Search Results (3,918)

Beef production is widely recognized as a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, making robust and transparent environmental assessments essential for advancing sustainability within supply chains. This study applies a comprehensive cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental performance of beef destined for export, following ISO 14040, ISO 14044 and ISO 14067 standards and the Product Category Rules for meat of mammals. Sixteen impact categories were quantified for 1 kg of vacuum-packed beef using detailed primary data from a pasture-based production system and a representative processing facility. The total climate change impact was 3.27 × 10¹ kg CO₂eq, with enteric methane and feed production jointly responsible for over 70% of overall impacts. Slaughtering and distribution were associated mainly with fossil energy use and ozone depletion, while soil carbon sequestration partially compensated biogenic emissions. The results were consistent with international benchmarks, highlighting the environmental advantages of pasture-based systems, low fertilizer use, and stable land management. Key hotspots were identified in animal growth, feed efficiency, and manure management, with logistics also contributing notably. Overall, the study provides a high-resolution environmental baseline that can support Environmental Product Declarations and guide targeted mitigation strategies across beef supply chains. While the results are derived from a specific pasture-based production system, the study is positioned as a case-study-based application of a high-resolution LCA framework, illustrating how detailed inventories can support environmental benchmarking and hotspot identification without implying statistical representativeness of all beef production systems. Full article

Surface ozone monitoring remains challenging due to sparse ground networks and limited satellite boundary-layer sensitivity. This study evaluates, for the first time, China’s Environmental Trace Gases Monitoring Instrument II (EMI-II) for estimating surface ozone over the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region. EMI-II total ozone columns (TOCs) are retrieved using the differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) algorithm and validated against the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) (R = 0.96), Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) (R = 0.97), and the World Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation Data Centre (WOUDC) ground measurements (R > 0.92, bias < 4%). TOCs are then combined with ERA5 meteorology, satellite NO₂/HCHO, and surface observations within machine learning models, achieving cross-validated R² of 0.94 and RMSE of 12.05 μg/m³ for surface ozone estimation. EMI-II estimates show strong agreement with independent observations (R = 0.91, RMSE = 10.83 μg/m³) and reproduce seasonal gradients, with summer concentrations (131 μg/m³) more than double winter levels (61 μg/m³). Estimation skill is regime-dependent: performance comparable to TROPOMI occurs under strong photochemical activity, while reduced sensitivity occurs under weak radiation and stable boundary layers—consistent with averaging kernel diagnostics. This first comprehensive validation demonstrates that EMI-II, despite vertical sensitivity limitations, provides meaningful surface ozone constraints under favorable atmospheric conditions. The framework is potentially applicable to other regions and sensors under similar conditions, providing a case study for integrating national satellite products into multi-source surface ozone estimation. Full article

Objectives: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders are an increasingly common problem affecting patients. This systematic review aimed to analyze the available literature regarding the effectiveness of intra-articular ozone gas injections and their effects on pain reduction and jaw mobility. Methods: The review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Bielefeld Academic Search Engine, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, PubMed, and references were searched (October 2025). Randomized controlled trials evaluating intra-TMJ gas injection compared to other intra-articular administration were included in the review. Analyses were performed both within and between groups. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB-2 tool, and the certainty of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach. Results: Five studies out of 180, including a total of 230 patients, were included in the review. The studies reported using ozone at concentrations of 10–30 μg/mL. All included studies reported reductions in pain and improvements in mandibular mobility after treatment. In some comparisons, ozone-based interventions showed more favorable outcomes than control interventions; however, the findings were not consistent across outcomes, and the certainty of evidence was limited. Conclusions: Current evidence is insufficient to determine the effectiveness of intra-articular ozone injections for TMJ disorders. Some studies suggest possible short-term benefits in pain reduction and jaw mobility; however, the evidence is limited by high risk of bias, heterogeneity in treatment protocols, and very low certainty, particularly for longer-term outcomes. More rigorous and standardized randomized trials are required. Full article

Children are among the most sensitive groups to air pollution. This study focuses on Chinese children aged 0–16 years, integrating six waves of tracking data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS, 2012–2022), the ChinaHighAirPollutants (CHAP) dataset, and MOD11A1 land surface temperature (LST) data, covering 20,241 samples across 25 provinces. Using the eXtreme Gradient Boosting–SHapley Additive exPlanations (XGBoost-SHAP) framework, we quantified the relative contributions of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), ozone (O₃), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and climate factors to children’s respiratory disease risk. The overall area under curve (AUC) was 0.6765, with urban and rural sub-models achieving 0.6576 and 0.6864, respectively. SHAP analysis revealed that the temporal variable ranked first, reflecting population-level improvements from 2012 to 2022; age ranked second, with a 70.1% prevalence in the 0–6 age group. Rural PM_2.5 contribution was approximately 1.68 times that of urban areas; the O₃ effect showed opposite directions between urban (risk) and rural (protective association) settings; solid fuel contribution in rural areas was approximately 2.25 times the urban level. Regional clustering analysis identified differentiated environmental drivers across five geographic types. These findings provide a quantitative basis for differentiated regional prevention strategies. Full article

Oral biofilms are complex polymicrobial communities involved in the development of dental caries and periodontal diseases. Chemical antiseptics are commonly used as adjuncts to mechanical plaque control; however, their antimicrobial efficacy varies depending on composition and mechanism of action. The aim of this study was to comparatively evaluate the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of four commercially available dental products (Corsodyl, Ozosan, HybenX, and Elugel) against a broad spectrum of oral microorganisms. This in vitro study included Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains, comprising both reference strains and clinical isolates, as well as Candida albicans. Antimicrobial activity was assessed using the disc diffusion assay, while antibiofilm activity was evaluated using a crystal violet microplate assay. All experiments were performed in triplicate. Statistical analysis was conducted using two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test (p < 0.05). All tested products exhibited antimicrobial activity. Inhibition zones ranged from 9 to 56 mm for Gram-positive bacteria, 12 to 38 mm for Gram-negative bacteria, and 13 to 43 mm for Candida albicans. Two-way ANOVA revealed a significant effect of the dental product (p < 0.001), while incubation time was not significant (p > 0.05). HybenX showed the highest antimicrobial efficacy, while chlorhexidine-based products demonstrated consistent activity. Antibiofilm inhibition exceeded 80% for several strains. Dental antiseptics exhibit significantly different antimicrobial and antibiofilm profiles, highlighting the importance of appropriate product selection in oral biofilm control. Full article

To in situ and efficiently degrade irreversible membrane contaminants under mild conditions, SiC ceramic membranes (CMs) were imparted a catalytic ozonation functionality. A spinel-type CoFe₂O₄ catalyst was fabricated via a citrate-assisted sol–gel method and subsequently impregnated into the macropores of SiC ceramic membranes through a urea-assisted one-step combustion technique. The as-prepared catalytic membranes (CoFe₂O₄-CM) were systematically characterized by SEM, EDS, XRD and XPS techniques, and the catalytic ozonation performance was evaluated in an integrated catalytic ozonation–membrane separation system (CoFe₂O₄-CM/O₃). A flux recovery rate (FRR) of 93.33% was achieved at an ozone concentration of 70.27 mg·L⁻¹ within 30 min, indicating that a catalytic self-cleaning membrane was successfully developed. The possible catalytic reaction mechanism was elucidated by identifying reactive oxygen species generated using free radical quenching tests and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis. This study offers a promising and environmentally friendly strategy for ceramic membrane cleaning in various membrane separation fields. Full article

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are key precursors of ozone (O₃) and secondary organic aerosols (SOA), among which biogenic VOCs (BVOCs) constitute the dominant natural source. However, large uncertainties remain in the magnitude, spatial distribution, and seasonal variability of BVOC emissions in China under rapidly changing vegetation and climate conditions. In this study, a refined BVOC emission inventory for China in 2023 was developed using the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN v3.2) driven by WRF meteorological simulations and MODIS vegetation data. The estimated annual BVOC emissions reached 41.70 Tg, including 26.90 Tg isoprene, 4.84 Tg monoterpenes, 0.55 Tg sesquiterpenes, and 9.41 Tg other VOCs. The corresponding ozone formation potential (OFP) and secondary organic aerosol formation potential (SOAFP) were 346.12 Tg yr⁻¹ and 2137.51 Gg yr⁻¹, respectively. Emissions exhibited a pronounced south–north gradient with hotspots in Guangxi, Guangdong, and Yunnan, and peaked in summer. Broadleaf forests were identified as the dominant emission sources, followed by savannas and shrublands. Isoprene contributed most to OFP, whereas monoterpenes dominated SOAFP. Compared with previous inventories, the updated vegetation data, meteorological inputs, and refined chemical speciation improve the representation of BVOC emissions and their spatial patterns in China. These results highlight the important role of BVOCs in regional O₃ and SOA formation and provide an improved emission basis for atmospheric chemistry modeling and air-quality management. Full article

Increasing water demand and the rising complexity of wastewater matrices, driven by pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and recalcitrant industrial contaminants, require advanced catalytic solutions capable of efficient mineralization under sustainable conditions. Solar-driven processes have attracted growing attention; however, ultraviolet disinfection, heterogeneous photocatalysis, and photo-Fenton systems are commonly treated as independent approaches without mechanistic integration. This review presents a unified photonic–thermal catalytic framework for solar-driven wastewater treatment, emphasizing the interplay between photon absorption, charge-carrier separation, reactive oxygen species generation, and radical-mediated oxidation pathways. The contributions of ultraviolet, visible, and infrared radiation are analyzed in terms of catalyst activation, persulfate and ozone activation mechanisms, and temperature-enhanced reaction kinetics governed by Arrhenius behavior. Particular attention is given to photothermal effects that modulate surface reaction rates, mass transfer, and catalyst stability. By integrating mechanistic insights with reactor-level considerations, this work provides a rational basis for the design of robust solar catalytic systems with enhanced activity, selectivity, and scalability for real wastewater applications. Full article

Accurate prediction of the air quality index (AQI) is crucial for understanding urban pollution dynamics and protecting public health. This study proposes a dual-branch fusion framework (CL-XGB-Season) to address seasonal heterogeneity in AQI prediction by integrating temporal dynamic features and static patterns. The CNN-LSTM branch captures short-term temporal fluctuations, while a seasonally split XGBoost branch fits long-term static patterns via independent submodels for spring, summer, autumn, and winter. SHAP-based interpretability analysis revealed the dominant drivers across different seasons: the “temperature × O₃” interaction feature plays a key role in summer, characterizing the ozone formation mechanism dominated by photochemical reactions under conditions of high temperature and strong solar radiation; whereas the PM_2.5/PM₁₀ ratio is crucial in winter (where pollution is primarily driven by pollutant accumulation). The dual-branch fusion framework was validated using hourly resolution data from Chongqing for the 2020–2025 period. Results indicate that the framework achieved a prediction accuracy of 0.197 root mean square error (nRMSE) and 0.9611 coefficient of determination (R²) on the test set, outperforming eight ablation variants and five baseline models (ARIMA, Transformer, etc.) in comparative experiments. Ablation studies confirm the necessity of dual branches and seasonal modeling, with the full model reducing nRMSE by 19–63% versus single-model variants. This framework maintains stable seasonal performance and provides actionable insights for targeted air quality management. Full article

Climate change presents a challenge for global viticulture due to rising temperatures and water stress, which accelerate grape ripening, increase sugar levels, and reduce acidity. This compromises wine quality and microbial stability, resulting in higher reliance on sulfur dioxide (SO₂). However, SO₂ can inhibit desirable fermentations, including those carried out by non-Saccharomyces yeasts, which are key biotechnological tools for climate adaptation due to their ability to modulate acidity, aroma, and ethanol. Therefore, alternative disinfection methods are needed to control wild microbiota without hindering inoculated yeasts. This review critically analyzes ozone (O₃) as a non-thermal disinfection technology for winemaking. It examines the antimicrobial mechanism of ozone, its efficacy against wine-related microorganisms, its impact on the physicochemical and aromatic parameters of grapes, and its practical viability. Ozone effectively reduces spoilage-causing microbiota, achieving inactivation of approximately 3–4 log CFU/mL for yeasts, while preserving crucial grape compounds and providing a favorable environment for novel fermentation biotechnologies. Compared to other emerging technologies and SO₂, ozone offers a balanced profile: effective disinfection, minimal residues, cost-effectiveness, and compatibility with sustainable winemaking. Ozone is emerging as a promising alternative to facilitate controlled fermentations and improve wine quality among the current climatic and oenological challenges. Full article

Globally, the combined pollution of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and ground-level ozone (O₃) poses severe challenges to public health and sustainable urban development. Recent data indicate that the annual average PM_2.5 concentration in the vast majority of cities worldwide fails to meet World Health Organization safety standards, with air pollution causing millions of premature deaths annually. As a nature-based solution, the purification efficacy of vegetation remains poorly quantified due to unclear coupling mechanisms with local meteorological conditions. This study systematically reviewed and synthesized 229 empirical studies published between 2000 and 2025 from Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), aiming to clarify the quantitative relationships and regulatory mechanisms of plant–meteorological synergistic purification of PM_2.5–O₃. Following double-blind independent screening (κ = 0.85) and data extraction, a quantitative minimal feasible synthesis approach was adopted due to high data heterogeneity. The results indicated the following. (1) The median canopy purification efficiency of urban vegetation for PM_2.5 was 18.2% (IQR: 12.5–30.1%, n = 17), with a median dry deposition velocity (Vd–PM) of 0.05 cm s⁻¹ (0.02–30 cm s⁻¹, n = 15). The median dry deposition velocity (Vd–O₃) for O₃ was 0.55 cm s⁻¹ (0.12–1.82 cm s⁻¹, n = 8), with non-stomatal deposition contributing approximately 35%. (2) Meteorological factors exhibit nonlinear regulation: relative humidity (RH) > 70% significantly enhances PM_2.5 adsorption, wind speeds of 1.5–3.0 m s⁻¹ are optimal for PM_2.5 deposition, and temperatures > 30 °C generally inhibit plant uptake of both pollutants (n = 7). (3) Functional traits strongly correlate with purification efficacy: species with high leaf roughness (R² = 0.8), high stomatal conductance, and low BVOC emissions (e.g., Ginkgo biloba, Platycladus orientalis) exhibit optimal synergistic purification potential. Species with high BVOC emissions (Populus przewalskii, Eucalyptus robusta) can increase daily net O₃ pollution equivalents by up to 86 g and must be strictly avoided. Based on quantitative evidence, a green space planning decision matrix indexed by climate zone and pollution type was developed, specifying vegetation configuration patterns, functional group selection, and key design parameters (canopy closure, green belt width, etc.) for different scenarios. This study provides an actionable scientific basis for precision planning and climate-adaptive management of urban green infrastructure. Full article

Decommissioning poses a challenge for decision-makers. As an aspect of decommissioning that is not explicitly outlined in regulations, waste management for decommissioned materials is a special challenge. In Brazil, a large amount of the decommissioned subsea infrastructure is composed of flexible pipelines, with interlocked structures that increase the recycling challenge. This study identified two technological routes to dismantle the pipes. These routes (A and B), consisting of processes centered on the shredding and the manual dismantling of the pipes, respectively, were analyzed through a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study. This study offers valuable insight into the waste management of decommissioned subsea infrastructure by quantifying the potential environmental impacts associated to the two main pre-processing strategies for the recycling of decommissioned flexible pipes in Brazil. Each route presented different levels of mechanization, energy consumption, productivity, labor intensity, types and levels of occupational hazards and recycling options for the resulting polymeric materials. The results from this study indicate that Route B is more aligned with the principles of a circular economy, enabling the mechanical recycling of 98% of the polymeric material and presenting substantially lower potential environmental impacts. In particular, Route B represents approximately 9.6% of the global warming impact (kg CO₂ eq) associated with Route A. Overall, its impacts vary from 1.47% (marine eutrophication) to 12.18% (ozone formation) of those associated with Route A across the different impact categories. Full article

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of gas-based therapies for chronic wounds using a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA). Methods: Following PRISMA 2020, we systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL, and CBM from inception to 1 October 2025, screened studies in duplicate, and resolved disagreements by arbitration (κ = 0.87). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) enrolling adults with chronic wounds were eligible; the primary endpoint was complete wound healing. Pairwise meta-analysis used risk ratios (RRs) with 95% CIs; heterogeneity was assessed with Q/I² and random-effects models were applied when appropriate. A frequentist NMA synthesized direct and indirect evidence, and treatments were ranked with SUCRA. Publication bias (Egger/Begg) and evidence certainty (GRADE) were evaluated. Results: Twenty-seven RCTs comprising 1673 participants were included. In pairwise pooling, gas therapies significantly increased complete healing versus standard care (random-effects RR = 2.17, 95% CI 1.61–2.94), with substantial heterogeneity (I² = 75.7%); results were directionally consistent and robust to sensitivity analyses. Prespecified subgroup analyses suggested effect modification by intervention type and wound etiology. In the NMA, most gas modalities showed beneficial trends versus standard care; however, SUCRA ranking placed standard care highest (93.9%), a finding attributed by the authors to network structure and between-study variability. Ozone therapy and topical oxygen ranked next, whereas HBOT and cold atmospheric plasma ranked mid-range; CO₂ therapy ranked lowest due to sparse evidence. Small-study effects were likely (Egger p < 0.001; Begg p = 0.013), and overall certainty was graded as moderate, limited primarily by heterogeneity, imprecision, and potential publication bias. Conclusions: Across RCTs, gas therapies as a class improve the probability of complete healing in chronic wounds relative to standard care, but effect sizes vary by modality and wound type. Given heterogeneity, possible publication bias, and inconsistencies within the evidence network, these findings should be applied with caution. HBOT remains the modality supported by the broadest evidence base, while large, high-quality, multicenter RCTs are needed to refine comparative effectiveness and safety rankings across gas therapies. Full article

This paper presents the application of ozone for pest control in large-scale systems, with the potential for industrial implementation. The designed ozone generation system is capable of producing an ozone concentration of 550 ppm within 30 min in a controlled chamber. Ozone technology was applied for the control of insect pests in the orchid export industry, both for current use and future applications. A high-concentration ozone generator was designed to operate at temperatures ranging from 30 to 35 degrees Celsius. The total operating time of the system was 90 min, with a power consumption of 2647 watts. Experimental results indicated that the orchids were not adversely affected by the ozone exposure and that no chemical residues remained after treatment. Furthermore, the research evaluated the effectiveness of ozone fumigation against common orchid pests, namely aphids and red spider mites. When exposed to ozone concentrations ranging from 550 to 650 ppm for 60 min, the system achieved a 100% pest elimination rate for both species. These findings suggest that ozone treatment is a promising alternative to chemical pesticides for pest control in the orchid industry. Full article