Heavy metals are naturally present in nature, but if their concentration is higher than the normal accepted threshold levels, they constitute one of the pollutants that is more difficult to remove and also to rehabilitate the contaminated site by them. There are many heavy-metal pollutants-the most common among them are arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn), along with the less common ones, which produced, for example, by the nuclear process, such as uranium (U)-in different configuration; hence, many possibilities of contamination in the world exist, and they are more difficult to remove.Thus heavy-metal pollution is more and more becoming one of the principal issues of the global interest, because it is common to both industrialized countries and developing countries. These issues are getting hard to be recognized and cannot be followed the simple rules concerning safety and environmental protection, thus fall into the same errors of the already industrialized countries. At the same time, new environment-remediation techniques are developed in the last decade, especially, in these last years. Some of these technologies concern physical or chemical process or effects, such as ion exchanges, flotations, and photocatalysis, while other technologies concern the use of membrane process, especially ultrafiltration or membrane integrated process or hybrid systems, where membranes are generally submerged and used together with another process.In this chapter a review of this problem and some example of technologies for removing and remediation of the environment are reported. 

Despite many efforts over the last 25 years, millions of people are still drinking groundwater having arsenic above Bangladesh and World Health Organization limits. This can be linked, to some extent, to a lack of pragmatic policies and implementation strategies. Important lessons have been learned from extensive studies in Araihazar and Matlab in Bangladesh. Also better mitigation strategies for reducing arsenic exposure have been demonstrated at both locations. New policy and mitigation strategies should focus on mapping using mobile technology for village scale mapping. Dissemination of test result is extremely important in increasing awareness of the users and a new three-color scheme (Blue, Green, Red corresponding to <10, 10–50, and >50 µg L−1) instead of existing Red-Green color scheme should be adopted to lower arsenic intake. Safe wells can be installed at appropriate locations and depth by combining hydrogeological and social criteria aided by applications-based score ranking.

Although geogenic Arsenic (As) contamination is well-recognized in northern Chile, it is not restricted to this part of the country, as the geological conditions favoring As release to the human environment exist across the country as well, although not at the same level, based on comparatively fewer studies in central and southern Chile. The present work provides a critical evaluation of As sources, pathways, and controls with reports and case studies from across the country based on an exhaustive bibliographic review of its reported geogenic sources and processes that affect its occurrence, systematization, and critical revision of this information. Arc magmatism and associated geothermal activities, identified as the primary As sources, are present across the Chilean Andes, except for the Pampean Flat Slab and Patagonian Volcanic Gap. Metal sulfide ore zones, extending from the country's far north to the south-central part, are the second most important geogenic As source. While natural leaching of As-rich mineral deposits contaminates the water in contact, associated mining, and metallurgical activities result in additional As release into the human environment through mining waste and tailings. Moreover, crustal thickness has been suggested as a principal controlling factor for As release, whose southward decrease has been correlated with lower As values.

Saccharina latissima biomass cultivated along the Swedish west coast was subjected to four different scalable preservation methods after harvest; freezing, sun-drying, oven-drying and ensiling. Freeze-drying and freezing at -80 ?C were also included to provide dry and wet references. The effects of the different preservation methods on the composition of Saccharina biomass (on dry weight, DW, basis), and the recovery as well as properties of high-quality protein, alginate and biogas were evaluated. Sun-drying significantly reduced protein, alginate and fatty acid content of the seaweeds and thereby concentrated ash in the biomass compared to the other methods. Protein/amino acids and fatty acids were significantly concentrated in ensiled biomass, while mannitol and laminarin were reduced compared to the other biomasses. Oven-drying and -20 ?C freezing affected the composition the least, with lower ash content and alterations in some specific amino and fatty acids. Sun-drying and ensiling resulted in significantly lower protein solubility at high pH compared to the other biomasses which translated into the lowest total seaweed protein recovery using the pH-shift process. Highest protein yield was obtained with the freeze-dried reference. Ensiling lead to a significant decrease in the molecular weight of alginate, while sun-drying caused a negative effect on alginate by inducing a shift in the guluronic and mannuronic acids composition of alginate. Sun-drying gave the lowest methane yield in the anaerobic digestion experiments while freezing at -80 ?C gave the highest yield, closely followed by freezing at -20 ?C and ensiling. To conclude, preservation methods must be carefully chosen to protect the valuable component in Saccharina latissima, and to achieve an efficient downstream processing ultimately yielding high quality products as part of a seaweed biorefinery.

Groundwater pollution is a serious health concern in north-western India. In this study, we have reported very high concentration of fluoride i.e. 18.5 and 16.6 mg/l from Sainiwas locality in Siwani block of Bhiwani district, Haryana, India. The values are much higher than the permissible limit set by WHO and BIS. The evapotranspiration in the area leads to Ca2+ precipitation, which allows an increase in F- content in the groundwater. In addition, the replacement of hydroxyl of secondary clay mineral under alkaline condition is responsible for release of F-. In absence of alternative source, the fluoride polluted groundwater in some of these localities is also used for drinking. Further, the suitability of groundwater for irrigation is also evaluated by various parameters such as Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Sodium Percentage (Na%), Kelly's Ratio (KR), Magnesium Hazard (MH) and Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC). It emerges out that in a few localities, groundwater is not suitable for irrigation and with respect to Magnesium Hazard (MH) almost all samples are unsuitable for irrigation. This article highlights groundwater quality of Siwani block in Haryana and proposes for immediate remedial measures. 

Fluoride (F–) pollution in groundwater of the Older Alluvial Plain (OAP) of Delhi has been reported as a major problem. About 34% of the groundwater samples collected for this study had F– level beyond the permissible limit; with F– concentration in the range of 0.14–3.15 mg/L (average 1.20 mg/L). In this context, this article for the first time attempts on the genesis of major ions chemistry and F– pollution in groundwater of OAP Delhi by going beyond the statistical analysis to sediment geochemistry, chemical weathering processes and understanding of the processes using stable environmental isotopes (2H and 18O). The XRD of the OAP sediments revealed the dominance of fluor-biotite, albite, calcite, quartz, and chlorite. Whereas, the separated clay revealed the dominance of chlorite, kaolinite, and illite minerals. The saturation index (SI) values indicated that the groundwater chemistry is in the process of further F– enrichment by way of sediment groundwater interaction. With the given mineralogy of the sediments, the dominance of major ions like Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cl– and F– has been attributed to chemical weathering of biotites, phlogopites, albite, and calcite during sediment–water interaction. While the dominance of SO42– has been attributed to anthropogenic sources and confirmed by its association with heavier stable isotopes of hydrogen (δ2H: −50.44 to −40.02‰) and oxygen (δ18O: −7.19 to −5.62‰) indicating evaporative enrichment during isotopic fractionation.

One of the main problems in developing countries is unplanned urban growth and land use change. Timely identification of new constructions can be a good solution to mitigate some environmental and social problems. This study examined the possibility of identifying new constructions in urban areas using images from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), Google Earth and Sentinel-2. The accuracy of the land cover map obtained using these images was investigated using pixel-based processing methods (maximum likelihood, minimum distance, Mahalanobis, spectral angle mapping (SAM)) and object-based methods (Bayes, support vector machine (SVM), K-nearest-neighbor (KNN), decision tree, random forest). The use of DSM to increase the accuracy of classification of UAV images and the use of NDVI to identify vegetation in Sentinel-2 images were also investigated. The object-based KNN method was found to have the greatest accuracy in classifying UAV images (kappa coefficient = 0.93), and the use of DSM increased the classification accuracy by 4%. Evaluations of the accuracy of Google Earth images showed that KNN was also the best method for preparing a land cover map using these images (kappa coefficient = 0.83). The KNN and SVM methods showed the highest accuracy in preparing land cover maps using Sentinel-2 images (kappa coefficient = 0.87 and 0.85, respectively). The accuracy of classification was not increased when using NDVI due to the small percentage of vegetation cover in the study area. On examining the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods, a novel method for identifying new rural constructions was devised. This method uses only one UAV imaging per year to determine the exact position of urban areas with no constructions and then examines spectral changes in related Sentinel-2 pixels that might indicate new constructions in these areas. On-site observations confirmed the accuracy of this method.

Pistachio is an important economic crop in arid and semi-arid regions of Iran. A major problem leading to a reduction in crop quality and reduced marketability is extreme air temperature in summer, which causes sunburn of pistachio leaves and fruit. A solution proposed to deal with the negative effects of high temperatures and increase water consumption efficiency in pistachio orchards is use of light-reflecting compounds. This study investigated the effect of foliar application of gypsum, sulfur, and NAX-95 (calcium-based suspension coating) to trees in a pistachio orchard (150 ha) in central Iran. The effect of these foliar products is assessed at plot scale, using control plots sprayed with calcium sulfate, based on temperature and evapotranspiration changes analyzed through remote sensing. Landsat 8 sensor images and RGB images collected by UAVs (spatial resolution of 30 m and 20 cm, respectively), on the same dates, before and after foliar spray application, were merged using the PCA method and bilinear interpolation re-sampling. Land surface temperature (LST) was then estimated using the split-window algorithm, and daily evapotranspiration using the surface energy balance algorithm for land (SEBAL) algorithm. A land use map was prepared and used to isolate pistachio trees in the field and assess weed cover, whose effect was not accounted. The results showed that temperature remained constant in the control plot between the spraying dates, indicating no environmental changes. In the main plots, gypsum had the greatest effect in reducing the temperature of pistachio trees. The plots with foliar spraying with gypsum displayed a mean tree temperature (47-48 degrees C) decrease of 3.3 degrees C in comparison with the control plots (>49 degrees C), leading to an average decline in evapotranspiration of 0.18 mm/day. NAX-95 and sulfur reduced tree temperature by on average 1.3 degrees C and 0.6 degrees C, respectively. Thus, gypsum is the most suitable foliar-spraying compound to lower the temperature of pistachio trees, reduce the water requirement, and increase crop productivity.

Can transparency interventions improve WASH service provision? We use a randomized experiment to evaluate the impacts of a transparency intervention, a deliberative multi-stakeholder workshop initiated with a community scorecard exercise, in schools in rural Bangladesh. To measure impacts, we combine survey data, direct observations, and administrative data. The intervention leads to moderate but consistent improvements in knowledge of WASH standards and practices, and institutions for WASH service management, but does not improve school WASH service provision or change WASH facility use patterns. Drawing on rich descriptive data, we suggest several reasons why the intervention we evaluate did not improve WASH service outcomes and propose ways to improve the design of future interventions.

The detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in wastewater can be used as an indicator of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in specific catchment areas. We conducted a hospital-based study to explore wastewater management in healthcare facilities and analyzed SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the hospital wastewater in Dhaka city during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak between September 2020-January 2021. We selected three COVID-hospitals, two non-COVID-hospitals, and one non-COVID-hospital with COVID wards, conducted spot-checks of the sanitation systems (i.e., toilets, drainage, and septic-tank), and collected 90 untreated wastewater effluent samples (68 from COVID and 22 from non-COVID hospitals). E. coli was detected using a membrane filtration technique and reported as colony forming unit (CFU). SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected using the iTaq Universal Probes One-Step kit for RT-qPCR amplification of the SARS-CoV-2 ORF1ab and N gene targets and quantified for SARS-CoV-2 genome equivalent copies (GEC) per mL of sample. None of the six hospitals had a primary wastewater treatment facility; two COVID hospitals had functional septic tanks, and the rest of the hospitals had either broken onsite systems or no containment of wastewater. Overall, 100 % of wastewater samples were positive with a high concentration of E.coli (mean = 7.0 log10 CFU/100 mL). Overall, 67 % (60/90) samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2. The highest SARS-CoV-2 concentrations (median: 141 GEC/mL; range: 13-18,214) were detected in wastewater from COVID-hospitals, and in non-COVID-hospitals, the median SARS-CoV-2 concentration was 108 GEC/mL (range: 30-1829). Our results indicate that high concentrations of E. coli and SARS-CoV-2 were discharged through the hospital wastewa-ter (both COVID and non-COVID) without treatment into the ambient water bodies. Although there is no evidence for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via wastewater, this study highlights the significant risk posed by wastewater from health care facilities in Dhaka for the many other diseases that are spread via faecal oral route. Hospitals in low-income settings could function as sentinel sites to monitor outbreaks through wastewater-based epidemiological surveillance systems. Hospitals should aim to adopt the appropriate wastewater treatment technologies to reduce the discharge of pathogens into the environment and mitigate environmental exposures.

The concentration of total dissolved mercury (HgT) in surface and groundwater resources in the coastal parts of Urmia aquifer (NW of Iran) was investigated to identify the possible sources and sinks of mercury and the geochemical mechanisms controlling its mobilization. The distribution of water samples on the Piper diagram demonstrates that most samples have the Ca-Mg-HCO3 facies. From 62 water samples collected in this area, one sample contained HgT concentrations exceeding the maximum contaminant level recommended by the WHO (6 μg/L). The principal component analysis (PCA) produced five principal components. The positive moderate correlation of HgT with EC, Cl, K, Mg, and Na indicated that the weathering of geological formations was one of the main sources of mercury in groundwater samples. Position of water samples in Eh-pH regions where microorganisms involved in mercury methylation and mineralization were potentially active demonstrated that the aquifer had undergone sulfate reduction and had reached the final stage of the terminal electron accepting process (TEAP) sequence in the methane production processes which are limited to only 37% of the water samples that have anaerobic conditions. Some Hg-bearing species are in nonequilibrium geochemical conditions. The supersaturation of water samples with magnetite and goethite indicated that these Fe-bearing minerals could act as the strong reducing agents for the reduction of Hg(II) to Hg(0).

This paper proposes a new framework for evaluating water and environmental resources carrying capacity (WERCC) based on the concept of resilience under uncertainty. First, several quantitative and qualitative criteria based on the seven principles of resilience and the Pressure-Support-State (PSS) framework are defined to incorporate the positive and negative impacts of human interventions and natural factors on water resources and the environment. The resilience principles include redundancy and diversity, managing connectivity, managing slow variables and their feedbacks, fostering complex adaptive system (CAS) thinking, encouraging learning, broadening participation, and promoting polycentric governance. After evaluating the values of the criteria and sub-criteria using a two-point evidential reasoning (TPER) approach and considering the existing uncertainties, the monthly time series of WERCC with uncertainty bands are calculated. The proposed methodology is then used to evaluate the WERCC in the Zarrinehrud river basin in Iran for a given historical period (1991–2012), and the period of 2020 to 2049 under different climate change scenarios. The results of this analysis demonstrate the inadequacy of the WERCC during the historical period and indicate that the continuation of the existing trend (base scenario, MSC0) will cause many environmental issues. Hence, several water and environmental resources management (WERM) scenarios are proposed to enhance the WERCC. These scenarios are evaluated using a multi-agent-multi-criteria decision-making method to identify the preferable WERM scenario (MSC12356). This scenario, which encompasses various projects (e.g., development and enhancement of water transfer networks and upgrading cultivation methods), improves the average value of the WERCC by 26 %. The results of the proposed methodology are compared with those of a traditional decision-making method, which considers three criteria of average WERCC, the pressure-support index, and the implementation cost. The results demonstrate that the multi-agent-multi-criteria decision-making approach provides a more cost-effective management scenario, with 30 % less cost, leading to only 3 % less carrying capacity.

Growing demand for water, as a consequence of population growth, farmland irrigation, and industrial expansion, results in groundwater resources exploitation. This, in combination with droughts induced by climate change, has caused a sharp drop in groundwater levels throughout arid and semiarid countries. In Iran, all these factors are resulting in alarming water scarcity. Appropriate management and control of existing water resources can overcome water shortages, with healthy and sustainable management of groundwater as one of the most efficient tools. Artificial recharge of aquifers can be used to replenish water supplies and restore the water resources in Iran and other semiarid and arid countries, but selection of the right location for runoff collection is essential to achieve success. Precipitation, slope, geology, lineament density, drainage density, aquifer water quality, groundwater level, vegetation, and land use were selected in this study as key factors in locating suitable sites for artificial recharge. The weight of each, in terms of importance and impact on aquifer recharge, was determined using remote sensing techniques to prepare layers and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and Boolean logic to identify the optimal weight for each factor. Geographic information system (GIS) was used for modeling, applying the weight of each criterion, and producing a final map. The results showed better performance of AHP than Boolean logic. For artificial recharge, 9.9% of the total study area (Mahdishahr in northern Iran) was found to be in a very good position and 22.6% in a good position. On filtering the privacy layer of fountains and aqueducts, the very good and good area declined to 8.4% and 14.7% of the total area, respectively, and mainly comprised alluvial valleys and coarse alluvial sediments with low slope and drainage density.

Elevated Arsenic (As) and Fluoride (F) concentrations in groundwater have been studied in the shallow aquifers of northeastern of La Pampa province, in the Chaco-Pampean plain, Argentina. The source of As and co-contaminants is mainly geogenic, from the weathering of volcanic ash and loess (rhyolitic glass) that erupted from the Andean volcanic range. In this study we have assessed the groundwater quality in two semi-arid areas of La Pampa. We have also identified the spatial distribution of As and co-contaminants in groundwater and determined the major factors controlling the mobilization of As in the shallow aquifers. The groundwater samples were circum-neutral to alkaline (7.4 to 92), oxidizing (Eh similar to 0.24 V) and characterized by high salinity (EC = 456-11,400 mu S/cm) and Na+-HCO3- water types in recharge areas. Carbonate concretions ("tosca") were abundant in the upper layers of the shallow aquifer. The concentration of total As (5.6 to 535 mu g/L) and F (0.5 to 14.2 mg/L) were heterogeneous and exceeded the recommended WHO Guidelines and the Argentine Standards for drinking water. The predominant As species were arsenate As(V) oxyanions, determined by thermodynamic calculations. Arsenic was positively correlated with bicarbonate (HCO3-), fluoride (F), boron (B) and vanadium (V), but negatively correlated with iron (Fe), aluminium (Al), and manganese (Mn), which were present in low concentrations. The highest amount of As in sediments was from the surface of the dry lake. The mechanisms for As mobilization are associated with multiple factors: geochemical reactions, hydrogeological characteristics of the local aquifer and climatic factors. Desorption of As(V) at high pH, and ion competition for adsorption sites are considered the principal mechanisms for As mobilization in the shallow aquifers. In addition, the long-term consumption of the groundwater could pose a threat for the health of the local community and low cost remediation techniques are required to improve the drinking water quality.

Groundwater, wastewater, surface runoff and surface water samples from Lake Victoria basin, Uganda was assessed for trace metals contamination. Untreated, base-treated and peroxide-treated biosorbents from Albizia coriaria, Coffea canephora, Cyperus papyrus, Erythrina abyssinica and Musa spp were investigated for removal of selected trace metals from contaminated water in batch studies. The assessed shallow groundwater and surface water was contaminated with iron and manganese. Selected speciation studies using Visual MINTEQ showed that in leachates from Municipal dumpsites 74% of the metal ions were bound to DOM, 13% were free ions and 13% were in inorganic forms moreover for urban streams 37% of the metal ions were bound to DOM, 44% were free ions and 19% were in inorganic forms. The metal levels in surface water, landfill leachate and surface runoff showed elevated levels and revealed increased risks to environmental health. Risk analysis based on the Swedish EPA showed that varied risks of negative effects in 30% – 76% of the sample sites ranging from high to increased risk in surface water whereas the results from Bio-met tool showed potential risk to toxicity effects of Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Pb²⁺ in 15.3% - 30.8% surface water samples and 8.3% - 62.5% groundwater samples. Batch sorption studies revealed that the optimal conditions for Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ ions uptake were; pH 3.5 – 5.0 for contact time 3.0 – 3.5 hours and biosorbent dosage 10 – 12.5 g/L. Base-treated biosorbents showed 10 – 17 % sorption enhancement for Cd²⁺ ions and 1.6 – 2.3 % uptake reduction for Pb²⁺ ions. The biomass negative potential for binding base cations was in the order; Musa spp. > A. coriaria > E. abyssinica and base treatment reduced DOC leaching from biosorbents in the order; E. abyssinica > A. coriaria > Musa spp. Speciation studies showed that more ions were complexed to DOC in solutions at various pH levels. The maximum sorption intensities for both Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ ions uptake onto biomass occurred for low initial metal concentration; 5 mg/L. Freundlich model best fitted data for Pb²⁺ ions ions uptake whereas Temkin model fitted the sorption data for Cd²⁺ ions onto both treated and untreated biomass. For peroxide treated biomass, the maximum sorption efficiencies for both Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ ions were between 95.2 – 98.7% for C.canephora, 79.9 – 92.2% for Musa spp. and 42.0 – 91.3% for C.papyrus in non-competitive media and 90.8 – 98.0% for C.canephora, 56.4 – 89.3% for Musa spp. and 19.5 – 90.4% for C.papyrus in competitive media. The Langmiur model fitted non-competitive sorption data with 0.769 ≤ R2 ≥ 0.999 and the Freundlich model fitted competitive sorption data with 0.867 ≤ R2 ≥ 0.989. The pseudo second order kinetic model fitted the sorption data for Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ ions for untreated, peroxide treated and base treated biomass with 0.917 ≤ R2 ≥ 1.000. The sorption of trace metals was a complex potentially monolayer chemisorption with heterogeneous surface properties exhibited. In competitive sorption, sorption suppression effects observed were greater for Cd²⁺ than Pb²⁺ ions. The comparative studies on sorption performance presented agreement and no significant difference between the untreated and base treated biosorbents. 

This study compared three uncertainty-based decision-making frameworks (considering/not considering the hierarchical structure of stakeholders) using resilience-based indices for evaluating different water resources management (WRM) scenarios under the impacts of climate change. The first step involved identifying significant stakeholders in the study area and establishing their relative weights. In the next step, stakeholders were asked to evaluate the management scenarios in the three different decision-making frameworks based on their decision criteria (nine resilience-based indices, implementation cost, and employment). Different types of weights (explicit and interval) were assigned to each stakeholder and their decision criteria, to account for the uncertainty associated with estimating their respective weights. This methodology was applied to the case of the Zarrinehrud River basin in northwest Iran. The best management scenario identified (MSC1346) was able increase lake elevation by 2.6 m (from 1271.3 m to 1273.9 m), improve the resilience of the system by 25 %, and enhance provisioning ecosystem services such as water and food supply and regulating services such as air quality. Comparing the results of the three decision-making frameworks revealed that the two which considered the hierarchical structure of stakeholders were more effective in determining the best scenario. The best scenario selected in the framework that ignored the hierarchical structure of stakeholders (MSC13567) had USD 202 million higher overall implementation and construction costs and gave a negligible difference in resilience value (0.04 difference) compared with scenario MSC1346.

In this paper, a methodology is presented for managing hydrological ecosystem services by taking into account the hierarchy of stakeholders involved in the decision-making process. With this in mind, a water allocation model is first used for allocating water resources to demands. Then, several ecosystem services (ESs)-based criteria are defined to evaluate hydrological ESs of water resources management policies. A set of water and environmental resources management strategies (alternatives) are defined for decision-makers, and several drought management strategies are determined to decrease the area of key crops and water demands of agricultural nodes. To model a multi-agent multi-criteria decision-making problem for managing hydrological ESs, three main steps are considered as follows: • Different ES-based criteria (i.e., economic profit, NPP,1 and ecological index) are defined, and their grade-based values are estimated. • Several strategies are defined for stakeholders at different levels. • A recursive evidential reasoning (ER) approach, which considers a hierarchical structure for decision-makers and a leader-follower game, is used to select the best strategy for each decision-maker.The applicability and efficiency of the methodology are illustrated by applying it to a real-world case study. The methodology is general and can be easily applied to other study areas.

Policy-makers face the challenge of assessing and implementing sustainability measures, while also dealing with parallel and sometimes conflicting policy agendas, long-term policy impacts, and contested interpretations of sustainability. To support evidence-based decision-making in this context, this paper presents the results from an integrated assessment of sustainability goal interactions. Links between the bio-based economy, the 2030 Agenda, and the so-called strong sustainability paradigm were explored in a regional-scale case. The analysis focused primarily on developments in the forestry and energy sectors. Direct trade-offs and synergies as well as broader systemic impacts were identified. The results show how goals from the bio-based economy, 2030 Agenda and strong sustainability paradigm are mutually interacting. Positive interactions were found within two clusters of goals, offering coherent and synergetic transition pathways within these. The first cluster encompasses developments toward intensified forestry, renewable energy, and closed-loop production systems. The second pathway supports diversified forestry and protection of critical natural capital. However, while internally coherent, trade-offs were identified between these goal clusters, demonstrating the difficulty in simultaneously making progress on goals belonging to different sustainability agendas. The results also stress the need for disaggregation and long-term assessments to identify trade-offs and synergies. Finally, the analysis highlights the theoretical potential but practical challenges of implementing the bio-based economy and 2030 Agenda in a way that adheres to strong sustainability. The analytical framework used in the present study may be adapted and applied to other decision-making contexts. It is particularly useful in settings characterized by uncertainty and unstructured problem spaces.

The primary goal of this research is to demarcate aquifers favorable for groundwater development in the border district of Rajouri, in the Union Territory of Jammu, and Kashmir, in order to secure a long-term water supply. The Schlumberger configuration resistivity survey technique Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) is used to investigate the characteristics of the subsurface layer and the potential of groundwater by using 30 VES sites in order to establish the optimum sites for digging a successful borehole for the qualitative and quantitative in-terpretations in the study area. It is determined that real resistivity values of subsurface geoelectric layers less than 35 Ohm m indicate the existence of finer sediments, whilst moderate resistivity values ranging from 35 to 100 Ohm m suggest the presence of coarser sediments favorable for groundwater development. The resistivity value between 100 and 200 Ohm m indicates weathered formation, 200-400 Ohm m, indicates fractured rock and more than 400 Ohm m represents hard formation which is devoid of any kind of groundwater development. The bedrock resistivity, nature of the curve, and overburden thickness are the parameters utilized to choose a good site for drilling tests. Based on the criteria, it was determined that nine VES sites (VES-2, VES-3, VES-4, VES -6, VES-17, VES-18, VES-19, VES-28, and VES-30) are appropriate for the installation of a tube well for irrigation and domestic purposes. The 8 sites (VES-14, VES-15, VES-20, VES-21, VES-22, VES-23, VES-24, and VES-27) were not suitable because of compact formation and harder rocks whereas the 13 VES sites (VES-1, VES-5, VES-7, VES-8, VES-9, VES-10, VES-11, VES-12, VES-13, VES-16, VES-25, VES-26, VES-29) are partially suitable for groundwater development and only suitable for personal uses such as hand pump of shallow depth.

Recently, researchers have shown concern about the ChatGPT-derived answers. Here, we conducted a series of tests using ChatGPT by individual researcher at multi-country level to understand the pattern of its answer accuracy, reproducibility, answer length, plagiarism, and in-depth using two questionnaires (the first set with 15 MCQs and the second 15 KBQ). Among 15 MCQ-generated answers, 13 +/- 70 were correct (Median : 82.5; Coefficient variance : 4.85), 3 +/- 0.77 were incorrect (Median: 3, Coefficient variance: 25.81), and 1 to 10 were reproducible, and 11 to 15 were not. Among 15 KBQ, the length of each question (in words) is about 294.5 +/- 97.60 (mean range varies from 138.7 to 438.09), and the mean similarity index (in words) is about 29.53 +/- 11.40 (Coefficient variance: 38.62) for each question. The statistical models were also developed using analyzed parameters of answers. The study shows a pattern of ChatGPT-derive answers with correctness and incorrectness and urges for an error-free, next-generation LLM to avoid users' misguidance.

The episodic outbreak of COVID-19 due to SARS-CoV-2 is severely affecting the economy, and the global count of infected patients is increasing. The actual number of patients had been underestimated due to limited facilities for testing as well as asymptomatic nature of the expression of COVID-19 on individual basis. Tragically, for emerging economies with high population density, the situation has been more complex due to insufficient testing facilities for diagnosis of the disease. However, the recent reports about persistent shedding of viral RNA of SARS-CoV-2 in the human feces have created a possibility to track the prevalence and trends of the disease in communities, known as wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). In this article, we highlight the current limitations and future prospects for WBE to manage pandemics.

In the first half of the 13^th century, St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) predicted the acute importance of water, which he defined as pretiosa (Cascetta, 1995). Unfortunately, the world has forgotten this caveat and in recent years, the importance of water resources is finally receiving greater attention in our daily lives. This is the result of rising demands, declining availability, as well as treatment costs incurred as the result of pollution from industrial and natural sources.

Water is vital for billions of people, but its quality and availability are threatened globally. Increasing pollution, overuse, and climate change are straining precious water resources. Thus mitigating contamination of water resources is vital for achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal for universal access to safe drinking water by 2030. This chapter discusses the challenges of water contamination from both natural and human-induced factors, with a special focus on groundwater resources, as groundwater is a major source of drinking water in numerous populous countries. It highlights the varying issues of safe groundwater accessibility in different regions of the world, with detailed case studies on groundwater water contamination from Tanzania, India, Bolivia, and Bangladesh.

Syftet med detta projekt är att studera funktionen av elektroosmos som åtgärd mot fukt-problem i byggnader i Sverige samt att utifrån detta ge rekommendationer kring om och i så fall när det är lämpligt/olämpligt att använda metodiken under de varierande fuktighets-förhållanden som vanligtvis råder i Sverige.

I projektet har vi gjort en litteraturstudie, en modellering av fysikaliska processer, studie-besök i byggnader med installationer för elektroosmos och mätningar av fukt i en källarvägg där en installation för elektroosmos blivit gjord.

Vi ser metoden elektroosmos som en möjlighet för att hantera fuktproblem i grunder. Det behövs dock en del av utveckling både kring tekniken för metoden och kring vad som ska kunna förväntas av den.

Det behövs bättre möjligheter att kunna förutsäga att metoden kommer att fungera i ett visst fall. Att inte kunna förutsäga detta bör vara ett bekymmer för dem som marknadsför metoden.

Elektroosmos kräver höga fuktnivåer för att fungera. Torkning ned till under kritiska fuktnivåer kräver komplettering med andra torkmetoder. Det krävs en tydlighet kring hur detta ska lösas.

Det behövs en bättre förståelse kring hur elektroderna ska placeras för bästa funktion.

Fuktvandring i jorden kan ha stor betydelse för processen i praktiken. Det är idé att undersöka om detta kan användas för att utveckla metoden.

Det behövs klara regler kring hur elinstallationen ska utformas på ett säkert sätt.

Eftersom jontransporten i betongen är av ganska liten omfattning så tror vi inte att elektroosmos kommer att påverka, eller skada, betongens egenskaper på lång sikt.

Electroosmosis is an electrokinetic phenomena which is applied in some technical fields. It is also applied large scale for transport of moisture out of basements. We see the method of electroosmosis as an opportunity for solving moisture problems in basements. However, there is a need to develop both the technology for the method and the understanding about what to expect out of it. Better methods are needed to predict whether the method will work in a particular case.

Beach wrack of marine macrophytes is a natural component of many beaches. To test if such wrack emits the potent greenhouse gas methane, field measurements were made at different seasons on beach wrack depositions of different ages, exposure, and distance from the water. Methane emissions varied greatly, from 0 to 176 mg CH4-C m−2 day−1, with a clear positive correlation between emission and temperature. Dry wrack had lower emissions than wet. Using temperature data from 2016 to 2020, seasonal changes in fluxes were calculated for a natural wrack accumulation area. Such calculated average emissions were close to zero during winter, but peaked in summer, with very high emissions when daily temperatures exceeded 20 °C. We conclude that waterlogged beach wrack significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and that emissions might drastically increase with increasing global temperatures. When beach wrack is collected into heaps away from the water, the emissions are however close to zero.

To remove organic contaminants from wastewater using cost-efficient and currently existing methods, our study investigated char-fortified filter beds for on-site sewage treatment facilities (OSSFs) in a long-term field setting. OSSFs are commonly used in rural and semi-urban areas worldwide to treat wastewater when municipal wastewater treatment is not economically feasible. First, we screened for organic contaminants with gas chromatography and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry-based targeted and untargeted analysis and then we developed quantitative structure-property relationship models to search for key molecular features responsible for the removal of organic contaminants. We identified 74 compounds (24 confirmed by reference standards) including plasticizers, UV stabilizers, fragrances, pesticides, surfactant and polymer impurities, pharmaceuticals and their metabolites, and many biogenic compounds. Sand filters that are used as a secondary step after the septic tank in OSSFs could remove hydrophobic contaminants. The addition of biochar significantly increased the removal of these and a few hydrophilic compounds (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, α = 0.05). Besides hydrophobicity-driven sorption, biodegradation was suggested to be the most important removal pathway in this long-term field application. However, further improvements are necessary to remove very hydrophilic contaminants as they were not removed with sand and biochar-fortified sand.

Grain corn is the main cereal produced in Portugal. It is grown in intensive monoculture cropping systems that may have negative effects on soil quality, affecting long-term fertility and productivity, and, therefore, the sustainability of the production. A promising management practice to mitigate soil degradation is to grow winter cover crops used as green manure. This study examined the effectiveness of six legume cover crops (LCCs) species in providing agro-ecological services for grain corn systems in the Mediterranean region, specifically in terms of nutrient leaching, nutrient recycling, weed control, and soil fertility. The study was performed in Central Portugal during 2 years, and it assessed legumes/weeds dry biomass yield, their nutrients content, and soil organic matter evolution. Results show that, in general, LCC are well adapted to Mediterranean conditions, yielding large amounts of biomass (up to 8 ton/ha for some clover species). In terms of nutrient leaching mitigation, the overall N-P-K nutrient uptake was 176-20-172 kg/ha. Green manure services enabled a reduction of 35% of N, 50% of P, and 100% of mineral fertilizers for a grain corn production of 12 ton/ha. Weed control by LCC was effective only in the second year of the study and for three clover species (crimson, balansa, and arrowleaf) due to their early establishment and/or high biomass production competing with weeds. Soil fertility was not improved in the short term, LCC incorporation into the soil to a slight depletion of the soil organic matter content.

Mediterranean headwater catchments have experienced major land-use changes in recent centuries, namely characterized by afforestation with fast-growing tree species (e.g., pine and eucalyptus). This paper investigates differences in the hydrological response of two forested catchments with distinct Pinus pinaster Aiton (PIN) and Eucalyptus globulus Labill. (EUC) covers over 6 hydrological years, from 2010 to 2016. The study was developed in paired catchments located in North-Central Portugal, under wet Mediterranean climate and schist bedrock. Based on rainfall and streamflow measurements, the hydrological responses were analyzed through the water-balance calculations, rainfall-runoff event analyses, and correlations between rainfall characteristics, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, overland flow, and land-cover parameters. The study period recorded a wide range of annual rainfall, between 984 and 2127 mm per years. The annual streamflow displayed greater inter-annual variation, from 208 to 1430 mm for PIN and from 217 to 1291 mm for EUC. The runoff coefficient was higher in the wettest years, with a maximum of 58% for PIN and 61% for EUC, and decreased substantially in the driest year, representing only 17% of the rainfall in PIN and 22% in EUC. Rainfall was predominant during the winter season (41%), followed by autumn (30%) and spring (24%). The streamflow displayed a seasonal behavior in both catchments, with higher runoff coefficient for EUC that for PIN. Half of the annual streamflow occurs during the winter, with the highest average runoff coefficient attained for EUC and PIN respectively being 68% and 64% of the rainfall amount. Annual evapotranspiration was relatively constant through the six years of study and showed higher average values in PIN (907 mm) than EUC (739 mm), highlighting the importance of forest type and showing that mature pine plantations lead to higher water consumption than eucalypt stands. Annual rainfall amount affects evapotranspiration rate (%), the percentage of ET increasing from 37% to 78% for PIN and from 34% to 73% for EUC between the wettest and the driest years, which raises concerns regarding the impact of climate changes on water availability in the mountain areas of the Mediterranean region.

To improve phosphorus (P) fertilization and environmental assessments, a better understanding of release kinetics of solid-phase P to soil solution is needed. In this study, Fe (hydr)oxide-coated filter papers (Fh papers), isotopic exchange kinetics (IEK) and chemical extractions were used to assess the sizes of fast and slowly desorbing P pools in the soils of six long-term Swedish field experiments. The P desorption data from the Fh-paper extraction of soil (20 days of continual P removal) were fitted with the Lookman two-compartment desorption model, which estimates the pools of fast (Q1) and slowly (Q2) desorbing P, and their desorption rates k1 and k2. The amounts of isotope-exchangeable P (E) were calculated (E1min to E>3 months) and compared with Q1 and Q2. The strongest relationship was found between E1 min and Q1 (r2 =.87, p <.01). There was also an inverse relationship between the IEK parameter n (the rate of exchange) and k1 (r2 =.52, p <.01) and k2 (r2 =.52, p <.01), suggesting that a soil with a high value of n desorbs less P per time unit. The relationships between these results show that they deliver similar information, but both methods are hard to implement in routine analysis. However, Olsen-extractable P was similar in magnitude to Q1 (P-Olsen = 1.1 × Q1 + 2.3, r2 =.96), n and k1 were related to P-Olsen/P-CaCl2, while k2 was related to P-oxalate/P-Olsen. Therefore, these extractions can be used to estimate the sizes and desorption rates of the different P pools, which could be important for assessments of plant availability and leaching.

Efficient phosphorus (P) fertilization strategies are essential for intensive crop production with minimal negative environmental impacts. A key factor in sustainable P use is assessment of the plant available soil P pool using soil P tests. This study determined isotopically exchangeable P after six days of reaction with 33PO4 (P-E (6 d)) to determine how accurately two commonly used P tests, Olsen and AL (acid ammonium acetate lactate) can quantify the amount of labile P. Soil samples were taken from both highly P-amended and unamended plots at six sites within the Swedish long-term soil fertility experiments. According to P K-edge XANES spectroscopy, the P speciation was dominated by Al-bound P and organic P, with additional contributions from Fe-bound P and Ca phosphates in most soils. The results showed that the AL test overestimated P-E (6 d) by a factor of 1.70 on average. In contrast, the Olsen test underestimated P-E (6 d), with the mean ratios of P-Olsen to P-E (6 d) being 0.52 for high-P and 0.19 for low-P soils. The 33P/31P ratio in the Olsen extract of a 33PO4 spiked soil was closer to that of a 0.005 mol L−1 CaCl2 soil extract than the corresponding ratio in the AL extract, suggesting that AL extraction solubilized more non-labile P. In conclusion, the AL and Olsen methods are not suitable for direct quantification of the isotopically exchangeable soil P pool after 6 days of equilibration. However, based on the results, Olsen may be superior to AL for classification of soil P status, due to its even performance for calcareous and non-calcareous soils and lower extraction of non-labile P.

Exposure to geogenic contaminants (GCs) such as metal(loid)s, radioactive metals and isotopes as well as transuraniums occurring naturally in geogenic sources (rocks, minerals) can negatively impact on environmental and human health. The GCs are released into the environment by natural biogeochemical processes within the near-surface environments and/or by anthropogenic activities such as mining and hydrocarbon exploitation as well as exploitation of geothermal resources. They can contaminate soil, water, air and biota and subsequently enter the food chain with often serious health impacts which are mostly underestimated and poorly recognized. Global population explosion and economic growth and the associated increase in demand for water, energy, food, and mineral resources result in accelerated release of GCs globally. The emerging science of "medical geology" assesses the complex relationships between geo-environmental factors and their impacts on humans and environments and is related to the majority of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations for Sustainable Development. In this paper, we identify multiple lines of evidence for the role of GCs in the incidence of diseases with as yet unknown etiology (causation). Integrated medical geology promises a more holistic understanding of the occurrence, mobility, bioavailability, bio-accessibility, exposure and transfer mechanisms of GCs to the food-chain and humans, and the related ecotoxicological impacts and health effects. Scientific evidence based on this approach will support adaptive solutions for prevention, preparedness and response regarding human and environmental health impacts originating from exposure to GCs.

Urban landscapes are high phosphorus (P) consumption areas and consequently generate substantial P-containing urban solid waste (domestic kitchen wastes, animal bones, and municipal sludge), due to large population. However, urbanization can also trap P through cultivated land loss and urban solid waste disposal. Trapped urban P is an overlooked and inaccessible P stock. Here, we studied how urbanization contributes to trapped urban P and how it affects the P cycle. We take China as a case study. Our results showed that China generated a total of 13 (±0.9) Tg urban trapped P between 1992–2019. This amounts to 6 (±0.5) % of the total consumed P and 9 (±0.6) % of the chemical fertilizer P used in China over that period. The loss of cultivated land accounted for 15% of the trapped urban P, and half of this was concentrated in three provinces: Shandong, Henan, and Hebei. This is primarily since nearly one-third of the newly expanded urban areas are located within these provinces. The remaining 85% of trapped urban P was associated with urban solid waste disposal. Our findings call for more actions to preserve fertile cultivated land and promote P recovery from urban solid waste through sound waste classification and recycling systems to minimize P trapped in urban areas.

Deep-ocean seaweed dumping is not an ecological, economical, or ethical answer to climate-change mitigation via carbon “sequestration.” Without sound science and sufficient knowledge on impacts to these fragile ecosystems, it distracts from more rational and effective blue-carbon interventions. We call for a moratorium on sinking seaweeds to deep-ocean ecosystems until its efficacy is established, and there is robust, evidence-based assessment of its environmental, economic, and societal sustainability.

Arsenic (As) contamination in paddy and consequently the dietary system is an emerging global threat to human health. The harvesting, post-harvesting and cooking procedures of rice in Bengal delta further involves the use of As tainted groundwater which results in a concomitant increase of As levels in sunned, parboiled, and cooked grains, respectively. Inorganic arsenic (iAs) causing potential health risks is therefore high (appx. 90 %) due to the daily rice consumption. This study sheds light on higher As accumulation, distribution and assimilation during parboiling (24 %) and cooking processes (34 %) using As-tainted water, culminating additional As burden in cooked rice. Rice grain mediated health risk has displayed a concern level of 5 according to “Severity Adjusted Margin of Exposure” value. This study also takes heed of the domestic livestock exposed to As toxicity through contaminated fodder, resulting in contaminated animal by-products which initiates further longer lasting deleterious impacts on the society.