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Saha M, Kafy AA, Bakshi A, Nath H, Alsulamy S, Rahaman ZA, Saroar M. The urban air quality nexus: Assessing the interplay of land cover change and air pollution in emerging South Asian cities. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 361:124877. [PMID: 39233268 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2024] [Accepted: 08/31/2024] [Indexed: 09/06/2024]
Abstract
Air quality degradation presents a significant public health challenge, particularly in rapidly urbanizing regions where changes in land use/land cover (LULC) can dramatically influence pollution levels. This study investigates the association between LULC changes and air pollution (AP) in the five fastest-growing cities of Bangladesh from 1998 to 2021. Leveraging satellite data from Landsat and Sentinel-5P, the analysis reveals a substantial increase in urban areas and sparse vegetation, with declines in dense vegetation and water bodies over this period. Urban expansion was most pronounced in Sylhet (22-254%), while Khulna experienced the largest increase in sparse vegetation (2-124%). Dense vegetation loss was highest in Dhaka (20-77%) and water bodies (9-59%) over this period. Concentrations of six major air pollutants (APTs) - aerosol index, CO, HCHO, NO2, O3, and SO2 - were quantified, showing alarmingly high levels in densely populated industrial and commercial zones. Pearson's correlation indicates strong positive associations between APTs and urban land indices (R > 0.8), while negative correlations exist with vegetation indices. Geographically weighted regression modeling identifies city centers with dense urban built-up as pollution hotspots, where APTs exhibited stronger impacts on land cover changes (R2 > 0.8) compared to other land classes. The highest daily emissions were observed for O3 (1031 tons) and CO (356 tons) at Chittagong in 2021. In contrast, areas with substantial green cover displayed weaker pollutant-land cover associations. These findings underscore how unplanned urbanization drives AP by replacing natural land cover with emission sources, providing crucial insights to guide sustainable urban planning strategies integrating pollution mitigation and environmental resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milan Saha
- Department of Urban & Regional Planning, Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET), Dhaka, Bangladesh; School of Environmental Science and Management, Independent University, Bangladesh.
| | - Abdulla Al Kafy
- Department of Geography & the Environment, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
| | - Arpita Bakshi
- Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna, Bangladesh.
| | - Hrithik Nath
- Department of Civil Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET), Khulna, 9203, Bangladesh; Department of Civil Engineering, University of Creative Technology Chittagong (UCTC), Chattogram, 4212, Bangladesh.
| | - Saleh Alsulamy
- Department of Architecture, Architecture & Planning College, King Khalid University, 61421, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Zullyadini A Rahaman
- Department of Geography & Environment, Faculty of Human Sciences, Sultan Idris Education University, Tanjung Malim, 35900, Malaysia.
| | - Mustafa Saroar
- Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna, Bangladesh.
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Akram F, Fatima T, Ibrar R, Shabbir I, Shah FI, Haq IU. Trends in the development and current perspective of thermostable bacterial hemicellulases with their industrial endeavors: A review. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 265:130993. [PMID: 38508567 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.130993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Hemicellulases are enzymes that hydrolyze hemicelluloses, common polysaccharides in nature. Thermophilic hemicellulases, derived from microbial strains, are extensively studied as natural biofuel sources due to the complex structure of hemicelluloses. Recent research aims to elucidate the catalytic principles, mechanisms and specificity of hemicellulases through investigations into their high-temperature stability and structural features, which have applications in biotechnology and industry. This review article targets to serve as a comprehensive resource, highlighting the significant progress in the field and emphasizing the vital role of thermophilic hemicellulases in eco-friendly catalysis. The primary goal is to improve the reliability of hemicellulase enzymes obtained from thermophilic bacterial strains. Additionally, with their ability to break down lignocellulosic materials, hemicellulases hold immense potential for biofuel production. Despite their potential, the commercial viability is hindered by their high enzyme costs, necessitating the development of efficient bioprocesses involving waste pretreatment with microbial consortia to overcome this challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatima Akram
- Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Government College University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan.
| | - Taseer Fatima
- Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Government College University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
| | - Ramesha Ibrar
- Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Government College University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
| | - Ifrah Shabbir
- Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Government College University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
| | | | - Ikram Ul Haq
- Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Government College University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan; Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan
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Abbas S, Shah MI, Sinha A, Olayinka OA. A Gender Differentiated Analysis of Healthy Life Expectancy in South Asia: The Role of Greenhouse Gas Emission. EVALUATION REVIEW 2023; 47:1066-1106. [PMID: 36318613 DOI: 10.1177/0193841x221134850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The sluggish progress concerning SDG-9 and SDG 13 has made South Asia an epicentre of household and ambient greenhouse gases emissions. Furthermore, the regional progress concerning attainment of SDG-3 is considerably low. The major research objectives are twofold. First, to explore the impact of GHGs emissions from agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing sector on disaggregated life expectancy. Second, to examine the mitigating impact of renewable energy use, trade integration, and human capital development for practice policy recommendations. These research objectives are realized by employing recently advanced cross-sectional auto regressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) model on panel data of five South Asian countries such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka from 1990 to 2019. The estimation outcome reveals that the emissions from transportation, manufacturing, and agricultural sectors significantly deteriorate healthy life expectancy of male and female healthy life expectancy in South Asia with different intensity. Especially, we find that long-run impact of GHG is more profound on male healthy life expectancy than female life expectancy. The result further shows that renewable energy and human capital substantially improve healthy life expectancy, whereas the effects of trade integration are insignificant. The finding of moderating variables shows that renewable energy, human capital development, and trade integration have high potential to reduce GHGs emissions. The findings of this study urge South Asia for investments in human capital development and renewable energy along with fostering regional integration to decrease GHG and improve healthy life expectancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shujaat Abbas
- Graduate School of Economics and Management, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia
| | | | - Avik Sinha
- Centre for Excellence in Sustainable Development, Goa Institute of Management, India
- Adnan Kassar School of Business, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon
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Alengebawy A, Ran Y, Ghimire N, Osman AI, Ai P. Rice straw for energy and value-added products in China: a review. ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS 2023; 21:1-32. [PMID: 37362014 PMCID: PMC10267560 DOI: 10.1007/s10311-023-01612-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
The rise of global waste and the decline of fossil fuels are calling for recycling waste into energy and materials. For example, rice straw, a by-product of rice cultivation, can be converted into biogas and by-products with added value, e.g., biofertilizer, yet processing rice straw is limited by the low energy content, high ash and silica, low nitrogen, high moisture, and high-quality variability. Here, we review the recycling of rice straw with focus on the global and Chinese energy situations, conversion of rice straw into energy and gas, biogas digestate management, cogeneration, biogas upgrading, bioeconomy, and life cycle assessment. The quality of rice straw can be improved by pretreatments, such as baling, ensiling, and co-digestion of rice straw with other feedstocks. The biogas digestate can be used to fertilize soils. The average annual potential energy of collectable rice straw, with a lower heating value of 15.35 megajoule/kilogram, over the past ten years (2013-2022) could reach 2.41 × 109 megajoule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Alengebawy
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 China
- Technology & Equipment Center for Carbon Neutrality, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 China
| | - Yi Ran
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 China
- Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Nirmal Ghimire
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, 44600 Nepal
| | - Ahmed I. Osman
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen’s University Belfast, David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, Belfast, BT9 5AG Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Ping Ai
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 China
- Technology & Equipment Center for Carbon Neutrality, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 China
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Eriksson A, Abera A, Malmqvist E, Isaxon C. Characterization of fine particulate matter from indoor cooking with solid biomass fuels. INDOOR AIR 2022; 32:e13143. [PMID: 36437670 PMCID: PMC9828024 DOI: 10.1111/ina.13143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Household burning of solid biomass fuels emits pollution particles that are a huge health risk factor, especially in low-income countries (LICs) such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa. In epidemiological studies, indoor exposure is often more challenging to assess than outdoor exposure. Laboratory studies of solid biomass fuels, performed under real-life conditions, are an important path toward improved exposure assessments. Using on- and offline measurement techniques, particulate matter (PM) from the most commonly used solid biomass fuels (charcoal, wood, dung, and crops residue) was characterized in laboratory settings using a way of burning the fuels and an air exchange rate that is representative of real-world settings in low-income countries. All the fuels generated emissions that resulted in concentrations which by far exceed both the annual and the 24-hour-average WHO guidelines for healthy air. Fuels with lower energy density, such as dung, emitted orders of magnitude more than, for example, charcoal. The vast majority of the emitted particles were smaller than 300 nm, indicating high deposition in the alveoli tract. The chemical composition of the indoor pollution changes over time, with organic particle emissions often peaking early in the stove operation. The chemical composition of the emitted PM is different for different biomass fuels, which is important to consider both in toxicological studies and in source apportionment efforts. For example, dung and wood yield higher organic aerosol emissions, and for dung, nitrogen content in the organic PM fraction is higher than for the other fuels. We show that aerosol mass spectrometry can be used to differentiate stove-related emissions from fuel, accelerant, and incense. We argue that further emission studies, targeting, for example, vehicles relevant for LICs and trash burning, coupled with field observations of chemical composition, would advance our understanding of air pollution in LIC. We believe this to be a necessary step for improved air quality policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Eriksson
- Division of Ergonomics and Aerosol TechnologyLund UniversityLundSweden
| | - Asmamaw Abera
- Ethiopia Institute of Water ResourcesAddis Ababa UniversityAddis AbabaEthiopia
| | - Ebba Malmqvist
- Division of Occupational and Environmental MedicineLund UniversityLundSweden
| | - Christina Isaxon
- Division of Ergonomics and Aerosol TechnologyLund UniversityLundSweden
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Partha DB, Cassidy-Bushrow AE, Huang Y. Global preterm births attributable to BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) exposure. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 838:156390. [PMID: 35654176 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Epidemiological studies have shown that long-term exposure to toxic volatile organic compounds, such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), is associated with preterm births (PTB). However, global PTB attributable to long-term BTEX exposure has not been reported in the literature yet. In this study, we employed a global chemical transport model, GEOS-Chem (Goddard Earth Observing System coupled with chemistry), in conjunction with an epidemiological model, to quantify the global country-specific PTB associated with long-term BTEX exposure at the horizontal resolution of 1 km × 1 km for the year 2015. Model simulated surface annual mean BTEX concentrations in GEOS-Chem have been thoroughly evaluated against global in-situ observations, which demonstrated that model simulated BTEX concentrations fairly agreed with observations but tended to be underestimated in India. Our study found that the global annual total PTB attributable to BTEX was 2.01 million [95% confidence interval (95CI): 1.16-2.70 million] in 2015, with largest contributions from India (28.3%), followed by China (27.5%), Pakistan (6.2%), Indonesia (4.2%), Bangladesh (3.7%) and United States (2.3%). The global annual total PTB due to BTEX exposure accounted for 19.6% (95CI: 11.3-26.4%) relative to the global annual total all-cause PTB (10.24 million) in 2015. Our study has significant implications on air pollution mitigation policy associated with country-specific anthropogenic BTEX emission reductions to achieve the benefit of human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debatosh B Partha
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Andrea E Cassidy-Bushrow
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA; Center for Urban Response to Environmental Stressors, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Yaoxian Huang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.
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Martinez-Soto A, Avendaño Vera CC, Boso A, Hofflinger A, Shupler M. Energy poverty influences urban outdoor air pollution levels during COVID-19 lockdown in south-central Chile. ENERGY POLICY 2021; 158:112571. [PMID: 34511701 PMCID: PMC8418915 DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The effect of COVID-19 lockdowns on ambient air pollution levels in urban south-central Chile, where outdoor air pollution primarily originates indoors from wood burning for heating, may differ from trends in cities where transportation and industrial emission sources dominate. This quasi-experimental study compared hourly fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10) particulate matter measurements from six air monitors (three beta attenuation monitors; three low-cost sensors) in commercial and low/middle-income residential areas of Temuco, Chile between 2019 and 2020. The potential impact of varying annual meterological conditions on air quality was also assessed. During COVID-19 lockdown, average monthly ambient PM2.5 concentrations in a commercial and middle-income residential neighborhood of Temuco were up to 50% higher (from 12 to 18 μg/m3) and 59% higher (from 22 to 35 μg/m3) than 2019 levels, respectively. Conversely, PM2.5 levels decreased by up to 52% (from 43 to 21 μg/m3) in low-income areas. The fine fraction of PM10 in April 2020 was 48% higher than in April 2017-2019 (from 50% to 74%) in a commercial area. These changes did not appear to result from meterological differences between years. During COVID-19 lockdown, higher outdoor PM2.5 pollution from wood heating existed in more affluent areas of Temuco, while PM2.5 concentrations declined among poorer households refraining from wood heating. To reduce air pollution and energy poverty in south-central Chile, affordability of clean heating fuels (e.g. electricity) should be a policy priority.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aner Martinez-Soto
- Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Science, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | - Constanza C Avendaño Vera
- Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Science, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | - Alex Boso
- Núcleo en Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Butamallín Research Center for Global Change, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | - Alvaro Hofflinger
- Núcleo en Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Butamallín Research Center for Global Change, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | - Matthew Shupler
- Department of Public Health, Policy and Systems, University of Liverpool, UK
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