https://cyberleninka.org/article/n/567486.pdf

A review on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Source, environmental impact, effect on human health and remediation

One of our era's greatest scourges is air pollution, on account not only of its impact on climate change but also its impact on public and individual health due to increasing morbidity and mortality. There are many pollutants that are major factors in disease in humans. Among them, Particulate Matter (PM), particles of variable but very small diameter, penetrate the respiratory system via inhalation, causing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, reproductive and central nervous system dysfunctions, and cancer. Despite the fact that ozone in the stratosphere plays a protective role against ultraviolet irradiation, it is harmful when in high concentration at ground level, also affecting the respiratory and cardiovascular system. Furthermore, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), dioxins, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are all considered air pollutants that are harmful to humans. Carbon monoxide can even provoke direct poisoning when breathed in at high levels. Heavy metals such as lead, when absorbed into the human body, can lead to direct poisoning or chronic intoxication, depending on exposure. Diseases occurring from the aforementioned substances include principally respiratory problems such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma, bronchiolitis, and also lung cancer, cardiovascular events, central nervous system dysfunctions, and cutaneous diseases. Last but not least, climate change resulting from environmental pollution affects the geographical distribution of many infectious diseases, as do natural disasters. The only way to tackle this problem is through public awareness coupled with a multidisciplinary approach by scientific experts; national and international organizations must address the emergence of this threat and propose sustainable solutions.

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Environmental and Health Impacts of Air Pollution: A Review.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) include a group of organic priority pollutants of critical environmental and public health concern due to their toxic, genotoxic, mutagenic and/or carcinogenic properties and their ubiquitous occurrence as well as recalcitrance. The increased awareness of their various adverse effects on ecosystem and human health has led to a dramatic increase in research aimed towards removing PAHs from the environment. PAHs may undergo adsorption, volatilization, photolysis, and chemical oxidation, although transformation by microorganisms is the major neutralization process of PAH-contaminated sites in an ecologically accepted manner. Microbial degradation of PAHs depends on various environmental conditions, such as nutrients, number and kind of the microorganisms, nature as well as chemical property of the PAH being degraded. A wide variety of bacterial, fungal and algal species have the potential to degrade/transform PAHs, among which bacteria and fungi mediated degradation has been studied most extensively. In last few decades microbial community analysis, biochemical pathway for PAHs degradation, gene organization, enzyme system, genetic regulation for PAH degradation have been explored in great detail. Although, xenobiotic-degrading microorganisms have incredible potential to restore contaminated environments inexpensively yet effectively, but new advancements are required to make such microbes effective and more powerful in removing those compounds, which were once thought to be recalcitrant. Recent analytical chemistry and genetic engineering tools might help to improve the efficiency of degradation of PAHs by microorganisms, and minimize uncertainties of successful bioremediation. However, appropriate implementation of the potential of naturally occurring microorganisms for field bioremediation could be considerably enhanced by optimizing certain factors such as bioavailability, adsorption and mass transfer of PAHs. The main purpose of this review is to provide an overview of current knowledge of bacteria, halophilic archaea, fungi and algae mediated degradation/transformation of PAHs. In addition, factors affecting PAHs degradation in the environment, recent advancement in genetic, genomic, proteomic and metabolomic techniques are also highlighted with an aim to facilitate the development of a new insight into the bioremediation of PAH in the environment.

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Current State of Knowledge in Microbial Degradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs): A Review

Solid waste issue: Sources, composition, disposal, recycling, and valorization

Removal of heavy metal from industrial wastewater using modified activated coconut shell carbon

Water issue in Egypt: resources, pollution and protection endeavors

Biogas production as affected by heavy metals in the anaerobic digestion of sludge

Municipal wastewater separation into black and greywater proved to be an efficient system to prevent the contamination of greywater, reduce the volume of fecal contaminated wastewater as well as reducing the cost of treatment. Meanwhile, up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) proved to be a cost effective pretreatment system for wastewater. On the other hand, constructed wetlands (CWs) offer a low-cost alternative for wastewater treatment in developing countries, particularly in the arid and semi-arid areas. In the present study, two separate UASB reactors were used as a primary treatment step followed byCW for the treatment of blackwater and greywater separately. The hydraulic residence time (HRT) of UASB was kept constant at 6 and 24 h for the two reactors, while the organic loading rates (OLRs) were 1.88 and 1.16 kg/m3/day for the treatment of blackwater and greywater, respectively. The removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the UASB reactor was about 60% for greywater and 68% for black...

/pdf/integrated-system-for-the-treatment-of-blackwater-and-3253o24wrg.pdf

Hussein I. Abdel-Shafy

Papers

A review on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Source, environmental impact, effect on human health and remediation

Solid waste issue: Sources, composition, disposal, recycling, and valorization

Water issue in Egypt: resources, pollution and protection endeavors

Biogas production as affected by heavy metals in the anaerobic digestion of sludge

Integrated system for the treatment of blackwater and greywater via UASB and constructed wetland in Egypt