- Hiểm họa môi trường do bụi mỏ và phương pháp giám sát ô nhiễm bụi mỏ bằng công nghệ viễn thám: Tổng quan

- Ô nhiễm hạt vi nhựa và đặc điểm của nước ngầm nông nghiệp ở lưu vực Haean của Hàn Quốc

- Tỷ lệ tử vong sớm do tiếp xúc với NO2 ở các thành phố và vai trò của môi trường xây dựng: Một phân tích toàn cầu

- BIM có thể giúp khử cacbon trong lĩnh vực xây dựng: Bằng chứng về vòng đời sơ cấp từ các hệ thống quản lý mặt đường

- Vai trò đáng kể của hình thái chức năng đô thị trong phát triển thành phố carbon thấp

- Ra quyết định dựa trên đánh giá vòng đời để xử lý nhiệt cho đất bị ô nhiễm ở góc độ khu vực

- Đặc điểm của các cộng đồng dễ bị tổn thương về lợi ích và gánh nặng của quá trình chuyển đổi năng lượng ở các thành phố Tây Bắc Thái Bình Dương. Một cách tiếp cận tối ưu hóa cho hệ thống quản lý chất thải thực phẩm dựa trên tích hợp kỹ thuật theo các tỷ lệ Nước/Mỡ khác nhau

- Tối ưu hóa các giải pháp dựa trên thiên nhiên đô thị-nông thôn để quản lý tổng hợp nguồn nước lưu vực

- Tiềm năng giảm và phát thải carbon đen ở Trung Quốc: 2015–2050

- Sự tương tác đôi bên cùng có lợi giữa không gian xanh và xanh tích hợp trong việc làm mát đô thị

- Phản ứng của hiện tượng thực vật đối với quá trình đô thị hóa ở các khu vực tập trung đô thị: Quan điểm độ dốc nông thôn-đô thị năng động

- Đặc tính phát thải vi nhựa của nước mưa chảy tràn trong khu vực đô thị: Sự biến thiên trong sự kiện và các yếu tố ảnh hưởng

- Tái sử dụng nước uống gián tiếp để đối phó với các sự kiện hạn hán ở thành phố Barcelona. Thiết lập quy trình giám sát để bảo vệ hệ sinh thái dưới nước và đảm bảo cung cấp nước uống an toàn

- Cái nhìn sâu sắc đầu tiên về sự thay đổi theo mùa của chất lượng không khí đô thị ở miền bắc Pakistan: Một vấn đề mới nổi liên quan đến rủi ro sức khỏe ở vùng Karakoram-Hindukush-Himalaya

- Tiền chất ôzôn và khí tượng lớp ranh giới trước và trong đợt ôzôn nghiêm trọng ở thành phố Mexico

- Các giải pháp dựa vào thiên nhiên cho các hệ thống nước đô thị tuần hoàn: Đánh giá phạm vi tài liệu và đề xuất thiết kế và quy hoạch đô thị

- Xử lý quy mô thí điểm nước thải khử nước cơ học rác đô thị bằng một hệ thống tích hợp liên quan đến quá trình nitrat hóa và khử nitrat một phần

- Các cụm du lịch có đóng góp cho các điểm đến carbon thấp không? Tác động lan tỏa của sự tích tụ du lịch đối với phát thải CO2 của khu dân cư đô thị

- Mô hình máy học đa đầu ra để dự báo ô nhiễm không khí khu vực tại Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Việt Nam

- Khu dân cư tiếp xúc với ô nhiễm không khí và hậu quả bất lợi về hô hấp và dị ứng ở trẻ em và thanh thiếu niên sống trong khu công nghiệp ván dăm ở miền Bắc nước Ý

- Cải thiện các chiến lược kiểm soát VOC tại các khu công nghiệp dựa trên hành vi phát thải, tác động môi trường và rủi ro sức khỏe: Nghiên cứu điển hình thông qua đo lường khí quyển và kiểm kê phát thải

- Ứng dụng geopolyme xử lý chất thải rắn công nghiệp chứa kim loại nặng: Đánh giá tiên tiến

- Hệ thống lưu trữ năng lượng nhiệt theo chiều ngang để thu hồi nhiệt thải ngành thép và sắt của Ma-rốc: Nghiên cứu số và kinh tế

- Xử lý đất bị ô nhiễm kim loại nặng bằng hai axit hữu cơ: Hiệu quả rửa, hiệu suất thu hồi và phân tích lợi ích

- Tác động không gian của chuyển giao công nghiệp đối với lượng khí thải carbon theo quyết định địa điểm của công ty: Quan điểm trung hòa carbon

- Liên kết các ngành công nghiệp khai thác lớn với sự phát triển bền vững của các cộng đồng nông thôn tại các điểm khai thác mỏ ở Châu Phi: Những thách thức và hướng đi

- Viễn cảnh tương lai về ngành xi măng và bê tông: Ý nghĩa của tăng trưởng và phát triển ở Nam bán cầu

- Than sinh học hoạt tính ba chiều dùng để thiêu kết trong ngành thép và loại bỏ xanh metylen bằng hoạt hóa hiệp đồng của H3PO4 và ZnCl2

- Biến chất thải thành năng lượng ở Ả-rập Xê-út: Xử lý nước thải dầu mỏ sử dụng cấu trúc zeolit để loại bỏ các chất ô nhiễm phenol bằng cách sử dụng sức mạnh của phương pháp động lực học phân tử

- Hấp phụ vượt trội và loại bỏ thuốc nhuộm công nghiệp độc hại bằng cách sử dụng aluminosilic khối Pm3n tạo thành dung dịch nước, Đường đẳng nhiệt, Động học, nhiệt động lực học và cơ chế tương tác

Science of The Total Environment, Volume 863, 10 March 2023, 160947

Abstract

Efforts associated with common analytical techniques for microplastics including spectroscopic and thermo-analytical techniques are limiting the ability to perform large-scale monitoring of microplastics in the aquatic environment, because the analytical equipment required is costly and the analysis itself time consuming. Thus, there is a need to develop low cost, rapid alternative monitoring approaches. One possible alternative is the use of selective fluorescence staining of microplastic particles directly applied to environmental samples. However, to the best of our knowledge this has not yet been successfully implemented for wastewater samples. In this study, sludge samples are used as surrogates for wastewater alongside six different polymers to develop a combined sample preparation and staining protocol that could selectively stain microplastics without significant interference from the natural constituents of the sludge. Results confirmed that using Fenton's reagent to remove the organic matter before staining the sample with Nile red (NR) and subsequently bleaching it by sodium hypochlorite resulted in the best workflow to selectively stain microplastics and then analyze them in wastewater samples using fluorescence microscopy.

Science of The Total Environment, Volume 864, 15 March 2023, 161135

Abstract

The over-exploitation of mineral resources has led to increasingly serious dust pollution in mines, resulting in a series of negative impacts on the environment, mine workers (occupational health) and nearby residents (public health). For the environment, mine dust pollution is considered a major threat on surface vegetation, landscapes, weather conditions and air quality, leading to serious environmental damage such as vegetation reduction and air pollution; for occupational health, mine dust from the mining process is also regarded as a major threat to mine workers' health, leading to occupational diseases such as pneumoconiosis and silicosis; for public health, the pollutants contained in mine dust may pollute surrounding rivers, farmlands and crops, which poses a serious risk to the domestic water and food security of nearby residents who are also susceptible to respiratory diseases from exposure to mine dust. Therefore, the second section of this paper combines literature research, statistical studies, and meta analysis to introduce the public mainly to the severity of mine dust pollution and its hazards to the environment, mine workers (occupational health), and residents (public health), as well as to present an outlook on the management of mine dust pollution. At the same time, in order to propose a method for monitoring mine dust pollution on a regional scale, based on the Dense Dark Vegetation (DDV) algorithm, the third section of this paper analysed the aerosol optical depth (AOD) change in Dexing City of China using the data of 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2021 from the NASA MCD19A2 Dataset to explore the mine dust pollution situation and the progress of pollution treatment in Dexing City from 2010 to 2021. As a discussion article, this paper aims to review the environmental and health risks caused by mine dust pollution, to remind the public to take mine dust pollution seriously, and to propose the use of remote sensing technologies to monitor mine dust pollution, providing suggestions for local governments as well as mines on mine dust monitoring measures.

Science of The Total Environment, Volume 864, 15 March 2023, 161027

Abstract

The quality of groundwater is critical to human health. MPs have access to groundwater from the soil, polluted by various agricultural activities. However, to date, there have been no studies on the occurrence of MP in groundwater from an agriculture field without any adjacent sources of contamination, such as nearby landfills. In this study, the occurrence and distribution of MPs in groundwater of an agricultural area in the Haean Basin, Korea, without any definite source of pollution, was examined. MP and groundwater samplings were conducted in the dry season in 2020, the wet and dry seasons in 2021, respectively. In this study, the reliability of MP analysis was improved through good practices from laboratory to field campaigns, collecting large groundwater samples (300–500 L) volumes. Any involvement of plastic materials was avoided during the full procedures as possible and. Detailed investigation was conducted for the distribution of potential plastics sources like mulching, plastic covers, dripping pipes and shading nets, and hydrogeological properties affecting MPs occurrence. Groundwater MP concentrations of 0.02–0.15 particles/L (median = 0.06 particles/L), 0.02–2.56 particles/L (median = 0.43 particles/L) and 0.20–3.48 particles/L (median = 0.83 particles/L) were found in three rounds of sampling that comprised of the exploratory investigation in 2020, the wet season, and the dry season in 2021, respectively. The identified polymer types were polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS) and polyamide (PA). The MPs concentrations showed no statistically significant seasonal variation but revealed an apparent strong positive correlation (r = 0.71) of MPs with the amount of groundwater use. Findings of this study need more clarification from repeated samplings for multiple years. This study reveals the occurrence of MPs in groundwater in Korea for the first time to the best of our knowledge.

Science of The Total Environment, Volume 865, 20 March 2023, 160946

Abstract

Land urbanization not only efficiently met the requirements of social development but also brought severe heating effects, especially the changes in Land Surface Temperature (LST). The effects of building density on LST and driving relation of the configuration of buildings remain poorly understood over large areas. Using Landsat 8 satellite imagery acquired from the summer of 2019, this study quantified the heating effects (k) of building density on LST across 35 cities in China, and further analyzed the driving relation of the configuration of buildings such as the size, shape, and spatial distribution on k. Here the regression analysis results showed that the building density had a significant relationship with LST, and the k varied from 1.10 to 7.27 amount of the different cities. The size and aggregation distribution of buildings were the main positive drivers for the effects of building density on LST, and the shape of buildings was not obviously related to the k-value. The results of thermal environment simulation showed that the major reason might be that the close spatial relationship reduced the heat exchange between buildings and the atmosphere, resulting in higher LST. These conclusions will provide an important reference for urban planning and design.

Science of The Total Environment, Volume 866, 25 March 2023, 161395

Abstract

Background

Environmental risks accumulate in cities, including polluted air and health disparities, but these risks can be reduced through scientific city planning. The purpose of this study was to investigate the global burden of premature mortality attributable to NO2 exposure in urban areas and the role of the built environment in this regard.

Methods

An approach based on health impact assessment was used to estimate the premature mortality burdens associated with NO2 exposure in 13,169 urban areas around the world using globally gridded NO2 and population estimates, baseline mortality, and epidemiologically derived exposure-response functions. We used the most recent WHO recommended value (i.e.,10 μg/m3) as a counterfactual concentration. Finally, the relationship between the characteristics of the built environment at the city level and the burden of NO2-related mortality was evaluated.

Results

Worldwide, 549,715(95%CI: 276204–815,023) cases of death attributable to NO2 exposure in urban areas could be prevented if compliance with the latest WHO guideline, accounting for 2.7 % (95%CI:1.4 %–4.0 %) of total mortalities in 2019. Across cities around the world, the age-standardized mortality rate (per 100,000 people) attributable to NO2 exposure ranged from 51.3 (95%CI:25.8–76.0) in Central Asia to 3.4(95%CI: 1.7–5.1) in Oceania. Although there was a significant decrease in premature mortality attributable to NO2 exposure globally, considerable regional heterogeneity exists, with cities in Central Asia and Andean Latin America in particular exhibiting an upward trend. Further, we discovered a positive association between population density and street connectivity with mortality attributable to NO2. While the increase in green and blue space were significantly associated with a lower NO2-associated mortality.

Conclusion

The findings of this study provided a comprehensive understanding of the premature mortality burden due to NO2 in cities throughout the world and the role that urban planning policies can play in reducing the health burden associated with air pollution.

Science of The Total Environment, Volume 865, 20 March 2023, 161212

Abstract

Isoprene is the most abundantly emitted biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC), which plays an essential role in producing tropospheric ozone (O3). However, the simulations of isoprene emissions have not been sufficiently verified over Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and few studies have specifically addressed its impact on O3 formation. In this study, we simulated the isoprene emissions in Zhejiang Province (ZJ), a region with the largest BVOC emission in YRD, in August 2020 using the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN) and the latest Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products, and investigated its contributions to O3 using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)-Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. The model has a good performance on isoprene simulations over urban and suburban areas, with mean biases of −0.16–0.12 ppb, but underestimated the concentrations at forest sites (mainly due to bamboo). Regionally, the simulated formaldehyde concentrations over forests agree well with the satellite observations. In August 2020, the total isoprene emission in ZJ was 125.1 GgC, with higher emissions in western ZJ and relatively lower emissions in eastern coastal regions. The spatial pattern of isoprene concentrations is similar to its emissions, and the maximum daytime average concentrations are above 3.5 ppb. The spatial pattern of its contribution to daily maximum 8 h average O3 concentrations is significantly different from the emissions and concentrations, which shows a higher impact in northern ZJ (>6 ppb) and relatively lower impact in southern ZJ (1–3 ppb). The mean contribution over ZJ is 8.9 %, with daily variation in the range of 3.1 % to 13.4 %. For different cities, the monthly mean contribution is in the range of 4.6 % to 14.3 %, and the maximum daily contribution reaches about 25 %. These findings help understand the summertime O3 pollution in ZJ and the YRD region of China.

Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 391, 10 March 2023, 136056

Abstract

Transforming the construction sector is key to reaching net-zero, and many stakeholders expect its decarbonization through digitalization, but no quantified evidence has been brought to date. This article proposes the first environmental quantification of the impact of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the construction sector. Specifically, the direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by a monofunctional BIM to plan road maintenance – a Pavement Management System (PMS) - are evaluated using field data from France. The related carbon footprints are calculated following a life cycle approach, using different sources of data – including ecoinvent v3.6 – and the IPCC 2013 GWP 100a characterization factors. Three design-build-maintain pavement alternatives are compared: scenario 1 relates to a massive design and surface maintenance, scenario 2 to a progressive design and pre-planned structural maintenance, and scenario 3 to a progressive design and tailored structural maintenance supported by the PMS. First, results show the negligible direct emissions due to the PMS existence – 0.02% of the life cycle emissions of scenario 3's pavement, e.g. 0.52 t CO2eq for 10 km and 30 years. Second, the base case and two complementary sensitivity analyses show that the use of a PMS is climate-positive over the life cycle when pavement subgrade bearing capacity improves over time, neutral for the climate otherwise. The GHG emissions savings using BIM can reach up to 14 and 30% of the life cycle emissions respectively compared to scenario 2 and 1, and resp. 47 and 65% when restraining the scope to maintenance and rehabilitation and excluding original pavement construction. Third, the neutral effect of BIM in case of a deterioration of the bearing capacity of the subgrade may be explained by design practices and safety margins, that could in fact be enhanced using BIM. Fourth, the decarbonization potential of a multifunctional BIM is discussed, and research perspectives are presented.

Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 392, 15 March 2023, 136256

Abstract

Urban form, especially urban functional form, is an important consideration for urban planning, construction, and management. Recent progress in characterizing urban functional form makes it possible to quantify the relationship between urban functional form and urban carbon emissions. We used urban functional form data from 178 cities of China to study the relationship between urban CO2 emissions and five categories of urban form: compactness, extension, fragmentation, irregularity, and concentration. The results show that all five categories significantly affect the total CO2 emissions (TCE), and four categories (excluding fragmentation) significantly affect per-capita CO2 emissions (PCE). Compactness produces a significant negative effect on both TCE and PCE: for every 1% increase in the functional compactness index (FCI), TCE and PCE decrease by 0.79% and 0.34%, respectively. Carbon-emission-reduction policies should be combined with the topographical environment, spatial structure, and industrial structure of cities. FCI reduces carbon emissions most effectively in plain and single-center cities. The planning and control of forms are more important in hilly and mountainous cities, multi-center cities, and highly industrial cities. This study concludes that the adjustment of urban functional form has important theoretical and practical significance for low-carbon city development.

Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 392, 15 March 2023, 136260

Abstract

Optimizing decision-making to reduce the environmental impact of remediation activities is critical for green and sustainable remediation. Currently, the environmental impact assessment for remediation technologies is primarily based on site-specific data, which makes the assessment results difficult to apply to different site conditions. In our study, an abandoned rubber factory site in the Jiangsu Province of China was used as an example to evaluate the life cycle impact of three frequently used soil remediation strategies including cement kiln co-processing, onsite ex-situ thermal desorption, and offsite ex-situ thermal desorption. The results show that when considering the subsequent disposal of contaminated soil after remediation, the environmental impacts of remediating 1 ton of contaminated soil decrease according to the following order: offsite ex-situ thermal desorption, onsite ex-situ thermal desorption, and cement kiln co-processing. The results also indicate that contaminated soil volume and transport distance profoundly affect the environmental impacts of contaminated soil remediation. Based on these findings, we proposed a generalized method for selecting the most environmentally friendly remediation technology under various site characteristics. Within the developed method, we examined remediation options for 43 sites contaminated by organic chemicals in Jiangsu Province. The simulation results suggest that the optimized remediation options could have reduced environmental impacts by as much as 61.1%. Our study provides insights and valuable information for reducing remediation decision-making costs and promoting sustainable remediation of contaminated soil on a regional scale.

Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 393, 20 March 2023, 135949

Abstract

Energy transition to renewable sources has occurred along with the development of various clean energy policies aimed at decarbonization and electrification. However, the transition can inadvertently lead to social inequity resulting in increasing burdens on vulnerable communities. Although many studies have tried to define and identify vulnerable communities, there has been no study specifically aimed at characterizing vulnerable communities in terms of the benefits and burdens of such energy transition. In response, the objective of this study is to characterize vulnerable communities by examining rooftop solar adoption and energy expenditure using spatial and mixed-effect models. Rooftop solar adoption operationalizes energy resilience and benefits, and energy expenditure operationalizes energy dependence and burdens of the transition. The study also investigates the link between rooftop solar adoption and energy expenditure by considering city-level variability in three Pacific Northwest cities. The results show that Bellevue has 50.4% less rooftop solar adoption than Portland, while Portland has 16.1% or $223 more energy expenditure than Seattle. On average, an increase in annual energy expenditure of $431 is associated with 29% increase in rooftop solar adoption, specifically Bellevue, Seattle, and Portland by 21.4%, 39.1%, and 26.2%, respectively, but not vice versa. Furthermore, the group of communities more vulnerable in housing attributes has 15.2% less rooftop solar adoption than the group of more vulnerable communities in socioeconomic attributes. In addition, the city centers, commercial areas, or mid-rise and high-rise zones are found to have lower rooftop solar adoption and energy expenditure than other areas. The results suggest that policymakers should consider between-city variability when identifying vulnerable communities. Policies should also be tailored to local communities based on their attributes as communities with similar attributes tend to cluster together. Furthermore, policymakers should focus more on housing and built environment attributes to promote resilient communities.

Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 394, 25 March 2023, 136254

Abstract

Large quantities of food waste challenge sustainable development and there is significant value in the proper treatment of such waste. There are several food waste treatment technologies available, and food waste valorization requires planning for the collection, transportation, pre-treatment, treatment, and product sales. Managers need comprehensive system management objectives and strategies to promote the circular economy. To determine the optimal network design for food waste management systems, this paper develops a multi-objective mixed integer non-linear model from economic, energy, environmental, and social perspectives that integrates different treatment technologies into the three-phase separation pre-treatment. The proposed model was applied to a food waste management system in Chongqing, China, and the effects of different decision preferences of the managers, the water and grease proportion in the food waste on the optimization results were analyzed and discussed. It was found that different grease and water proportions influenced the optimal application of the technologies and system management decisions. With a 10% to 15% grease proportion, composting was seen to be more suitable than incineration or anaerobic digestion treatments, and the simultaneous application of multiple technologies was seen to be beneficial for food waste management systems.

Journal of Environmental Management, Volume 329, 1 March 2023, 117045

Abstract

Nature-based solutions (NBS) have co-benefits for water availability, water quality, and flood management. However, searching for optimal integrated urban-rural NBS planning to maximise co-benefits at a catchment scale is still limited by fragmented evaluation. This study develops an integrated urban-rural NBS planning optimisation framework based on the CatchWat-SD model, which is developed to simulate a multi-catchment integrated water cycle in the Norfolk region, UK. Three rural (runoff attenuation features, regenerative farming, floodplain) and two urban (urban green space, constructed wastewater wetlands) NBS interventions are integrated into the model at a range of implementation scales. A many-objective optimisation problem with seven water management objectives to account for flow, quality and cost indicators is formulated, and the NSGAII algorithm is adopted to search for optimal NBS portfolios. Results show that rural NBS have more significant impacts across the catchment, which increase with the scale of implementation. Integrated urban-rural NBS planning can improve water availability, water quality, and flood management simultaneously, though trade-offs exist between different objectives. Runoff attenuation features and floodplains provide the greatest benefits for water availability. Regenerative farming is most effective for water quality and flood management, though it decreases water availability by up to 15% because it retains more water in the soil. Phosphorus levels are best reduced by expansion of urban green space to decrease loading on combined sewer systems, though this trades off against water availability, flood, nitrogen and suspended solids. The proposed framework enables spatial prioritisation of NBS, which may ultimately guide multi-stakeholder decision-making, bridging the urban-rural divide in catchment water management.

Journal of Environmental Management, Volume 329, 1 March 2023, 117080

Abstract

Since China is a country with high environmental pollution, researchers have intensively studied China's environmental problems using various environmental indicators such as carbon emissions and ecological footprint. Unlike previous literature, this study analyzes the effects of economic growth, globalization, foreign direct investment, and fossil energy intensity on ecological efficiency in China. As an innovation to the literature, the study examines the Chinese ecosystem simultaneously with its economic and environmental aspects by focusing on ecological efficiency. To this end, the study applies dynamic autoregressive distributed lag (DARDL) simulations and kernel-based regularized least squares (KRLS) methods for the period from 1990 to 2018. The results of the DARDL simulations show that globalization, and economic growth enhance ecological efficiency in China. The findings also demonstrate that both foreign direct investment and fossil fuel intensity have a negative impact on environmental quality in China. Based on these results, the study suggests that the Chinese government should adopt policies to channel foreign direct investment into environmentally friendly production, reduce fossil fuel intensity, and improve ecological efficiency by making use of environmentally friendly technologies provided by globalization and economic development.

Journal of Environmental Management, Volume 329, 1 March 2023, 117070

Abstract

The Budyko-based elasticity method has been widely employed to clarify the driving factors behind runoff changes. However, different formulations of the Budyko framework could produce biases in the elasticity analysis and the assessment errors induced from different formulations of the Budyko framework in the elasticity method remain unclear. Here, we attempt to address this issue by validating the performance of elasticity methods derived from two analytical Budyko equations (Fu's equation and Choudhury's equation), as well as one empirical Budyko equation (Wang-Tang's equation) of the Budyko framework across 22 basins in China. Validations show that the runoff change simulated by the elasticity method derived from the empirical equation has lower errors compared with the two analytical Budyko equations. Results reveal that in the semi-humid environment, the alteration of basin characteristics takes the main responsibility for the runoff change. However, a clear divergence was found in simulated runoff changes among different Budyko-based elasticity methods in humid basins. For parts of the humid basin, the precipitation is the main driver of runoff change from the analytical Budyko-based elasticity methods, while the alteration of basin characteristics is the main derive of the runoff changes according to based on the empirical Budyko-based elasticity method. This difference could be attributed to the variations in the simulated contributions from the alteration of basin characteristics on runoff changes. Generally, our results highlight the importance of validating different Budyko equations when applying the elasticity method to investigate the driver of the runoff changes in humid regions.

Journal of Environmental Management, Volume 329, 1 March 2023, 117087

Abstract

Black carbon is a product of the incomplete combustion of carbonaceous fuels and has significant adverse effects on climate change, air quality, and human health. China has been a major contributor to global anthropogenic black carbon emissions. This study develops a black carbon inventory in China, using 2015 as the base year, and projects annual black carbon emissions in China for the period 2016–2050, under two scenarios: a Reference scenario and an Accelerated Reduction scenario. The study estimates that the total black carbon emissions in China in 2015 were 1100 thousand tons (kt), with residential use being the biggest contributor, accounting for more than half of the total black carbon emissions, followed by coke production, industry, agricultural waste burning, and transportation. This study then projects the total black carbon emissions in China in 2050 to be 278 kt in the Reference scenario and 86 kt in the Accelerated Reduction Scenario. Compared to the Reference scenario, the Accelerated Reduction scenario will achieve much faster and deeper black carbon reductions in all the sectors. The dramatic reductions can be attributed to the fuel switching in the residential sector, faster implementation of high-efficiency emission control measures in the industry, transportation, and coke production sectors, and faster phase-out of agricultural waste open burning. This analysis reveals the high potential of black carbon emission reductions across multiple sectors in China through the next thirty years.

Science of The Total Environment, Volume 863, 10 March 2023, 160705

Abstract

Understanding the co-evolution and organizational dynamics of urban properties (i.e., urban scaling) is the science base for pursuing synergies toward sustainable cities and society. The generalization of urban scaling theory yet requires more studies from various developmental regimes and across time. Here, we extend the universality proposition by exploring the evolution of longitudinal and transversal scaling of Chinese urban attributes between 1987 and 2018 using a global artificial impervious area (GAIA) remotely sensed dataset, harmonized night light data (NTL), and socioeconomic data, and revealed agreements and disagreements with theories. The superlinear relationship of urban area and population often considered as an indicator of wasting land resources (challenging the universality theory βc = 2/3), is in fact the powerful impetus (capital raising) behind the concurrent superlinear expansion of socio-economic metabolisms (e.g., GDP, total wage) in a rapidly urbanizing country that has not yet reached equilibrium. Similarly, infrastructural variables associated with public services, such as hospitals and educational institutions, exhibited some deviations as well and were scaled linearly. However, the temporal narrowing of spatial deviations, such as the decline in urban land diseconomies of scale and the stabilization of economic output, clearly indicates the Chinese government's effort in charting urban systems toward balanced and sustainable development across the country. More importantly, the transversal sublinear scaling of areal-based socio-economic variables was inconsistent with the theoretical concept of increasing returns to scale, thus validating the view that a single measurement cannot unravel the intricate web of diverse urban attributes and urbanization. Our dynamic urban scaling analysis across space and through time in China provides new insights into the evolving nexus of urbanization, socioeconomic development, and national policies.

Science of The Total Environment, Volume 863, 10 March 2023, 160712

Abstract

The contributions of urban blue and green spaces on urban cooling are widely acknowledged. However, the combined cooling effect of integrated blue and green space remains uncertain. In this study, a combination of modelling and observational analyses uncovered a win–win interaction between coexisting blue and green spaces in terms of urban cooling. That is, the integration of water bodies and green spaces can reinforce the mutual cooling potential and provide greater urban cooling than stand-alone water bodies and green spaces. The results indicated that the known influencing factors such as area, shape and planting structure had no impact on the cooling effect of riverside urban green spaces. Instead, the width of the adjacent river reach and the degree of contact with the reach were significantly positively related to the cooling effect of riverside green spaces. The surface/air temperature of a riverside green space can be 4.2 °C/3.7 °C lower in the daytime in summer, and 3.1 °C/2.7 °C lower in spring than a non-riverside green space of similar size. Urban green spaces with water bodies inside could cause about 0.99 °C and 1.45 °C more deduction of land surface temperature (LST) than simple green spaces of similar size in spring and summer, respectively. There were about 1 °C‑2.9 °C more deductions in the air temperature of a river reach when it is accompanied by green spaces. More specifically, complete coverage with vegetated areas within a 30 m buffer on both riverbanks can result in a 3.1 °C and 3.37 °C higher LST deduction compared to no vegetation coverage on the riverbank in the daytime in spring and summer, respectively. The results of this study extend the understanding of the cooling effect of urban blue-green spaces and provide implications for sustainable urban planning.

Science of The Total Environment, Volume 864, 15 March 2023, 161109

Abstract

Being an important theme in global warming, the response of vegetation phenology to urbanization has become an increasing concern at both the local and global levels. Previous studies have focused on spatial or temporal responses across urban–rural gradients; thus, the influence of urbanization on vegetation phenology along the dynamic urbanization gradient has not been well quantified. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the response of vegetation phenology to urbanization in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GHM-GBA) from a dynamic urban–rural gradient perspective. The results show that the response of vegetation phenology to urbanization level has a distinct spatiotemporal difference across the urban–rural gradient. Compared to rural areas, the change rate of advancements in the start-of-season (SOS) in urban domains was 1.16 DOY/year and that of the end-of-season (EOS) was 0.63 days/year from 2001 to 2020. In the GHM-GBA region, 61.03 % of the remote sensing pixels showed an advancing trend for SOS and 55.75 % for EOS. Urbanization advanced the SOS and EOS but did not extend the growing season length, and the SOS and EOS were advanced by 7 and 6 days along the urban-to-rural gradient, respectively. For every 10 % increase in urbanization levels, the SOS and EOS advanced by 1.085 and 1.091 days across the urban–rural gradient, respectively; the spring land surface temperature (LST) advanced the SOS at a rate of 1.71 days/°C, while the autumn LST advanced the EOS at a rate of 1.88 days/°C. The phenological shift in the urban–rural gradient was more significant than that over time, which was mainly because of land surface warming under different urbanization levels. These quantitative findings are of great importance for understanding the complicated impacts of urbanization on vegetation phenology and for developing models to predict vegetation phenological changes under future urbanization.

Science of The Total Environment, Volume 865, 20 March 2023, 161118

Abstract

Microenvironmental concentrations and time-activity patterns influence personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5). However, the variations and contributions of PM2.5 exposures from various microenvironments (MEs) and activities remain unclear. In this study, gravimetrically corrected real-time personal PM2.5 measurements were collected during routine activities in different MEs from 66 non-smoking retired adults. Exposure data were collected for five consecutive days over two seasons in Nanjing (NJ) and Beijing (BJ), China. Measured PM2.5 concentrations varied substantially both between and within different MEs and activities. The highest average concentrations were observed in restaurants (NJ: mean 192 μg/m3, SD 242 μg/m3; BJ: mean 91 μg/m3, SD 79 μg/m3) and were associated with sources such as passive smoking and cooking emissions. Overall, PM2.5 concentrations in different MEs and activities were moderately to highly correlated with outdoor PM2.5 concentrations (Spearman's r = 0.51–0.97) except in restaurants and during passive smoking. The at-home ME contributed approximately 85 % of the total PM2.5 exposure, corresponding to the participants spending about 87 % of their time there. The majority of household exposures occurred during sleeping, cooking, and other home-based activities. Transportation accounted for <5 % of total exposure. Our results indicate that improving indoor air quality, especially residential indoors, is important to reduce personal exposure to PM2.5

Science of The Total Environment, Volume 866, 25 March 2023, 161318

Abstract

Stormwater runoff is considered a major pathway for land-based microplastic transportation to aquatic environments. By applying time-weighted stormwater sampling at stormwater outlets from industrial and residential catchments, we investigated the emission characteristics and loads (number- and mass-based) of microplastics to aquatic environments through urban stormwater runoff during rainfall events. Microplastics were detected in stormwater runoff from industrial and residential areas in the concentration range of 68–568 n/L and 54–639 n/L, respectively. Polypropylene and polyethylene were found as major polymers accounting for around 60 % of total microplastics. The fragment was the dominant shape of microplastics, and the most common size class was 20–100 μm or 100–200 μm. The microplastic load emitted from industrial and residential areas were estimated to be 1.54–46.1 × 108 and 0.63–28.5 × 108 particles, respectively. The discharge characteristics of microplastics inter– and intra–event were affected by the land-use pattern and rainfall characteristics. The concentration of microplastics did not significantly differ between industrial and residential catchments, but the composition of polymer types reflected the land-use pattern. The microplastics in stormwater were more concentrated when the number of antecedent dry days (ADDs) was higher; the concentration of microplastics was generally peaked in the early stage of runoff and varied according to rainfall intensity during a rainfall event. The contamination level and load of microplastics were heavily affected by the total rainfall depth. Most microplastics were transported in the early stage of runoff (19–37 % of total runoff time), but the proportion of larger and heavier particles increased in the later period of runoff. The microplastic emission via stormwater runoff was significantly higher than that through the discharge of wastewater treatment plant effluent in the same area, implying that stormwater runoff is the dominant pathway for transporting microplastics to aquatic environments.

Science of The Total Environment, Volume 866, 25 March 2023, 161339

Abstract

The climate change and increasing anthropogenic pressures are expected to limit the availability of water resources. Hence, active measures must be planned in vulnerable regions to ensure a sustainable water supply and minimize environmental impacts. A pilot test was carried out in the Llobregat River (NE Spain) aiming to provide a useful procedure to cope with severe droughts through indirect water reuse. Reclaimed water was used to restore the minimum flow of the lower Llobregat River, ensuring a suitable water supply downstream for Barcelona. A monitoring was performed to assess chemical and microbiological threats throughout the water treatment train, the river and the final drinking water, including 376 micropollutants and common microbiological indicators. The effects of water disinfection were studied by chlorinating reclaimed water prior to its discharge into the river.

Data showed that 10 micropollutants (bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, chloroform, EDDP, diclofenac, iopamidol, ioprimid, lamotrigine, ofloxacin and valsartan) posed a potential risk to aquatic life, whereas one solvent (1,4-dioxane) could affect human health. The chlorination of reclaimed water mitigated the occurrence of pharmaceuticals but, conversely, the concentration of halogenated disinfection by-products increased. From a microbiological perspective, the microbial load decreased along wastewater treatments and, later, along drinking water treatment, ultimately reaching undetectable values in final potable water. Non-chlorinated reclaimed water showed a lower log reduction of E. coli and coliphages than chlorinated water. However, the effect of disinfection vanished once reclaimed water was discharged into the river, as the basal concentration of microorganisms in the Llobregat River was comparable to that of non-chlorinated reclaimed water. Overall, our study indicates that indirect water reuse can be a valid alternative source of drinking water in densely populated areas such as Barcelona (Catalonia - NE Spain). A suitable monitoring procedure is presented to assess the related risks to human health and the aquatic ecosystem.

Chemosphere, Volume 316, March 2023, 137878

Abstract

There is a dire need of air quality monitoring in the high-mountain areas of Karakoram-Hindu Kush-Himalaya (HKH) region, particularly related to the recent activities undergoing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This study presents the first baseline monitoring and evaluation findings from Gilgit city, Gilgit-Baltistan. Hourly data collection for air quality parameters (PM2.5, NO, NO2, SO2, O3 and CO) were measured using air-pointer (recordum, Austria) from 1 Jan 2018 to 31 Mar 2018 (winter) and 1 Jun 2018 to 31 Aug 2018 (summer). Our findings depict PM2.5 health limits were crossed in the winter season, while NO, NO2 and SO2 remained below their health limits. O3 and CO showed a rising trend in summer months, crossing the 8-h health limits during the season. Seasonal correlation in meteorology found an inverse relationship between most parameters and temperatures; reverse was true for O3 and CO. In parallel, thermal optical carbon analysis filter-based sampling characterized air quality into mass concentrations of PM2.5, organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC) and various heavy metals. Filter-based PM2.5 correlated well with analyzer-based PM2.5 for all months that were studied, except February and March 2018. PM2.5, OC and EC were higher in summer as compared to winter, whereas higher heavy metal contributions were measured predominantly during summer. Health impacts were found to be above health limits for Ni in children only. Furthermore, principal component analysis-multiple linear regression (PCA-MLR) technique was applied to determine source apportionment, confirming the role of biomass burning in winters, and vehicular emissions in summers, highlighting the need for flexible monitoring of technologies/approaches, and communications among the various public, private agencies, and all relevant stakeholders.

Chemosphere, Volume 318, March 2023, 137978

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) data in conjunction with other inorganic pollutants, surface meteorological data and continuous measurement of the Planetary Boundary Layer height (PBLH) at an urban site in Mexico City were performed from 6 to 18 March 2016. Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) identified four emission source factors of VOCs along with equivalent black carbon (eBC), gaseous pollutants (CO, NO, NO2, SO2, NH3) and ions (Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, NO3−, NH4+): (1) secondary aerosol precursors, (2) evaporation and non-LPG fuel combustion, (3) geogenic source and (4) vehicle exhaust. Propylene Equivalent and Maximum Incremental Reactivity (MIR) methods identified isoprene and ethylene as the highest oxidant and O3 forming species. Pollutant data normalized to the variation of the PBLH revealed continued production of O3 precursors in the afternoon beyond the typical morning rush hour. In particular this could be observed during the second part of the measurement period (12–15 March) when a strong O3 episode occurred under weak wind and lower PBLH conditions compared to the preceding period (6–11 March) when well mixed conditions due to elevated daytime PBLH and strong advection led to overall reduced pollutant mixing ratios in the afternoon hours.

Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 394, 25 March 2023, 136325

Abstract

This article explores eleven types of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) that can contribute to circular systems for water reuse and resource recovery in cities in terms of their function, co-benefits, integration and scaling-up in urban areas. The challenges of urban water management and water scarcity indicate the urgency for the transition to water circularity, and provide an opportunity for integrating NBS in cities. Evidence on the co-benefits of NBS has been gathered in the past 20 years, while applications across the globe provide us with knowledge on their modularity, effectiveness in hybridization and siting in urban environments. This article provides new insights and perspectives compared to published reviews, as it bridges a broad range of disciplinary topics: NBS, non-conventional water sources, circularity, urban design, and urban planning. Based on the scoping literature review of 68 peer-reviewed research articles, four key dimensions for the design and integration of circular water NBS in cities are identified: environmental technology, systems design, urban design, and urban planning. Urban planning can provide the platform to connect evidence on the efficacy and effectiveness of circular water NBS, building on environmental technology knowledge, NBS design innovation, and place-based evidence from NBS applications in urban design.

Journal of Environmental Management, Volume 329, 1 March 2023, 117088

Abstract

The municipal solid waste (MSW) with high water content can be pre-treated by the mechanical dewatering technology to significantly decrease the leachate generation in sequential landfill treatment or to improve the efficiency for solid waste incineration, which has attracted great concerns recently. However, the generated mechanical dewatering wastewater (MDW) containing high organics and nitrogenous content has been one of the big challenges for the sustainable treatment of MSW. In this study, a pilot-scale integrated system composed of physiochemical pretreatment, anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR), partial nitrification SBR (PN-SBR), denitrification SBR (DN-SBR), and UV/O3 advanced oxidation process, with a capacity of 1.0 m3/d to treat MDW containing over 34000 mg-chemical oxygen demand (COD)/L organics pollutant and 850 mg/L NH4+-N, was successfully developed. By explorations on the start-up of this integrated system and the process conditions optimization, after a long-term system operation, the findings demonstrated that this integrated system could reach the removal efficiency in the COD, NH4+-N and total nitrogen (TN) in the MDW of 99.7%, 98.2% and 96.9%, respectively. Partial nitrification and denitrification were successfully obtained for the TN removal with the nitrite accumulation rate of over 80%. The treatment condition parameters were optimized to be 800 mg/L polyaluminum chloride (PAC) and 2 mg/L polyacrylamide (PAM) under a pH of 9 for pretreatment, 36 h hydraulic retention time (HRT) for ASBR, 24 h for PN-SBR, and 2 h for UV/O3 unit. The organic sources in the MDW were also found to be feasible for the DN-SBR. Consequently, the resulting final effluent was stably in compliance with the discharge standard with high stability and reliability.

Journal of Environmental Management, Volume 330, 15 March 2023, 117160

Abstract

A burgeoning literature has investigated the relationship between tourism and regional CO2 emissions. However, the results are equivocal. Some scholars find that tourism induces more emissions, while others find that tourism benefits emission mitigation. Previous research suffers three deficiencies: (1) the CO2 emissions induced by tourism beyond the tourism sectors are neglected; (2) the role of tourism agglomerations in sustainable destination development is underrated; (3) the tripartite mechanism of tourism agglomerations, household income, and urban direct residential CO2 emissions (DRCEs) remains to be determined. Based on the theories of complex adaptive system and an empirical study of 30 provinces in China, we examine the relationship between the tripartite roles via multiple spatial econometric models. The results disclose that tourism agglomerations have dual effects on urban DRCEs and an inverted U-shaped effect on household income. The growth of tourism agglomerations has generally promoted urban DRCEs in many provinces of mainland China during the last fourteen years because its indirect effect (positive) outweighs the direct effect (negative). However, tourism agglomerations are feasible for low-carbon destinations once the emission-income decoupling happens. This study contributes to low-carbon destination management by presenting a more holistic image of the social-economic-environmental impacts of tourism agglomerations.

Environmental Pollution, Volume 320, 1 March 2023, 121079

Abstract

Ambient air pollution exposure may increase the risk of obesity, but the population susceptibility associated with urbanicity has been insufficiently investigated. Based on a nationwide representative cross-sectional survey on 44,544 adults, high-resolution night light satellite remote sensing products, and multi-source ambient air pollution inversion data, the present study evaluated the associations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations with the prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity. We further calculated the associations in regions with different urbanicity levels characterized by both administrative classification of urban/rural regions and night light index (NLI). We found that 10 μg/m3 increments in PM2.5 at 1-year moving average and in NO2 at 5-year moving average were associated with increased prevalence of obesity [odds ratios (OR) = 1.16 (1.14, 1.19); 1.12 (1.09, 1.15), respectively] and abdominal obesity [OR = 1.08 (1.07, 1.10); 1.07 (1.05, 1.09), respectively]. People in rural regions experienced stronger adverse effects than those in urban regions. For instance, a 10 μg/m3 increment in PM2.5 was associated with stronger odds of obesity in rural regions than in urban regions [OR = 1.27 (1.23, 1.31) vs 1.10 (1.05, 1.14), P for interaction <0.001]. In addition, lower NLI values were associated with constantly amplified associations of PM2.5 and NO2 with obesity and abdominal obesity (all P for interaction <0.001). In summary, people in less urbanized regions are more susceptible to the adverse effects of ambient air pollution on obesity, suggesting the significance of collaborative planning of urbanization development and air pollution control, especially in less urbanized regions.

Environmental Pollution, Volume 320, 1 March 2023, 121076

Abstract

Microplastic pollution threatens water systems worldwide. As one of the most important parts of city wastewater treatment, wastewater treatment plants are not only microplastics interception barriers but also emission sources. Water samples were collected from each sewage treatment plant stage and sludge from the sludge dewatering room. Microplastics were extracted using wet peroxide oxidation and flotation, and the abundance, size, shape, and polymer type of microplastics were detected. Basis on the results, the influence of each process on the removal rate and characteristics of microplastics under the same influent source was analysed. The influent microplastic concentration in this study was 32.5 ± 1.0 n/L, which rapidly decreased after treatment. The removal rates of the sequencing batch reactor activated sludge, cyclic activated sludge, and anaerobic anoxic oxic technologies were 73.0%, 75.6%, and 83.9%, respectively. Most microplastics were transported to the sludge, and the concentration of microplastics in dehydrated sludge was 27.2 ± 3.1 n/g. Microplastics removal occurred primarily during the primary and secondary stages. Disposal processes, settling time, and process design affected wastewater treatment plant microplastic removal rates at each stage. Significant differences in microplastic characteristics were observed at each stage, with the most abundant being fragment shaped, particle sizes of 30–100 μm, and black in colour. Sixteen polymer types were identified using a Raman spectrometer. The predominant polymers are polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyethylene terephthalate. This study demonstrates that optimising the process design of existing wastewater treatment plants is crucial for the prevention and control of microplastic pollution. It is suggested that the process settings of contemporary wastewater treatment plants should be studied in depth to develop a scientific foundation for avoiding and managing microplastic pollution in urban areas.

Environmental Pollution, Volume 321, 15 March 2023, 121135

Abstract

The mismanaged and abandoned mine tailings are an important source of heavy metal pollution in the mining regions, and there is a significant need to develop technically, environmentally, and economically feasible and sustainable solutions to manage them. This study explored the solidification and stabilization of the tailing from an abandoned Pb–Zn mine using municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWIFA) blended with ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) for fabricating unfired bricks, and systematically characterized the products’ mechanical and environmental performance. Various hydration products, such as ettringite, portlandite, and hydrotalcite, were formed in the unfired bricks in the solidification and stabilization process, which enhance the physical strength of unfired bricks and help immobilize the heavy metals. Slaking treatment of MSWIFA significantly increased the mechanical strength, reduced the water absorption, and improved the durability of unfired bricks, with the product prepared from MSWIFA with 7-day slaking exhibiting the highest unconfined compressive strength (12.3 MPa) after 56 days of curing. The concentrations of As (0.35–1.49 μg/L), Cd (0.35–0.70 μg/L), Cr (1.38–9.40 μg/L), Cu (2.28–5.87 μg/L), Ni (0.16–2.24 μg/L), Pb (0.16–59.80 μg/L), and Zn (1.60–10.80 μg/L) in the leachates of unfired bricks were below the relevant regulatory limits for surface water and groundwater. Converting the mine tailing (with MSWIFA and GGBFS) to different types of unfired bricks could yield economic payback in the range of 283.7–306.5 Yuan per ton. Replacing cement with MSWIFA blended with GGBFS in the solidification and stabilization treatment could save about 0.15 ton of cement per ton of mine tailing disposed, which avoids significant energy use and carbon dioxide emissions. These findings demonstrate that utilization of mine tailings and industrial wastes to fabricate unfired bricks is a promising way of reusing such wastes and controlling the associated pollution, which also brings significant economic benefit and improves environmental sustainability.

Environment International, Volume 173, March 2023, 107848

Abstract

Air pollution concentrations in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) have been found to surpass the WHO standard, which has become a very serious problem affecting human health and the ecosystem. Various machine learning algorithms have recently been widely used in air quality forecasting studies to predict possible impacts. Training and constructing several machine learning models for different air pollutants, such as NO2, SO2, O3, and CO forecasts, is a time-consuming process that necessitates additional effort for deployment, maintenance, and monitoring. In this paper, an effort has been made to develop a multi-step multi-output multivariate model (a global model) for air quality forecasting, taking into account various parameters such as meteorological conditions, air quality data from urban traffic, residential, and industrial areas, urban space information, and time component for the prediction of NO2, SO2, O3, CO hourly (1 h to 24 h) concentrations. The global forecasting model can anticipate multiple air pollutant concentrations concurrently, based on past concentrations of covariate characteristics. The datasets on air pollution time series were gathered from six HealthyAir air quality monitoring sites in HCMC between February 2021 and August 2022. Darksky weather provided the hourly concentrations of meteorological conditions for the same period. This is the first model built using real-time air quality data for NO2, SO2, CO, and O3 forecasting in HCM city. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed model, it was evaluated using real data from HealthyAir stations and quantified using Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), and correlation indices. The results show that the global air quality forecasting model beats earlier models built for air quality forecasting of each specific pollutant in HCMC.

Science of The Total Environment, Volume 864, 15 March 2023, 161070

Abstract

Background

Chipboard production is a source of wood dust, formaldehyde, and combustion-related pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM). In this cohort study, we assessed whether exposures to NO2, formaldehyde, PM10, PM2.5, and black carbon were associated with adverse respiratory and allergic outcomes among all 7525 people aged 0–21 years residing in the Viadana district, an area in Northern Italy including the largest chipboard industrial park in the country.

Methods

Data on hospitalizations, emergency room (ER) admissions, and specialist visits in pneumology, allergology, ophthalmology, and otorhinolaryngology were obtained from the Local Health Unit. Residential air pollution concentrations in 2013 (baseline) were derived using local (Viadana II), national (EPISAT), and continental (ELAPSE) exposure models. Associations were estimated using negative binomial regression models for counts of events occurred during 2013–2017, with follow-up time as an offset term and adjustment for sex, age, nationality, and a census-block socio-economic indicator.

Results

Median annual exposures to NO2, PM10, and PM2.5 were below the European Union annual air quality standards (40, 40, and 25 μg/m3) but above the World Health Organization 2021 air quality guideline levels (10, 15, and 5 μg/m3). Exposures to NO2 and PM2.5 were significantly associated with higher rates of ER pneumology admissions (13 to 30 % higher rates per interquartile range exposure differences, all p < 0.01). Higher rates of allergology and ophthalmology visits were found for participants exposed to higher pollutants' concentrations. When considering the 4-km buffer around the industries, associations with respiratory hospitalizations became significant, and associations with ER pneumology admissions, allergology and ophthalmology visits became stronger. Formaldehyde was not associated with the outcomes considered.

Conclusion

Using administrative indicators of health effects a priori attributable to air pollution, we documented the adverse impact of long-term air pollution exposure in residential areas close to the largest chipboard industries in Italy. These findings, combined with evidence from previous studies, call for an action to improve air quality through preventive measures especially targeting emissions related to the industrial activities.

Science of The Total Environment, Volume 865, 20 March 2023, 161235

Abstract

Industrial parks have a very important impact on regional economic development, but the extremely complex and relatively concentrated volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from industrial parks also result in it being difficult to control VOCs. In this study, we took a large integrated industrial park in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River as an example, conducted a 1-year monitoring campaign of ambient air VOCs, and established a speciated VOC emission inventory based on the measured chemical profiles of the key industries. The comprehensive control index (CCI) of 125 VOCs was evaluated using the entropy weighting method based on comprehensive consideration of three aspects, namely, emission behavior, environmental effects, and health risks of VOCs, to identify priority VOC species and their key sources for VOC control in industrial parks. The total estimated VOC emissions in the industrial park in 2019 were 6446.96 t. Steel production, sewage treatment, natural gas chemical industry, pharmaceuticals, and industrial boilers were the main sources of VOC emissions. In terms of VOC components, halocarbons, aromatics, and OVOCs were the largest groups of VOCs emitted from the industrial park, accounting for 73.75 % of the total VOC emissions. Using the entropy weighting method, we evaluated the index weights of five parameters: emissions, ozone formation potential, secondary organic aerosol formation potential, hazard quotient, and lifetime cancer risk. Based on the CCI, five control levels for VOC species were further established. The VOC species in Level I and Level II, which contain species such as naphthalene, 2-chlorotoluene, benzene, acrolein, and chloroform, should be considered as extremely important priority control species. These results serve as a reference for the development of precise control strategies for VOCs in industrial parks.

Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 390, 1 March 2023, 136053

Abstract

Metallurgy, mineral processing, waste disposal, and other industries produce large amounts of industrial solid waste containing heavy metals (ISWCHM), which poses a serious threat to the ecological environment. Geopolymers are aluminosilicate inorganic polymers that have the advantages of high strength, good corrosion resistance, and low carbon emission during production. The use of ISWCHM to prepare geopolymers can simultaneously utilize solid waste resources and solidify heavy metals. In this paper, the latest research progress in the preparation of geopolymers from ISWCHM is reviewed, including the preparation techniques, application and solidification/stabilization mechanisms of heavy metals. In addition, we analyze existing research problems and provide an outlook on future research and development directions.

Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 391, 10 March 2023, 136167

Abstract

Clean vehicle fleet will greatly benefit air quality and climate change mitigation. Here, we employ an integrated model to systematically investigated the contribution of combined clean vehicle policies to "emissions, exposure, and health benefits” from a regional perspective 2019–2035 in China. We find that driven by clean vehicle polices, the national vehicle CO2 will likely to peak around 2028 with about 1327 million tons, and then reduce by 7.8% from 2028 to 2035. The developed region will peak CO2 before 2030, while the developing region probably peak after 2030. In general, most air pollutants emissions from vehicles will decrease, subsequently leading to obvious PM2.5 and O3 exposure decrease. About 68 thousand PM2.5 related and 33 thousand O3 related deaths will be avoided 2019–2035 nationwide. Note that the health benefits are unequal, with higher PM2.5-O3 related excess deaths be avoided per 100000 in developed region than developing region. Besides, results show that emission standard upgrade contributes largest to emission reduction and related health benefits, followed by electric vehicles, road-to-railways and waterways, and fuel consumption regulation in general. This work is able to provide valuable information for policy makers to collaboratively reduce CO2, air pollutants and premature deaths in China and other developing countries.

Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 393, 20 March 2023, 136176

Abstract

Implementing thermal energy storage for the recovery of massive and intermittent waste heat represents crucial milestone for energy-intensive sectors such as iron and steel industry. However, the constraints related to current available sensible heat storage systems remain a barrier for their deployment. This work aims at examining high temperature horizontal thermal energy storage concept filled with channels of byproduct issued from the same industry as filler material and air as heat transfer fluid. The storage tank design is investigated as promising cost-efficient configuration from numerical, technical, and economic viewpoints. The focus is to assess the thermal behavior as well as the economic savings of this emergent concept addressed for the recovery of waste heat in Moroccan iron and steel industry. Numerical findings demonstrate that thermal performances, i.e., discharge and cycle efficiencies as well as charging and discharging times remain stable after six cycles of charge/discharge but the challenge is related to discharge efficiency (approximately 30%). Consequently, more efforts are required to upgrade thermal performance for such configuration. However, outcomes also proved the profitability of this emergent concept for energy, electricity, fuel, and gas emission savings. The economic results show that implementing horizontal thermal energy storage tank has a lot of promise, with cost savings of up to 900000 dollars per year and a payback period of less than one year.

Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 393, 20 March 2023, 136235

Abstract

There remains a need to develop efficient and recoverable washing reagents to repair heavy metal-contaminated soil. However, the past study of recovery only considered conventional chelating agents, hindering the sustainable development of new reagents. In this study, two new-reagents, organic phosphonic acid (DTPMPA) and polycarboxylic acid (AA/AMPS/HPA), simultaneously investigated their ability to remove heavy metal and recover by electrochemical to improve reagent sustainability. Results indicated that the metal removals were influenced by the washing solution concentrations, pH, and contact time. The maximum removal by DTPMPA was 72% Cd and 33% Zn, were higher than those of AA/AMPS/HPA (concentration, 5%; pH, 3.0; and contact time, 120 min). The strong chelation of the phosphonic acid group of DTPMPA binds more metal ions. Characterization results demonstrated that both reagents were successfully recovered using electrochemical methods. While AA/AMPS/HPA had a better recovery performance because of electrostatic adsorption interactions with the metal ions, the rewashing ability of Cd and Zn was 88% and 64% of the fresh solution. Moreover, in benefit analysis, AA/AMPS/HPA showed better circular economy and long-term sustainability properties. Therefore, AA/AMPS/HPA is a feasible remediation reagents of the heavy-metal-contaminated soil with both efficiency and sustainability. The development of reagent takes into account efficiency and reuseable simultaneously, showing great economic benefits.

Journal of Environmental Management, Volume 330, 15 March 2023, 117125

Abstract

Digital finance is playing an increasingly prominent role in economic development. This paper examines the impact of digital finance on industrial structure upgrading based on panel data from 289 Chinese prefecture-level cities from 2011 to 2020. The paper adopts fixed effects, mediating effects, and spatial econometric models and the findings are as follows. First, digital finance development significantly boosts industrial structure upgrading in Chinese cities. The evidence remains valid after various robustness tests. Second, digital finance and industrial structure upgrading exhibit positive spatial spillover effects. Third, digital finance indirectly affects industrial structure upgrading through innovation, entrepreneurship and the structure of household consumption channels. Fourth, the influence of digital finance is more significant in cities with more developed economies, less financialization and lower income inequality. Finally, among the sub-indicators of digital finance, the breadth of coverage plays the most significant role, inspiring policymakers and financial institutions to speed up the digitization infrastructure in backward areas.

Journal of Environmental Management, Volume 330, 15 March 2023, 117139

Abstract

Climate change is a global concern. The goal of carbon neutrality and emission peak is a challenge for China and other developing countries. The carbon reduction policy for carbon neutrality and industrial transfer policy will be a research hotspot on carbon emissions. This study analyzed the spatial impact mechanism of industrial transfer on carbon emissions, especially the role of firm location decision and carbon reduction policy. Based on the dynamic deviation-share model, the industrial transfer products of 30 provinces in China during the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan” and "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan” periods were measured. The spatially weighted interaction model based on improved parameters was then utilized to explore the spatial effect of industrial transfer and carbon reduction policy on regional carbon emissions. The results show that the restrictive carbon reduction policy through centrifugal effect lead to the location shift of manufacturing firms. Industrial transfer and carbon emissions are significantly related. The restrictive carbon reduction policy has significant spatial emission reduction effect. The carbon reduction policy and industrial transfer level of different region comprehensively were the key factors affecting China's carbon neutral goal. The findings have implications for optimizing the scheme of carbon emission reduction tasks allocation between regions.

Resources Policy, Volume 81, March 2023, 103322

Abstract

Even though large-scale extractive industries contribute significantly to revenues in mineral-rich African countries, little is known about their effectiveness, and better approaches could align their contribution to the sustainable development of local communities and the environment around their mining sites. This study critically reviews the literature on large-scale extractive investments in Africa published between 2000 and 2022 to understand their current contribution, challenges, and approaches used to support community development and then proposes new pathways for better engagement. Findings show that the offer of large extractive industries to communities is still low, and some are declining over time as technology advances. In many mineral-rich African countries, the government's plans to develop local value and diversify economic sources around mining sites have been ignored or excluded livelihoods for many years and must change. Collaboration, policy coherence, sustainable investment, and diversification of rural economic sources are proposed as pathways that provide the necessary bridge to link extractive industry actors to the sustainable development of surrounding rural communities. For this to happen, the efforts of the African countries and related stakeholders are needed to help local communities to achieve some basic SDGs such as increasing affordable energy (SDG 7), micro-industries, and innovation (SDG 9), diverse employment (SDG 8), improving knowledge to bring local solutions, and creating self-sustaining mining systems (SDG 4). The mining companies must also maintain health and safety of community during and after mining by protecting their land (SDG 15), water quality (SDG 6), life below the earth's surface (SDG 14), climate change (SDG 13), and peace and justice (SDG 16).

Energy Economics, Volume 119, March 2023, 106545

Abstract

Understanding the impact and mechanisms between new media environment, environmental regulation and corporate green technology innovation are crucial to achieve environmentally inclusive growth of sustainable development goals. Based on the sample of Chinese A-share listed companies in the heavily polluting industries for the period 2010–2020, this paper investigates the impact of the new media environment and environmental regulation on corporate green technology innovation. The empirical results indicate that (i) the new media environment can motivate heavily polluting enterprises to meet stakeholder demands and significantly improve their corporate green technology innovation; (ii) heterogeneous environmental regulatory instruments (pollution charges and environmental protection subsidies) can jointly improve the green technology innovation of corporations through pushback and compensation effects; and (iii) effective environmental regulation tools can strengthen the stakeholder relationship between the government and enterprises, enhance the resource preparation and dynamic capabilities of heavily polluting enterprises to respond to public opinion crises, and thereby positively moderate the promotion of new media environments on corporate green technological innovation. Our findings help identify new drivers of corporate green technology innovation and confirm the combined effects of the new media environment and environmental regulation in stimulating corporate green behavior, which can facilitate the construction of ecological civilization.

Ecological Modelling, Volume 477, March 2023, 110272

Abstract

In September 2019, the Chinese government elevated ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin to a major national strategy. However, the scarcity and inequitable distribution of water resources in the basin remain a tough and urgent problem. Therefore, this study probed into the initial water rights allocation (IWRA) of Industry in the Yellow River basin driven by high-quality development. First, based on the status quo of water resources in the basin, this study proposed principles of IWRA of Industry were total quantity control, safeguard, fairness, and efficiency. Next, the paper set the Industry water priority based on the configuration rules, constructed a goal programming model for IWRA of Industry, anticipated the ideal value via the gray model(1,1)(GM (1,1)), and suggested IWRA for end-users through both quota method and water-demand proportion. Last, this study calculated that the initial water rights (IWR) for Hetao Irrigation District in Bayannur city of Inner Mongolia should be 4.38 billion m3. Theories and methods put forward in this paper helps enhance water resources management and improve the high-quality development of the Yellow River basin.

Energy Research & Social Science, Volume 97, March 2023, 102972

Abstract

The cement and concrete industry serves as the foundation for modern infrastructure. Hence, it has a massive global impact on both energy demand and carbon emissions and so is a key focus of industrial decarbonization efforts. The relationship between cement and concrete production and societal development is made more apparent as a result of the limited degree of international trading of these products. Thus, developed and developing countries are expected to observe opposite trends in future market demand. While demand in Europe, for instance, is expected to contract after being stable for many years, demand in emerging and developing countries will continue to rise to meet the needs of growing, increasingly urban populations. Understanding how cement and concrete decarbonization goals can best be met in different geographies should be further explored, as only a few cross-cutting solutions may be applicable. Further, solutions appropriate for current dominant cement and concrete markets may not be most appropriate in markets with the greatest future demand growth. Hence, we discuss the potential implications of the growing needs of emerging markets undergoing rapid development as the global cement and concrete industry comes to terms with its need to address climate impacts. Among the ten countries expected to drive urban population growth until 2050, six have not been historically significant global cement producers. However, an additional 45.86 Gt of cement and concrete CO2 emissions may be generated by 2050 unless attention is given to these emerging cement and concrete demand centers.

Fuel, Volume 336, 15 March 2023, 127079

Abstract

In the context of treating waste with waste, the development of three-dimensional biochar that may be used for sintering in the steel sector as well as successfully removing methylene blue from waste water is effective. The biochar activated by H3PO4 alone (DCP), ZnCl2 alone (DCZ) and H3PO4 cooperated with ZnCl2 (DCM) were prepared to investigate the mechanism of the synergism of H3PO4 and ZnCl2 at pyrolysis temperature 500 °C (selecting from 300 °C to 1000 °C). The SEM analysis indicates DCM possesses a stereoscopic porous network comparing agglomeration and stacking of the others, and the SEM and BET analysis indicate that DCM possesses a stereoscopic porous network and higher effective pore volume (VM/VT = 0.951) than DCP (VM/VT = 0.584) and DCZ (VM/VT = 0.812). EDS, XPS and FTIR analysis revealed that the surface heteroatom of P and Zn enhanced on DCM compared with that of DCP (P weight%=6.39 vs 3.26) and DCZ (Zn weight% = 5.93 vs 1.85) although the activator dosage was halved for DCM. The methylene blue isotherm adsorption curve of DCM fits well with Freundlich and Dual Langmuir adsorption isotherms, the adsorption kinetics is in line with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The results indicate that the adsorption process is based on a heterogeneous multilayer, that physisorption-chemisorption adsorption is the primary adsorption mechanism, and that the adsorption process is regulated by the combination of intra-particle and film diffusion. The DCM demonstrates to be a promising adsorbent for methylene blue removal, performing a high removal capacity at 576 mg/g. In this study, a feasible method to synergistically activate biochar from textile wastes was proposed, to deal with the removal of methylene blue.

Engineering Analysis with Boundary Elements, Volume 148, March 2023, Pages 317-323

Abstract

Today, the lack of water resources on the one hand and the pollution of surface water by industrial wastewater on the other hand have become a big challenge. One of the pollutants of water resources is phenol, which enters the environment from the wastewater of various industries such as petrochemical, refinery, pharmaceutical, etc. Due to its toxicity, high stability, ability to dissolve in water, etc., this compound has caused many problems and it is necessary to remove it from the petroleum industry effluent using modern methods to remove phenol. In this regard, in this work, the removal of phenol molecules from the aqueous environment using zeolites has been investigated by using the power of molecular dynamics (MD) method to study the intermolecular interactions. According to the obtained results, ZnO zeolite has been introduced as the best adsorbent with the highest interaction with phenol and also the stable adsorption of phenol molecules. In fact, this work has provided an efficient material for the treatment of petroleum wastewaters and paves the way for the use of these materials in the removal of phenol from petroleum wastewaters specially in Saudi Arabia.

Journal of Molecular Liquids, Available online 21 March 2023, 121672

Abstract

In the current work, a direct synthesis method was used to create an ordered mesocage cubic Pm3n aluminosilica nanoadsorbent with mesopores and a monolith-like shape. Rhodamine B (RB), a harmful dye for the environment, was successfully removed from wastewater using this aluminosilica nanoadsorbent. The aluminosilica nanoadsorbent's multi-directional pores (3D), mesostructural geometries, and loading amount of Bronsted acid sites were important in improving the coverage of the nanoadsorbent surfaces and intra-particle diffusion of adsorbate (RB) molecules onto the network surfaces and into the pore architectures of monoliths. The cubic Pm3n aluminosilica composite was characterized via XRD, EDX, XPS, FT-IR, HRSEM, BET, HRTEM, and pHzpc which was 4.05. The effect of pH on the adsorption process has been studied. In addition, the initial concentration approves that the reaction fitted to Langmuir. While, during the study, the effect of time the adsorption kinetic model was fitted to the pseudo-second order. On the other hand, the effect of temperature was proof that the reaction was spontaneous and endothermic. The RB was adsorbed at cubic Pm3n aluminosilica composite with high amount 1.75 mmLg-1. However, the reusability showed that the efficiency of the removal of RB using this adsorbent was more than 91% after 6th cycle. The capability to design reversal RB adsorption systems with several reuse cycles is a key characteristic of the cubic Pm3n aluminosilica composite.

Science of The Total Environment, Volume 864, 15 March 2023, 161103

Abstract

Biochemical tailwater of the industrial park wastewater treatment plant is facing the growing demand of advanced treatment and toxicity reduction. However, existing information on toxicity reduction of real industrial biochemical tailwater is still limited so far. Herein, the water quality of biochemical tailwater from an integrated industrial park in Taihu Lake Basin, China, was systematically investigated, and typical endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and estrogen toxicity were detected. Estrogen toxicity reduction by previously proposed electrolysis biofilters with ceramsite‑sulfur-siderite fillers was further verified. Results showed that total nitrogen (TN) and estrogen toxicity removal increased by 41.0 % and 30.3 % respectively under the optimal voltage of 4 V and electric loading of 24 h/d, and significantly positive correlation between estrogen toxicity reduction and TN removal (p < 0.05) was observed. The lowest effluent estrogen toxicity was 0.79–0.95 ngE2/L (in estradiol equivalent concentration) by the biofilter with ceramsite‑sulfur-siderite fillers, which was lower than the estrogen disruption effects mass concentration threshold of 1 ng/L. Electrical stimulation promoted the increase of the abundance of denitrifying bacteria Thauera and electroactive bacteria Hydrogenophaga, thus enhancing the removal of TN, furthermore, the abundance of Thiobacillus and Sulfuritalea were significantly correlated with the reduction of estrogen toxicity. The study highlights the potential of electrolysis biofilter in realizing the synergy of estrogen toxicity reduction and autotrophic denitrification of industrial biochemical tailwater, and paves the way for the application of electrolysis biofilter in the advanced purification of industrial biochemical tailwater.