Fathollah Gholami-Borujeni

Scaling and corrosion are significant issues in water distribution systems that can lead to economic, aesthetic, and health concerns. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a point-of-entry (POE) polyphosphate cartridge on scaling and corrosion indices (Langelier Saturation Index [LSI], Ryznar Stability Index [RSI], Puckorius Scaling Index [PSI] and Aggressive Index [AI]), as well as the quality of water treated with household water treatment systems. In this study, a POE polyphosphate cartridge was directly connected to municipal water to adjust water stability and prevent scaling and corrosion. Parameters were tested in water samples before and after filtration with the POE polyphosphate cartridge. Spearman’s correlation analysis was conducted to determine any monotonic relationship between the variables using SPSS. It was observed that water exhibited scaling properties at flow rates of 0.180, 0.252, and 0.522 L/min based on the LSI, while in other cases, it showed corrosion properties. Additionally, the results of the Spearman analysis indicated a strong positive correlation (r=0.74) between RSI and PSI and a strong negative correlation (r=-0.64) between LSI and RSI in the outlet water from the POE polyphosphate cartridge. The results indicated that more precise control of key quality parameters for scaling and corrosion of water is essential. Significant adjustments must be implemented to prevent corrosion of facilities and valves when utilizing a POE polyphosphate cartridge in household water systems. Moreover, due to the fluctuations in household water consumption, the use of inline POE polyphosphate cartridges may not ensure water stability in the household water supply system.

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology: Helicobacter pylori’s Gene in Wastewater and Its Prevalence Rate in Community

Ultrasonic (US) and UV-C disinfection technologies have been successfully used in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) for disinfection purposes. The US technology is typically used as a pre-treatment step to break down larger particles and make them more susceptible to disinfection. The UV-C technology is commonly used as a final disinfection step in many WWTPs. The study aimed to assess the potential of using Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Nanoparticles (NPs) to improve the effectiveness of UV-C and US disinfection methods in treating wastewater effluent, offering a more comprehensive solution to wastewater treatment. In this experimental study, a Laboratory US Bath (40[ ]kHz) and a UV-C lamp (16[ ]W) were used. In order to investigate the effectiveness of ZnO NPs in the reduction of microbial load, 5[ ]mg/L of ZnO NPs was added to the effluent samples. Then, samples were examined for Total Coliform (TC) and Fecal Coliform (FC) reduction by the standard MPN/100[ ]mL test. The Chick‘s law was used to calculate the efficiency of microbial load. The relationship between variables was determined by regression analysis using Excel and SPSS-ver 21 software. In this study, the samples were examined in three groups: Samples that were only exposed to sonication or received UV-C radiation with Turbidity of 18 NTU (Group A) and Turbidity of 5 NTU (Group B), and Samples that received 5 mg/L of ZnO NPs (Group C). By increasing the time from 0.5 min to 10 min in the presence of UV-C, the amount of microbial population decreased, and 2 min was considered the optimal time. The maximum removal efficiencies by US for TC were 74.07,77.7, 85.1% (40∘C) and 92.5,100, and 100% (60∘C) in group A (in 30 min sonication), 85.7, 85.7, 100% (40∘C), respectively, and were 100% in other groups (B and C), respectively. The maximum removal efficiencies by US for FC were 76.4%, 88.2%, and 100% (40∘C) and 88.2%, 100%, and 100% (60∘C) in group A (in 30 min sonication), respectively, and were 100% in other groups (B and C). In this study, an important increase in the disinfection ability of ZnO NPs has been observed in the presence of US and UV-C. So, the ZnO NPs/UV-C and ZnO NPs/US processes are valuable alternatives to conventional disinfection processes by over 90% improvement of disinfection efficiency.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the degradation of tetracycline (TC) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) during in-vessel composting in three different ratios of organic waste (OW), rice husk (RH), and return activated sludge (RAS) obtained from antibiotic industry wastewater treatment plant as a microbial source. The composting process was carried out in three cylindrical reactors (R1, R2, and R3) with a volume of 35.5 L. The OW/RH ratio was adjusted to 2:1, 1.4:1, and 1:1, and the RAS was added as a microbial source and to adjust the moisture content (MC). After the compost maturation phase, various concentrations of antibiotics were added to the different reactors. The HPLC method was used to measure the concentration of residual antibiotics. The physical, chemical, and bacterial properties of the compost were also analyzed throughout the process using standard methods. The findings showed that the removal efficiencies of TC were 85%, 90%, and 92.5% in R1, R2, and R3, respectively, while those of CIP were 75%, 77.5%, and 82.5% after 92 days. It was observed that using microbial sources containing antibiotic-resistant bacteria (sludge from an antibiotic wastewater treatment plant), fungi, and actinomycetes in the composting process can be an effective method for the biodegradation of antibiotics in contaminated environments.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) in the field of climate changes in Iran in 2020, to compare these indexes in the Middle East countries and developed countries, and to evaluate the relationship between these indexes and gross domestic product (GDP) in Iran and some of the Middle East countries, as well as 10 developed countries in the world. Methods: Data related to the EPI in the field of climate changes and GDP were extracted from the database of the Yale University (https://epi.yale.edu) and the World Bank. The relationship between them was investigated using linear regression analysis. Results: The results showed that in 2020, Iran was ranked fourteenth and sixth among the studied countries, in terms of carbon dioxide growth rate and black carbon growth rate, respectively. It has also been ranked first in terms of carbon dioxide from land cover. Also, Iran was ranked eleventh among the Middle East countries and developed countries in terms of methane (CH4 ) growth rate and was ranked sixth among the Middle East countries in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) per capita and 13th among all studied countries. However, a significant relationship was observed between changes in GDP with GHG emissions of EPI (R2=0.82). Conclusion: Based on the Iran’s ranking in the field of climate change performance index, planning to reduce CHGs generation is necessary. Also, education of citizens in the field of methods to reduce greenhouse effects should be done by environmental policy makers.