Search Results (306)

Palm oil mill effluent (POME), the primary liquid residue from crude palm oil (CPO) extraction, has shifted from industrial wastewater to a valuable feedstock for renewable energy and resource recovery. This review synthesizes recent developments in sustainable POME management in Malaysia through a narrative review of peer-reviewed literature (Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar; 2013 onwards) and institutional reports, across four dimensions: anaerobic digestion technologies, environmental performance, techno-economic viability, and policy drivers. Characterized by a high organic load (COD 15,000–100,000 mg L⁻¹; BOD 10,250–43,750 mg L⁻¹), POME yields roughly 28–34 m³ of biogas per m³ of effluent with a 54–65% methane content, while its digestate offers nutrient recovery potential to replace synthetic fertilizers. Covered lagoons and continuous stirred-tank reactors (CSTRs) show the highest deployment potential, whereas upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) systems and anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) remain technically and economically constrained. Capital intensity, infrastructure gaps, and operational demands limit wider adoption. At the same time, digital process control and regulatory drivers such as the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification and the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) are critical enablers. Re-envisioning POME management as an integrated resource-recovery platform can lower greenhouse gas emissions, close nutrient loops, and accelerate Malaysia’s circular bioeconomy. Full article

Groundwater quality degradation in industrial zones presents a critical environmental challenge, as diverse and compositionally complex pollution sources severely constrain precise source identification and the formulation of effective remediation strategies. This study systematically investigates groundwater quality evolution and quantitatively apportions pollution sources in a representative industrial zone in southwestern China, employing an integrated framework of hydrochemical graphical analysis, dual-dimensional hierarchical cluster analysis, and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) receptor modeling, based on 189 groundwater samples collected across three hydroperiods (2022–2025) from 94 monitoring wells. (1) The study reveals that overall groundwater quality was unsatisfactory, with Class IV and V waters collectively accounting for 75%, 95%, and 91% across the three campaigns; primary exceedance parameters included ammonia nitrogen, total hardness, Mn, and sulfate. (2) Hydrogeochemical analysis revealed stable HCO₃-Ca type water at background monitoring points, slight contamination influence at diffusion points (occasional HCO₃·SO₄-Ca and Cl·SO₄-Ca types), and pronounced hydrochemical diversification at internal points, evolving from Ca-Cl dominance to the coexistence of Ca-Cl·SO₄, Ca-HCO₃, and other mixed types. (3) The PMF model consistently resolved five pollution sources across all campaigns: agricultural non-point source pollution, geological background, domestic wastewater, industrial emissions, and natural hydrogeochemical evolution. Anthropogenic sources (agricultural, domestic, and industrial) collectively contributed approximately 63.8% of the total contamination load, with individual average contributions of 18.6%, 26.2%, and 19.0%, respectively, indicating that groundwater contamination in the zone is influenced not only by industrial inputs but also substantially by agricultural non-point sources and domestic wastewater. This study reveals a coupled natural–anthropogenic driving mechanism and establishes a replicable integrated framework for pollution source identification and zoned precision management in comparable industrial zone settings. Full article

In this work, amino-functionalized Al-based MOF Al-GM was fabricated via a mild room-temperature aqueous route, which was applied as a ratiometric fluorescent probe for the specific detection of Cr₂O₇²⁻ in water. Characterizations including XRD, FT-IR, SEM, and BET verify that Al-GM synthesized in pure water exhibits high crystallinity and abundant mesoporous channels, with fully exposed amino recognition sites on the framework, delivering dual fluorescence emission signals. Sensing performance experiments demonstrate outstanding selectivity toward Cr₂O₇²⁻ with negligible interference from coexisting metal ions. Fluorescence titration reveals a wide linear detection range and an ultralow limit of detection, which is far lower than the discharge standard of Cr(VI) for industrial wastewater. pH-dependent tests confirm the stable sensing performance of the probe in water at a pH range of 5–9. XRD and FTIR spectra before and after Cr₂O₇²⁻ adsorption confirm intact crystal and organic coordination frameworks during ion recognition. Cr₂O₇²⁻ anions are selectively captured by the synergy of electrostatic attraction and intermolecular hydrogen bonds with amino sites. This study proposes a mild, organic-solvent-free synthetic strategy for MOFs, and the prepared Al-GM displays promising application potential for trace Cr(VI) monitoring in aquatic environments. Full article

The textile dyeing and printing (TDP) industry in Zhejiang Province faces significant pressure to reduce conventional pollutants and carbon emissions. Dyeing and finishing (DF) are key links in energy consumption and pollutant emissions in the TDP industry. However, the trade-offs between pollution reduction and carbon mitigation remain poorly understood. This study evaluated five synergistic technology pathways using a hybrid life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. The pathways included low-carbon energy substitution, waste heat recovery, advanced wastewater treatment, intelligent process control, and integrated application. The IMPACT 2002+ method was used to quantify 7 environmental impact categories. The results showed that no single technology pathway achieved optimal performance across all categories. Scenario 3 (advanced wastewater treatment) reduced eutrophication potential by 54.97% but increased global warming potential by 18.00%. Scenario 5 (integrated application) achieved the best overall performance. It reduced non-renewable energy consumption by 30.90%, global warming potential by 32.69%, acidification potential by 26.08%, and eutrophication potential by 40.00%. The synergy coefficient of Scenario 5 was 1.08, indicating strong pollution-reduction synergy. Extrapolation to the provincial level showed reductions of 40% for COD, 39.76% for ammonia nitrogen, 40.78% for SO₂, 10.67% for NOx, and 14% for VOCs. These findings demonstrate that systematic technology integration can resolve the trade-offs inherent in individual pollution control measures under the conditions evaluated in this Zhejiang-based case study. This study provides scientific guidance for technology selection and policy formulation in the DF industry. Full article

The Yellow River Basin is an important ecological security barrier and agricultural production area in China. Using panel data for nine sprovincial-level regions from 2010 to 2022, this study constructs a multidimensional development index of rural industrial integration and examines its association with regional environmental pollution. Regional pollution pressure is measured from total wastewater discharge, sulfur dioxide emissions, and general industrial solid-waste generation; the measure therefore captures broad regional pollution linked to agricultural and related industrial chains rather than agricultural non-point-source pollution alone. Two-way fixed-effects estimates show that higher integration scores are significantly associated with lower pollution levels. This association is statistically evident in the upper reaches, whereas the middle- and lower-reach estimates are not statistically significant and are interpreted as exploratory because each subsample contains only two provinces. Exploratory channel regressions suggest that agricultural technological progress, rural labor mobility, and agricultural industrial scale may help explain the observed association, but the regressions do not establish causal mediation. The findings indicate potential synergies between rural industrial integration and environmental governance, while also requiring caution regarding causal interpretation, composite-index boundaries, and small-sample regional comparisons. Full article

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a class of persistent pollutants, and China’s electroplating industry is a major source of their emissions. This paper systematically reviews the sources, occurrence characteristics, and treatment technologies of PFASs in electroplating wastewater. The chrome plating process is the primary source of PFASs, with concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate (6:2 FTS), and 6:2 chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether sulfonate (6:2 Cl-PFESA, F-53B) in some chromium mist suppressants reaching up to 985, 735, and 875 g/kg, respectively. Monitoring data from 15 electroplating parks and 97 enterprises revealed that 29 PFAS were detected in electroplating wastewater, with long-chain compounds dominating and PFOS concentrations reaching up to 3.6 × 10⁷ ng/L. Non-target screening further identified the widespread presence of various concealed PFAS, including monohydro-substituted perfluorobutanoic acid (H-PFBA) and sodium p-perfluorous nonenoxybenzenesulfonate (OBS). Regarding treatment technologies, coagulation/flocculation showed very poor PFAS removal efficiency; flotation achieved up to 88% removal of perfluoroalkane sulfonic acids (PFSAs) but was constrained by process integration; biological treatment led to an increase in dissolved-phase PFAS concentrations; ion exchange resins achieved 98% removal of PFOS but were ineffective for short-chain PFASs due to their low affinity and rapid breakthrough; membrane technology achieved nearly 100% removal of long-chain PFASs but faced challenges, such as membrane fouling and concentrate disposal. This paper aims to provide a reference for PFAS pollution control in China’s electroplating industry. Full article

Water-intensive industries in the Mediterranean face supply stress and decarbonisation pressure simultaneously. We develop an operations-research decision-support framework that treats the firm as one node of a small industrial resource cluster and prices the cost and carbon-equivalent emissions of five alternative supply trains—municipal water, river water, groundwater, rainwater harvesting and brewery wastewater reuse—within a multi-objective Linear Program. Each train carries engineering-grounded expenditures, energy intensities and grid emissions, and a weighted-sum scalarisation is solved daily for 365 days under three managerial scenarios. On a Cretan microbrewery whose 2022 demand of 5250 m³ is met from the municipal network, the balanced and cost-focused scenarios coincide on a single optimum that cuts the Levelised Cost of Water by 25.3% and emissions by 40.7%, while the eco-friendly scenario yields a 19.3% cost and 51.7% emissions reduction. LP duality, shadow prices and an extended sensitivity programme (diversification, capacity, grid factor, discount rate, RO recovery and demand profile) turn the optimisation into a decision-support package: optimal daily allocations, shadow-price signals on capacity and demand, and robustness diagnostics for capital planning, dispatch and risk management. Results are site-specific, but the framework and its diagnostics transfer in structure to clusters sharing the same convex-polytope source geometry; transposition to energy cooperatives is future work. Full article

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are contaminants of emerging global concern, yet their long-term fate and distribution in strategic trans-boundary water source areas remain underexplored. This study conducted a comprehensive monitoring campaign spanning from 2018 to 2020, with six sampling campaigns carried out in August 2018, December 2018, May 2019, August 2019, December 2019, and May 2020, to investigate the occurrence, spatiotemporal dynamics, source apportionment, and ecological risks of 54 PPCPs in the surface water and sediments of the Taipu River in eastern China. Utilizing non-target screening via liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS), 54 PPCPs across 15 categories were detected, with average total concentrations of 28.60 ng/L in surface water and 13.01 ng/g in sediments. Sulfonamides, quinolones, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) dominated the aqueous phase (with bisphenol A and sulfamethoxazole highly prevalent), while hormones (e.g., estriol) and quinolones (e.g., ciprofloxacin (CIP)) exhibited significant accumulation in the benthic zone. Spatiotemporal analysis revealed a seasonal pattern where PPCP concentrations were higher in the dry season than in the wet season, primarily driven by hydrological dilution and climate-induced degradation. Furthermore, Positive Matrix Factorization (EPA PMF 5.0) extracted five distinct source factors for each matrix. Specifically, surface water pollution was primarily driven by domestic wastewater, municipal effluents, medical discharges, and localized pharmaceutical emissions, whereas sediments acted as a long-term sink predominantly for domestic wastewater, agricultural/veterinary runoff, and municipal/industrial emissions. Ecological risk assessment indicated that while most of the nine high-frequency contaminants posed low risks, specific compounds such as CIP, SM2, and E3 presented medium risks in surface water, whereas ENR, CIP, and SPI posed medium risks in sediments. These findings emphasize that the continuous multi-source input and the resulting pseudo-persistence of PPCPs in sediments warrant prioritized continuous attention and targeted pollution control strategies in the Taipu River Basin. Full article

Environmental contamination by rare earth elements (REEs) is increasing globally due to their extensive use in modern technologies, medicine, agriculture, and aquaculture. Their release into aquatic systems via wastewater discharge, industrial emissions, surface runoff, and atmospheric deposition has raised concerns regarding their environmental fate and potential ecotoxicological effects. Despite this, information on REE accumulation in marine predators remains limited. This study provides a multi-species assessment of REE bioaccumulation in elasmobranchs. Concentrations of 14 REEs (Ce, Dy, Er, Eu, Gd, Ho, La, Lu, Nd, Pr, Sm, Tb, Tm, and Yb) were quantified in liver and muscle tissues of six elasmobranch species collected from demersal and deep-sea habitats along the Portuguese continental shelf. Generalized linear models (GLMs) were used to evaluate differences in REE concentrations among species and tissues, and to explore potential patterns associated with ecological traits. Results indicated that REE concentrations varied significantly across tissues and species, with muscle generally exhibiting higher accumulation than liver. Overall, this study provides the first comprehensive baseline of REE bioaccumulation in elasmobranchs from the Portuguese coast, contributing to a better understanding of emerging contaminants in marine food webs. These findings have important implications for environmental biomonitoring and highlight potential risks associated with seafood consumption. Full article

Freshwater pollution by nutrients is a global concern. While agriculture is the largest contributor globally, domestic and industrial emissions are responsible for substantial emission hotspots worldwide. To this end, this paper presents the global grey water footprint (GWF) of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from domestic and industrial sources as a water pollution indicator. GWFs are displayed as gridded datasets with 5 × 5 arc minute resolution annually from 1990 to 2019, extending previous time series. Methodologically, the domestic GWF calculations were refined but were largely based on previous GWF studies. For industrial GWFs, this study presents a novel approach to estimating emissions based on country-specific industrial-to-domestic load ratios instead of the uniform ratios used in earlier studies. The global N-related GWF rose from 2.6 × 10¹² m³/yr to 6.3 × 10¹² m³/yr between 1990 and 2019. During the same period, the P-related GWF increased from 75.2 × 10¹² m³/yr to 194.5 × 10¹² m³/yr. Domestic wastewater is the dominant contributor, with hotspots in densely populated regions, such as East China, North India, and parts of Africa. Industrial contributions show relevance in heavily industrialized areas with limited wastewater treatment infrastructure. Population growth was the primary driver of increased GWFs, particularly in regions with limited sanitation and wastewater treatment. This reflects the need to improve these to mitigate nutrient pollution. Full article

The dairy industry produces large amounts of dairy wastewater containing ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N). Sustainable treatment technologies are needed which can reduce the environmental pollution caused by NH₃-N emissions from dairy wastewater. Chemical coagulation combined with the photo-electro-Fenton (PEF) treatment process has been considered a promising technology that can effectively remove NH₃-N from dairy wastewater. In this study, Taguchi design was used first to narrow down the operating factors from five to three. The three most influential factors were then further optimized for an optimum NH₃-N removal efficiency using response surface methodology (RSM) coupled with Box–Behnken design. Both RSM and artificial neural network (ANN) models were developed to predict the NH₃-N removal efficiency. Under the optimal conditions of 0.51 mM Fe²⁺, 49.44 mA/cm² current density, and 118.60 min treatment time, removal of 92.13% NH₃-N from dairy wastewater with 90% N₂ selectivity was achieved during validation experiments. The ANN model showed a superior predictive performance to the RSM model. The NH₃-N degradation rate was calculated at 0.0229 min⁻¹ based on a pseudo-first-order kinetic model. These findings demonstrate the applicability of the integrated chemical coagulation and PEF process for significantly reducing ammonia nitrogen in dairy wastewater. Full article

Industrial symbiosis is increasingly recognized as a carbon-centered operational strategy rather than only a waste-management practice, yet evidence from emerging economies remains limited. This study examines Thai Eastern Group Holdings (TEGH) in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) to analyze how industrial symbiosis reorganizes resource flows, carbon management, and broader sustainable operations performance. Using sustainability and operational data from 2022 to 2024 together with comparative benchmarking, the study evaluates economic, environmental, social, and governance (EESG) outcomes. The findings show that TEGH’s integrated system, combining biogas production from palm oil mill effluent, wastewater recycling, and organic waste valorization, reduced GHG emissions by 19,271 tCO₂e in 2024 while generating cost savings and improving resource efficiency. Benchmarking against Kalundborg and selected regional peers indicates comparatively favorable indicators in waste reuse, carbon intensity, and renewable energy payback, subject to boundary and data comparability limitations. The case also shows that supply chain inclusion and governance verification are integral to the durability of the model, with more than 44,000 smallholders engaged in traceable sourcing systems. The study concludes that industrial symbiosis can function as a carbon-centered operational strategy that aligns decarbonization, circularity, and institutional accountability, offering a potentially replicable pathway for low-carbon industrial transformation in comparable emerging economy contexts. Full article

Post-disaster reconstruction generates extraordinary demand for construction materials, often necessitating the rapid deployment of temporary concrete production facilities. While these systems are operationally essential for rebuilding, their environmental and public health impacts remain insufficiently examined through structured and reproducible analytical approaches. This study develops an integrated qualitative-dominant environmental risk assessment framework combining systematic documentary analysis, environmental pathway modeling, semi-quantitative risk scoring, and comparative benchmarking against established environmental health standards. Focusing on the reconstruction process following the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes in Türkiye, the study identifies and evaluates major environmental exposure pathways, including particulate matter emissions, wastewater discharge, soil degradation, and noise pollution. A semi-quantitative risk assessment model based on probability, severity, and exposure duration is applied to classify the relative intensity of identified environmental risks under post-disaster operational conditions. The findings demonstrate that accelerated reconstruction processes, emergency regulatory flexibility, and rapid industrial deployment substantially amplify cumulative environmental pressures in already vulnerable post-disaster environments. In response, the study proposes an integrated governance and engineering framework aimed at reducing environmental impacts while maintaining reconstruction efficiency. Methodological transparency is ensured through explicit documentation of data sources, screening procedures, analytical criteria, and risk classification logic. The study also acknowledges the limitations associated with restricted access to primary field measurements in post-disaster environments and therefore adopts a triangulated documentary and comparative analytical strategy. The proposed framework offers a transferable model for evaluating temporary industrial infrastructures in post-disaster reconstruction systems globally. Full article

To mitigate the effects of climate change, the world must significantly reduce its reliance on fossil fuels to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The nuclear power and renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, water, waste, and geothermal energy, emit minimal to no greenhouse gases or pollutants during operation. These sources are considered crucial for combating climate change and supporting sustainable development. However, the production of electricity, like most industries, generates waste. Comparisons show clear differences: fossil fuel plants produce the largest total waste mass (primarily combustion ash, flue gas desulfurization residues, and wastewater sludge), while nuclear facilities generate a minimal volume but high-activity spent fuel and long-lived radioactive materials. Solar PV systems generate significant end-of-life electronic waste and glass encapsulant, and wind turbines yield moderate composite blade residues. Hydropower sediment management and geothermal scaling contribute unique waste streams of local concern. Regardless of the energy source, responsible waste management is critical to minimize environmental impacts. This article explores the sustainability of low-carbon energy sources, specifically focusing on waste management with the aim of highlighting the need of implementing targeted strategies such as advanced recycling and material substitution in order to minimize environmental impacts and enhance the circularity of low-carbon energy systems. Full article

Ammonia is a key chemical for fertilizers, industrial processes, and emerging energy applications, yet its conventional production via the Haber–Bosch process is associated with high energy demand and significant greenhouse gas emissions. In this context, electrochemical routes for ammonia synthesis have attracted increasing attention as a potential sustainable alternative, enabling nitrogen conversion under milder conditions and using renewable electricity. This review examines recent advances in electrochemical ammonia production, focusing on nitrogen reduction mechanisms, catalyst development, and electrochemical system design. The main reaction pathways for nitrogen activation are analyzed, together with the role of electrocatalysts in determining activity and selectivity. Progress in catalyst engineering, electrolyte optimization, and reactor configuration is discussed, with particular emphasis on strategies to mitigate competing reactions such as hydrogen evolution. In addition, alternative approaches based on nitrate reduction are considered due to their promising performance and potential integration with wastewater treatment. Unlike many recent reviews primarily focused on catalyst development or individual reaction pathways, this review provides an integrated perspective encompassing nitrogen reduction, nitrate reduction, electrolyte engineering, reactor architectures, and techno-economic considerations, thereby highlighting the interdependence between materials design, reaction environment, and system-level integration for scalable electrochemical ammonia synthesis. Full article