree of contamination (mCd). Paired t-test, Pearson correlation and Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were also used for analysis. Results: The mean concentration trend of elements in the warm and cold seasons was similar as Al>Zn>Mn>Pb>Cu>Cr>Ni. Results of enrichment factor index in atmospheric deposited dust showed that Pb and Zn in warm season and Pb and Cu in cold season were highly enriched. Paired t-test results showed a significant difference between Cu and Cr between seasons. Cluster analysis also showed Al of natural origin and other elements of anthropogenic origin. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that atmospheric deposited dust particles of Tehran have high levels of contamination especially in cold season. Therefore, it is necessary to formulate more effective and practical policies to improve Tehran’s air quality.
Mohammad Javad Chaboki; Ali Asghar Najafpoor; Ziaeddin Bonyadi; Ali Akbar Dehghan
Abstract
Background:Human activities, especially in construction and agriculture, introduce large amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter into aquatic ecosystems. Method: In this study, municipal and industrial wastewater samples were obtained from wastewater treatment plant No. 1 of Parkand Abad and ...
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Background:Human activities, especially in construction and agriculture, introduce large amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter into aquatic ecosystems. Method: In this study, municipal and industrial wastewater samples were obtained from wastewater treatment plant No. 1 of Parkand Abad and wastewater treatment plant of Kalat industrial park, respectively. Before starting the reactor, wastewater samples were allowed to settle for 2 h to remove coarse suspended solids and then sterilizes in autoclave. Chlorella vulgaris was purchased from Jahad Daneshgahi of Mashhad and grown in specific culture media under temperature 25±2°C, photoperiod of 14 h light and 10 h dark, monochrome light with intensity of 5000±350 lux, pH of 7-8.5 and time of 10 d. Then 1 L of the above solution were transferred to three 10 L reactors loaded with municipal, industrial and culture media and aerated under sterile conditions in the presence of light for 10 d. In predetermined time intervals (each 2 d), 100 mL sample were taken from reactors and COD, total phosphorous, total nitrogen, pH and chlorophyll a measured. Results: Removal efficiency of COD, total nitrogen, and phosphorus in municipal, industrial and culture media by Chlorella vulgaris was 63.69, 12.52, and 13.79%, 66.57, 34, and 50.18%, respectively. According to results, the efficacy of algae for removal of COD was higher than other parameters, while that for total nitrogen was lowest. Efficacy of algae for removing pollutants from industrial was better than those in domestic wastewater.Conclusion:The results of this study showed that municipal and industrial media could be a suitable culture media for growing Chlorella vulgaris algae. It also has the ability to remove nutrients from wastewaters.
Ali Pakfetrat; Ali Sajjadi; Aliakbar Dehghan
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Background & Objectives: At present, one of the most important environmental issues is dental solid wastes due to its high contents of toxic, pathogen and hazardous agents. The aim of this study was to analyze the quantity and quality of dental solid waste in dental centers of Mashhad.
Materials ...
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ABSTRACT
Background & Objectives: At present, one of the most important environmental issues is dental solid wastes due to its high contents of toxic, pathogen and hazardous agents. The aim of this study was to analyze the quantity and quality of dental solid waste in dental centers of Mashhad.
Materials & Methods:In this descriptive study, 40 dental centers were studied. From each dental center, three samples were taken and analyzed at the successive working days (Sunday, Monday and Tuesday). The samples were manually sorted into 64 different components and measured by digital scale. Then, measured components were classified on the basis of characteristic and hazardous potential as well as material type. Obtained data were analyzed using a descriptive statistics software, SPSS 16.
Results:According to the results, total produced wastes in dental centers in Mashhad were 224.137 kg/day. Per capita and the average generation rate of each dental center were 106.32 g/day-patient and 5603 g/day, respectively. Potential infectious, domestic-type, chemical & pharmaceutical, and toxic wastes consisted of 41.24, 44.17, 9.89, and 4.7% of the generated waste, respectively.
Conclusion: Regarding optimal dental waste management, it is suggested that education of dentists should be done to learn waste reduction, separation and recycling in the offices along with separately collection and disposal of separated fractions of dental solid wastes according to the enacted instructions.
Keywords: Dental solid waste, Potential infectious waste, Domestic-type waste, Chemical &pharmaceutical waste, Mashhad.
Rouya Peiravi; Mohammad Vahedian-Shahroodi; Hossein Alidadi; Malihe Noori Sistani
Abstract
Background and objective: Environmental Health Officers (EHO) being essential members of health systems play a key role in the prevention of disease and the environmental sanitation by consulting, inspecting, monitoring and law enforcing (if it’s necessary). Protection of the environment and promotion ...
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Background and objective: Environmental Health Officers (EHO) being essential members of health systems play a key role in the prevention of disease and the environmental sanitation by consulting, inspecting, monitoring and law enforcing (if it’s necessary). Protection of the environment and promotion ofthe community health need to enforce strict rules so that the adverse effects of environmental pollution reduced as much as possible. This study was carried out to survey the knowledge of Environmental Health Officers about the executive process of legal item 13. Materials and Method: This cross-sectional study was performed in 2014, after testing the validity and reliability of questionnaire, they were filled by inspectors.The questions regarding the Knowledge were scored. Relationship between the knowledge and demographic characteristics was analyzed by SPSSsoftware through statistical test including paired T-Test, one-way ANOVA andChi square test at a significant level of 0.05. Results: The mean age of 54 Environmental Health Inspectors was equal to 34.2±6.2, and their mean job experience was 10.35±7.8 years. The number of people with a good knowledge was almost equal to the number of people with poor knowledge. The highest percentage of people (33.3%) had moderateknowledge. The relationship between knowledge with employment status (p= 0.036) and knowledge with academic degree (p=0.05) were significant. Conclusion: According to the obtained results and the importance of EHO’s role in the promotion of community health, it is necessary that a regular training program is structured to increase the EHO’s awareness in regard to the executive process of legal item13 after their employment and before their starting work.
Mona Tabriziazad; Anooshiravan Mohseni Band-pay
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives: Over the last several decades, huge amounts of different kinds of wastes have been produced by human activities and alterations in man’s lifestyle and consumption patterns. Medical sciences are among the world’s top advanced professional sections. However, ...
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ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives: Over the last several decades, huge amounts of different kinds of wastes have been produced by human activities and alterations in man’s lifestyle and consumption patterns. Medical sciences are among the world’s top advanced professional sections. However, it seems that a portion of the produced wastes in medical units called "special wastes" or "clinical wastes", have not been seriously taken into consideration especially in developing countries, This study examined the Waste Management assessment in educational hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 educational hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in autumn 2013. First, a questionnaire was designed and its validity was approved. Then, the required data including (production, segregation, storage, collection, treating, transportation, and Disposal) was gathered during visits to participating hospitals. Finally, the collected data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 16.
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Results:Findings showed that the daily production of infectious and sharps wastes in the studied hospitals generally equaled 3387 kg. All hospitals were equipped with non-incineration systems; however, only 83.3% of them were active. Therefore, some infectious wastes were disposed of along with urban wastes without being sterilized.
Conclusion: Overall, waste management in hospitals was relatively appropriate, but due to the importance of the issue, it needs to pay more attention in some cases.
Mahmoud Mohammadyan; milad pouransari; reza ali mohammadpour tahmtan; razie yousefinajad; shahram eslami
Abstract
Introduction: Exposure to respirable cement dust cause some adverse health effects on exposed workers. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of occupational exposure to respirable cement dust for a cement factory's workers and recommend controlling methods to reduce the risk of exposure. Materials ...
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Introduction: Exposure to respirable cement dust cause some adverse health effects on exposed workers. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of occupational exposure to respirable cement dust for a cement factory's workers and recommend controlling methods to reduce the risk of exposure. Materials and methods: The 0600 standard method of NIOSH was applied to evaluate workers' exposure to cement respirable particles using a personal sampling pump, a cyclone and a filter. For risk assessment of cement respirable particles, a standard method which provided by the Institute of the occupational health and Safety in Singapore was used. Finally, the risk level of exposure to respirable cement particles was assessed. Results: The results of this study showed that most workers employed in various worksites of the cement production were exposed to dust higher than the OEL recommended by the Technical Committee of occupational health in Iran, and the TLV recommended by ACGIH. Exposure risk assessment in different parts of cement factory showed a moderate risk level for all worksites. Conclusions: Employees who were working in different worksites of the plant were exposed to risk of cement respirable particles. Thus, the control methods of exposure to particles are suggested.
Sayede Samane Taheri Otaghsara; Mohammad Ali Zazouli; Mohammad Ali Ebrahimzade; Shahram Eslami; Yahya Esfandiari
Abstract
Background and purpose: High concentration of nitrate in drinking water can be detrimental to health. It can be reduced to nitrite in children Stomach and lead the methemoglobinemia. Therefore, the removal of nitrate from polluted water is necessary. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness ...
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Background and purpose: High concentration of nitrate in drinking water can be detrimental to health. It can be reduced to nitrite in children Stomach and lead the methemoglobinemia. Therefore, the removal of nitrate from polluted water is necessary. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of walnut shell adsorbent in removing nitrates from aqueous solutions. Materials and methods: This experimental study was conducted in a batch laboratory scale. The walnut shell were collected and burned in the furnace at 700 סC in 1 hours and sieved in 20 -100 mesh. The optimum values of pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage and and the different concentrations of nitrate were experimented in lab scale conditions were determined. The nitrate concentration was measured in wavelength of 220 and 275 nm by spectrophotometer. Also pHpzc of absorbent have been evaluated. Results: The results showed that optimum pH was 9 so that by increasing and decreasing optimum pH, removal efficiency increase and decrease. The removal efficiency Increased until 120 minutes, but after 120 minutes the percentage of removal was reduced Increasing of adsorbent dosage and the different concentrations of nitrate cause the increase and decrease of adsorbtion respectively. At optimal conditions, nitrate removal efficiency was 78% Conclusion: The result of the present study shows that walnut shell can be used as an effective and cheap adsorbent for nitrate removal and the process is more efficient at Alkaline pH .
Majid Mirzabeygi; Abbas Abbasnia; Mojtaba sajadi; Javad Salimi; Mojtaba sajadi; Esmail harasi; Amir Hossein Mahvi
Abstract
Background & Objective: Having an access to safe drinking water, which is considered as one of the health indicators by World Health Organization (WHO), has great importance for relevant authorities of different communities. Thus this study aimed to determine amounts of heavy metals and compare them ...
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Background & Objective: Having an access to safe drinking water, which is considered as one of the health indicators by World Health Organization (WHO), has great importance for relevant authorities of different communities. Thus this study aimed to determine amounts of heavy metals and compare them with national and international standards. Materials & Methods: In this cross sectional study, drinking water samples were taken from 41 main drinking water supplies in villages of Torbat-e Heydariyeh city according to the standard method and transferred to the laboratory. These samples were analyzed by mean of atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AA240FS).Finally, obtained data were analyzed using Arc-GIS (v. 10.3) and excel (v.2010) softwares. Results: The attained results revealed that the mean concentrations of metals including Cadmium, lead and Chromium were (0.59±0.17), (1.8±1.7) and (33.5±33.4) mg/l, respectively, in drinking water wells of rural regions of Torbat-e Heydariyeh . These amounts were in optimal ranges. While chromium concentrations were more than recommended permissible levels of WHO and national standards in 11 villages. Conclusion: The mean concentrations of measured metals were lower than the recommended permissible levels by WHO in more cases of considered wells in villages of Torbat-e Heydarieh=. However, forregions in which the concentrations of heavy metals do not meet the standards, a comprehensive study is recommended to determine the heavy metal-related diseases in dry and wet seasons.
Mohammad Hossein Nemati; Seyed Saeed Mosavi
Abstract
Abstract Background and Aim: To maintain the health of consumers and achieve food safety, the control of maximum allowed heavy metals in food should be considered. This study aimed to investigate the concentration of heavy metals of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) in livestock tissues ...
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Abstract Background and Aim: To maintain the health of consumers and achieve food safety, the control of maximum allowed heavy metals in food should be considered. This study aimed to investigate the concentration of heavy metals of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) in livestock tissues in the vicinity of Zinc Specialized Industrial Park. Material and Methods: Ten samples were collected from each sheep tissue (including meat, liver, kidney, and bone) in each of the four geographical directions. To compare the current situation, samples from a control area (Qarah Poshtlu area of Zanjan) were also considered. A dry ash method was used to digest organic matter. Results:Based on the results, the concentration of Cu was significantly high in the muscle and liver of the control group (P <0.05). The concentration of Zn was not affected by the study areas. The accumulation of Pb in the liver and bone and Cd in the muscle and liver of animals was significantly high in the western part of the study area (P <0.05). The levels of Cu in the kidney and bone tissues, Pb in the muscle and kidney tissues, and Cd in the kidney and bone tissues were not affected. The accumulation of Cu was inversely related to Pb and Cd. Conclusion:In general, the results showed that despite heavy metal accumulation in the west of the study area, the concentrations of these metals in the tissues of sheep around it were within the allowable range and they were not dangerous to consumers.
Jeyran Askari; Aslan Egdernezhad
Abstract
Background and Aim: Groundwater is one of the most important water resources on earth, and groundwater level and groundwater salinity studies are very important to protect and plan the water resources, especially in the arid and semiarid areas, such as Iran. Groundwater quantitative and qualitative testing ...
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Background and Aim: Groundwater is one of the most important water resources on earth, and groundwater level and groundwater salinity studies are very important to protect and plan the water resources, especially in the arid and semiarid areas, such as Iran. Groundwater quantitative and qualitative testing is time-consuming and costly. Therefore, using the models to simulate the quantity and quality of groundwater has become common.Materials and Methods: In recent decades, the artificial intelligence models were tested for the simulation of aquifers in terms of the complex and nonlinear properties of groundwater systems. The present study stimulated the groundwater level and groundwater salinity parameters of Dezful-Andimeshk plain using ANN and ANN + GA models, and finally compared their results with measured data. The data collected for input to two models include meteorological data and groundwater quality parameters gathered from 2011 to 2018.Results: The results showed that the optimal model is to simulate ANN + GA (Artificial Neural Network + Genetic Algorithm) groundwater level with sigmoid tangent stimulus function, and the optimal model is to simulate ANN + GA groundwater salinity with sigmoid logarithm stimulus function. MAE and RMSE statistics have the minimum and has maximum value for the model (In test phase, for the groundwater level RMSE=7.47, MAE=9.5 and R2=0.979 and for the groundwater salinity RMSE=6.81, MAE=7.74, and R2=0.99).Conclusion: Therefore, optimizing the artificial neural network model using a genetic algorithm is very useful, effective and reduces errors and saves time and money.
Iman Shahidi Kaviani; Parvaneh Paykanpoufard
Abstract
Background and purpose: Population growth leads to the expansion of industries and improper management of industries leads to land pollution and irreparable damage to nature and living organisms. Therefore, studying the role of industrial centers in environmental pollution, including soil, is one of ...
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Background and purpose: Population growth leads to the expansion of industries and improper management of industries leads to land pollution and irreparable damage to nature and living organisms. Therefore, studying the role of industrial centers in environmental pollution, including soil, is one of the most important measures in the field of pollution control. The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate of surface soil contamination with heavy metals exposed to the oil industry. Materials and methods: In this study, to measure the rate of heavy metals, a total of 15 soil samples were taken from 5 stations with 3 replications and from depth of 0-30 cm. Heavy element measurements were performed by induction coupled plasma spectroscopy. Results: Based on the results the average amount of Cadmium, Lead and Copper in the soil were 2.40 ± 1, 8.89 ± 5.91 and 55.83 ± 52.88 mg / kg respectively. Conclusion: The average values of Cadmium and Copper were higher and the average values of lead were lower than the global average. Also, due to the high degree of toxicity of Cadmium, the highest risk of soil contamination can be attributed to Cadmium. The measurement of pollution of each of the three elements and for five sampling stations showed that the soil of the oil region was more polluted than Cadmium than the other two elements and the oil industry was more effective in Cadmium pollution than other elements. By measurement and comparison, the rate of soil pollution indices in the sampled zones, it showed that, as expected, the soil of the processing areas and the well head zones had more severe pollution than other areas and adopted more strict environmental control measures are essential on these areas.
Golnar Asadi Shirin; Mehdi Gholamalifard
Abstract
Background&Objectives: In regard to the serious consequences of improper waste disposal, environmental impact assessment techniques are used to evaluate the different scenarios for waste management and minimize the negative impacts. The aim of this study was the use of Iranian Matrix ...
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Background&Objectives: In regard to the serious consequences of improper waste disposal, environmental impact assessment techniques are used to evaluate the different scenarios for waste management and minimize the negative impacts. The aim of this study was the use of Iranian Matrix and RIAM to minimize environmental impacts in Qaemshahr landfill and presenting suitable methods for efficient waste management Matrial&Methods: In this study, the existing condition of Qaemshahr landfill was compared with human’s environmental criteria for MSW landfills based on Department of the Environment (DOE) of Iran. Meanwhile, EIA of Qaemshahr solid waste landfill was carried out with two methods, RIAM and Leopold Matrix. The upgrading of existing landfill, reconstruction with compost plant and relocation of landfill were evaluated according to physiochemical, physicochemical (PC), biological-ecological (BE), sociological/cultural (SC), economical/operational (EO) economical-social and cultural components. Results: The results showed that Qaemshahr landfill lacks the environmental criteria for MSW landfills. Also, the RIAM and Iranian matrix results indicated that upgrading of existing landfill, construction of compost plant, relocation and construction of the sanitary landfill have total environmental scores as -793 and -2.26, -387 and -2.22 , -69 and -0.76 respectively. Conclusion : It is noticeable that the current process of landfill in Qaemshahr will lead to harmful health consequences. So, construction of landfill space (the third option) was chosen as the most suitable option with as little harm as possible on the environment.
Mojtaba Hasanpour; Hossein Khozeymehnezhad
Abstract
Background and purpose: More than 85 percent of urban sewage and a large proportion of industrial wastewater are water, so refined sewage can be used in any part of the activities that require water. The aim of this study was to provide a practical solution for quantitative and qualitative groundwater ...
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Background and purpose: More than 85 percent of urban sewage and a large proportion of industrial wastewater are water, so refined sewage can be used in any part of the activities that require water. The aim of this study was to provide a practical solution for quantitative and qualitative groundwater aquifer regeneration in areas where soil and groundwater conditions are suitable for artificial nutrition by introducing refined sewage to groundwater aquifers with a lower quality. Materials and Methods: In this study, the chemical quality criteria for artificial feeding of aquifer including hydraulic conductivity, thickness unsaturated soil, topography and land use in geographic information systems were studied to determine the appropriate public areas for artificial feeding in land aquifer Birjand. Also, the criteria for increasing the improvement of chemical quality (quantitative and qualitative increase) were also weighed using the (Analytic Network Process) ANP method and Super Decisions software, so that the chemical quality of the aquifer was ranked as the first priority of the artificial nutrition. Results:Based on the nutritional goal, 6.63 square kilometers of land were classified in very good and 50.66 square kilometers in good regional classifications. Based on the objective of improving the chemical quality , 1.13 square kilometers of lands were classified into a very good category and 55.61 square kilometers in good classification. For this purpose, the treated wastewater is injected into areas of an aquifer that has poor quality, to improve its quality. Conclusion: In this research, using the location of susceptible artificial feeding areas, a solution was proposed that, while feeding areas of an aquifer that has poor quality, also increases its quality. This will make aquifer water suitable for agricultural use. This solution preserves higher quality resources for drinking and sanitary purposes.
saman mousavi; Ahad Sotoudeh; Hamidreza Azimzade; Bahman Kiani
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Environmental management system attempts to create and pursue requirements for the organizations to prevent catastrophic damages causing to their surroundings. One of the most important environmental aspects of thermal power plants is the impact on water resources. Moreover ...
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Background and Objectives: Environmental management system attempts to create and pursue requirements for the organizations to prevent catastrophic damages causing to their surroundings. One of the most important environmental aspects of thermal power plants is the impact on water resources. Moreover to high level consumption, the produced wastewaters will added to other pollutants. Methods: The produced wastewater from the combined cycle power plant was monitored during one year. To compare pollutants from industrial wastewater with environmental standards, Kolmogorov–Smirnov’s test was employed. The main aspects of wasting and contaminating consumed water resources of power plant has been studied by using Preliminary Hazard Analysis and William fine techniques. Also the effective actions were performed to decrease and monitor the determined aspects. Results: The results have been showed that industrial wastewater has not any heavy elements contamination with 99 percent of certainty. Among the effective risks on water resources, 77 risks with low priority, 60 risks with medium priority and 12 risks with high priority has been identified. The chemistry refinery’s section and steam’s unit had the most identified risks. Among the risk controlling strategies, reducing risk’s intensity with 73 percent is the most effective strategy. Also, 14 percent of strategies refer to exclusion, 10 percent to transfer and three percent to acceptance of risk Conclusion: Combining risk assessment methods and environmental pollutants concentration measurements could increased the accuracy and validity of the results by systemizing the identification process.
Damon Ketabi; Reza Esmaili; Hosein Alidadi; Roya Peirovi; Fatemeh Joulaei
Abstract
Background and Objective: Air pollution is one of the current concerns. Human health has been faced with serious risks due to air pollution as a consequence of urbanization. Continuous monitoring of air quality to determine pollutants and identify their emissions sources are considered as the key strategies ...
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Background and Objective: Air pollution is one of the current concerns. Human health has been faced with serious risks due to air pollution as a consequence of urbanization. Continuous monitoring of air quality to determine pollutants and identify their emissions sources are considered as the key strategies for air pollution control. The main objective of this study was evaluation of Mashhad air quality and determination of responsible pollutants in 2015. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the instantaneous concentrations of air pollutants including O3, CO, SO2, NO2, PM2.5 and PM10 were measured at the three stations of Mashhad during 2015-2016. Based on Air Quality Index (AQI), Mashhad air quality was classified in groups of good, moderate, unhealthy for the sensitive people, unhealthy, very unhealthy and dangerous. Results: The results of the air quality index indicated that the air quality in 46 days was exceeded the standard limit in Mashhad in 2015-2016. The air quality category included 12.5% days unhealthy for sensitive groups, 74.5% days health. Conclusion: In this study, PM2.5 was determined as the main responsible pollutant in non-standard conditions of Mashhad air. Optimizing public transportation, considering environmental standards at the urban transportation management and Launch intelligent traffic control are the most appropriate strategies proposed to control Mashhad air pollution.
Mina Mortazavi; Taher Shahryari; Farzaneh Fanaei; Behnam Barikbin
Abstract
Background and purpose: One of the fundamental factors of water quality management plan is being guaranteed the qualitative and quantitative stability of fresh water in water supply systems. Water safety plan is a systematic approach that guarantees the constant supply of drinking water emphasizing the ...
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Background and purpose: One of the fundamental factors of water quality management plan is being guaranteed the qualitative and quantitative stability of fresh water in water supply systems. Water safety plan is a systematic approach that guarantees the constant supply of drinking water emphasizing the prevention of water pollution from catchment to the consumer. Material and methods: WSP-QA TOOL is employed as an instruction in order to assess the safety circumstance and identify vulnerability of water supply system in Torbat Jam; so that the necessary information aligned with WSP approach was provided based on current evidence of water and waste water company and related organization and interviewing experts and then it was analyzed in Excel. Results: The results of this study showed that by obtaining 159 scores of the total score evaluated, only 36.14% of the accordance between the approach in Torbat Jam city water supply system and the approach proposed by the World Health Organization. Among this, the management procedures with 66.67% and the formation of the WSP team with the 10%, has dedicated the highest and lowest amount of the coincided implementation with the plan, respectively. Conclusion: Because of the inadequacy of the conventional water quality control approach, which instead of preventing contamination only detects it, has the potential to cause various contamination in the water supply system, especially through vulnerable system. Therefore, planning to implement and develop a water safety plan as a basic method for reaching the goal of water health.
Behzad Jamshidi; Yaser Tahmasebi Birgani; Mohammad Jafarpour; NadAli Alavi Bakhtiarvand; Ali Akbar Babaei; Ali Haghighi; Gholamreza Goudarzi
Abstract
Background and purpose: Increasing population and urbanization density and as a result increasing impermeable levels, led to an increase in the volume of urban runoff. Applying simulation models is a suitable way to know the amount of runoff quality parameters. This study aims at evaluating the quality ...
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Background and purpose: Increasing population and urbanization density and as a result increasing impermeable levels, led to an increase in the volume of urban runoff. Applying simulation models is a suitable way to know the amount of runoff quality parameters. This study aims at evaluating the quality of urban runoff in Shushtar city using storm water management model (SWMM). Materials and Methods: Two given rainfall events in 1395 for calibration and validation of the model were considered. The parameters related to the first rainfall event were measured at the outlet of the urban drainage system. Quantitative and qualitative calibration of the model was performed using the first rainfall and model validation was performed using the second rainfall. Results: In the hydraulic calibration, mean values of impermeability, slope, catchment width and manning coefficient were estimated to be 50%, 75%, 25 m and 0.013, respectively. In the qualitative calibration, the coefficients of the Build-up equations for TSS, COD and Zn were equal to 95-25, 48-1, 1- 0.09, respectively. The coefficients of Wash-off equations for TSS, COD and Zn were estimated 0.21- 0.8, 0.2-0.8 and 0.19-0.78, respectively. Conclusion: The results showed that the accurate calibration of the model enhances the ability of the model to estimate the quantitative and qualitative parameters in future rainfall events for the study area. According to the results, the modeling is a powerful tool that can be very useful to improve runoff management.