Study on a New Technique of On-line Monitoring of Oil Contamination Level Using Computer Vision Technology

In this paper, a new technique of capturing the images of debris inlubrication or hydraulic oil using micro-imaging and computer vision techniques is introduced. Byway of image processing, the size and distribution of debris are obtained, and then the oilcontamination level is also obtained. Because the information of oil contamination is obtaineddirectly from the images of debris by this method, the monitoring result is more intuitive andreliable.

Q-Learning-Based Pesticide Contamination Prediction in Vegetables and Fruits

Pesticides have become more necessary in modern agricultural production.However,these pesticides have an unforeseeable long-term impact on people's wellbeing as well as the ecosystem.Due to a shortage of basic pesticide exposure awareness,farmers typically utilize pesticides extremely close to harvesting.Pesticide residues within foods,particularly fruits as well as veggies,are a significant issue among farmers,merchants,and particularly consumers.The residual concentrations were far lower than these maximal allowable limits,with only a few surpassing the restrictions for such pesticides in food.There is an obligation to provide a warning about this amount of pesticide use in farming.Previous technologies failed to forecast the large number of pesticides that were dangerous to people,necessitating the development of improved detection and early warning systems.A novel methodology for verifying the status and evaluating the level of pesticides in regularly consumed veggies as well as fruits has been identified,named as the Hybrid Chronic Multi-Residual Framework(HCMF),in which the harmful level of used pesticide residues has been predicted for contamination in agro products using Q-Learning based Recurrent Neural Network and the predicted contamination levels have been analyzed using Complex Event Processing(CEP)by processing given spatial and sequential data.The analysis results are used to minimize and effectively use pesticides in the agricultural field and also ensure the safety of farmers and consumers.Overall,the technique is carried out in a Python environment,with the results showing that the proposed model has a 98.57%accuracy and a training loss of 0.30.

Spectrochemical Analysis of Bottled and Tap Water from Selected Counties of Middle Tennessee, USA

A total of 37 elements were determined in tap and bottled water samples from six counties of Middle Tennessee (USA) by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). The overarching goal of the study is to dispel the myth that bottled water is better than tap water or vice versa. Other parameters analyzed were pH, conductivity, and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). The results were compared with the Maximum Contaminant Limit (MCL) reported by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA). The concentrations of phosphorus, silicon, fluoride, and chloride conformed to the established values by US-EPA maximum contaminant level corresponding value. The level of Aluminum (Al), Boron (B), Chromium (Cr), Cobalt (Co), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Lithium (Li), Manganese (Mn), Nickel (Ni), Titanium (Ti), Vanadium (V), and Zinc (Zn) conformed to the established values by governmental agencies (USEPA). Heavy metals such as Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Cobalt (Co), Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg), and Silver (Ag) were detected in the tap water of the urban (Davidson) and urbanizing (Rutherford and Williamson) counties;suggesting that rural counties had a less heavy metal concentration in their drinking water sources than urban counties (P < 0.05). However, the values were below the Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs).

Analysis of Nitrates and Nitrites in Groundwater of Ilorin Environs

The levels of nitrates and nitrites in drinking water from two local government areas in Ilorin, Kwara State were determined using HACH DR/EL 5 Spectrnphotometer over a period of four months. The average mean concentration of nitrate （NO3-N） in borehole is 0.185 mg/L and for nitrites （NO2-N） is 0.044 mg/L. The mean concentration in well for the nitrate （NOs-N） is 0.915 mg/L and for nitrites is 0.087 mg/L. The observed means as well as the highest single-point values for both nitrates and nitrites in groundwater are well below WHO （World Health Organisation） MCL （maximum contaminant level） of 10.0 mg/L nitrate as NO3-N and 3.0 mg/L nitrite as NO2-N. The values are also below the NSDWQ＇s （Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality） maximum permitted level of 50 mg/L nitrate as NO3-N and 0.2 mg/L nitrite as NO2-N.

Advancing Evaluation of Microplastics Thresholds to Inform Water Treatment Needs and Risks

Although human health impacts of microplastics are not well understood,concern regarding chemical contaminants retained on or within them is growing.Drinking water providers are increasingly asked about these risks,but strategies for evaluating them and the extent of treatment needed to manage them are currently lacking.Microplastics can potentially induce health effects if the concentration of contaminants adsorbed to them exceeds predetermined drinking water guidelines(e.g.,Maximum Contaminant Levels).The risk posed by microplastics due to adsorbed contaminants is difficult to determine,but a worst-case scenario can be evaluated by using adsorption capacity.Here,a“Threshold Microplastics Concentration”(TMC)framework is developed to evaluate whether waterborne microplastic concentrations can potentially result in the intake of regulated contaminants on/in microplastics at levels of human health concern and identify treatment targets for managing associated health risk.Exceeding the TMC does not indicate an immediate health risk;it informs the need for detailed risk assessment or further treatment evaluation to ensure particle removal targets are achieved.Thus,the TMC concept and framework provide an updateable,science-based screening tool to determine if there is a need for detailed risk assessment or treatment modification due to waterborne microplastics in supplies used for potable water production.

Trace heavy metals and harmful elements in roots and rhizomes of herbs:Screening level analysis and health risk assessment

Objective:Heavy metal and harmful element contamination are frequently reported in Chinese herbal medicines(CHMs),and roots and rhizomes parts showed a higher content than other parts.To investigate the residue level and assess the potential human health risk of heavy metals and harmful elements in roots and rhizomes,720 batches of the sample representing 20 species of herbs from different sources were collected.Methods:The content of Pb,Cd,As,Hg,and Cu in the digests was determined using ICP-MS.The chronic hazard index estimate based on non-cancer hazard quotient(HQ)was applied for potential health risk assessment of Pb,Cd,As,Hg,and Cu via consumption of CHMs.Results:Compared with the Chinese limit standard(Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission,2020 edition)of Pb,Cd,As,Hg,and Cu in Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma,the exceedance percentage of Pb in total samples was 14.1%,which were generally far higher than Cd,As,Hg,and Cu.Health risk assessment results based on hazard quotient calculating showed that total HQ of Cu,Pb,As,Cd,and Hg in Pulsatillae Radix and Clematidis Radix et Rhizoma exceeded 1,with the value of 1.543 and 1.235.Besides,Arsenic had the highest HQ value(0.957)in Pulsatillae Radix.Conclusion:Consuming raw materials of Pulsatillae Radix and Clematidis Radix et Rhizoma may pose a potential risk and Arsenic residues in Pulsatillae Radix deserved special attention.

Risk Assessment of Metal Contamination in Soil and Groundwater in Asia： A Review of Recent Trends as well as Existing Environmental Laws and Regulations

Asia is experiencing a more rapid economic growth compared to any other regions. The contamination of soil and groundwater with metals can mainly be attributed to human activities; therefore, risk assessments to characterize the nature and magnitude of risks to humans and ecological receptors from contaminants are important. Risk assessments are often iterative processes, which involve identification and filling data gap. Experimental samplings, geostatistical and multivariate statistical methods as well as multimedia risk assessment modeling are the three major methodologies used in the assessment of metal contamination in soil and groundwater.This review highlights a number of measurements for improving risk calculation methods and expounds scientific approaches that involve the identification of the major source of contamination, exposure pathways and bioavailability of metals. In general, risk assessments of metals in soil and groundwater worldwide are mainly focused on the levels of contamination, identification of exposure pathways, and prediction of the probability of contamination. To date, very limited studies have reported the development of relevant environmental laws and policies in the regulation of soil and groundwater contamination in Asia. The development, variations and limitations in the regulations of soil and groundwater contamination among developed countries may provide helpful guidance for the developing countries in Asia.

Impacts of n-alkane concentration on soil bacterial community structure and alkane monooxygenase genes abundance during bioremediation processes

Petroleum hydrocarbons,mainly consisting of n-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs),are considered as priority pollutants and biohazards in the environment,eventually affecting the ecosystem and human health.Though many previous studies have investigated the change of bacterial community and alkane degraders during the degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons,there is still lack of understanding on the impacts of soil alkane contamination level.In the present study,microcosms with different n-alkane contamination(1%,3%and 5%)were set up and our results indicated a complete alkane degradation after 30 and 50 days in 1%-and 3%-alkane treatments,respectively.In all the treatments,alkanes with medium-chain length(C_(11)-C_(14))were preferentially degraded by soil microbes,followed by C27-alkane in 3%and 5%treatments.Alkane contamination level slightly altered soil bacterial community,and the main change was the presence and abundance of dominant alkane degraders.Thermogemmatisporaceae,Gemmataceae and Thermodesulfovibrionaceae were highly related to the degradation of C_(14)-and C_(27)-alkanes in 5%treatment,but linked to alkanes with medium-chain(C11-C18)in 1%treatment and C21-alkane in 3%treatment,respectively.Additionally,we compared the abundance of three alkane-monooxygenase genes,e.g.,alk_A,alk_P and alk_R.The abundance of alk_R gene was highest in soils,and alk_P gene was more correlated with alkane degradation efficiency,especially in 5%treatment.Our results suggested that alkane contamination level showed non-negligible effects on soil bacterial communities to some extents,and particularly shaped alkane degraders and degrading genes significantly.This study provides a better understanding on the response of alkane degraders and bacterial communities to soil alkane concentrations,which affects their biodegradation process.