ORIGINAL_ARTICLE Integration of artificial neural network and geographic information system applications in simulating groundwater quality  Background: Although experiments on water quality are time consuming and expensive, models are often employed as supplement to simulate water quality. Artificial neural network (ANN) is an efficient tool in hydrologic studies, yet it cannot predetermine its results in the forms of maps and geo-referenced data. Methods: In this study, ANN was applied to simulate groundwater quality and geographic information system (GIS) was used as pre-processing and post-processing tool in simulating water quality in the Mazandaran Plain (Caspian southern coasts, Iran). Groundwater quality was simulated using multi-layer perceptron (MLP) network. The determination of groundwater quality index (GWQI) and the estimation of effective factors in groundwater quality were also undertaken. After modeling in ANN, the model validation was carried out. Also, the study area was divided with the pixels 1×1 km (raster format) in GIS medium. Then, the model input layers were combined and a raster layer which comprised the model inputs values and geographic coordinate was generated. Using geographic coordinate, the values of pixels (model inputs) were inputted into ANN (Neuro Solutions software). Groundwater quality was simulated using the validated optimum network in the sites without water quality experiments. In the next step, the results of ANN simulation were entered into GIS medium and groundwater quality map was generated based on the simulated results of ANN. Results: The results revealed that the integration of capabilities of ANN and GIS have high accuracy and efficiency in the simulation of groundwater quality. Conclusion: This method can be employed in an extensive area to simulate hydrologic parameters. http://ehemj.com/article-1-202-en.pdf 2016-10-01 173 182 10.15171/EHEM.2016.17 Water quality GWQI MLP Mazandaran Plain Vahid Gholami 1 Department of Range and Watershed Management, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran AUTHOR Marhemat Sebghati 2 Department of Range and Watershed Management, Faculty of Natural Resources, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran AUTHOR Zabihollah Yousefi zyousefi2004@gmail.com 3 Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE Synthesis of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine loaded sodium dodecyl sulfate-coated magnetite nanoparticles for adsorption of Hg(II) ions from an aqueous solution Background: The rapid increase in agricultural and industrial development has made heavy metal pollution a serious environmental problem and public health threat; therefore, removal of heavy metals from water is important. The current study prepared DNPH@SDS@Fe3O4 nanoparticles as a novel and effective adsorbent for removal of Hg(II) ions from an aqueous solution. Methods: A selective adsorbent for Hg(II) was synthesized by coating Fe3O4 nanoparticles with sodium dodecyl sulfate which was further functionalized with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (2,4-DNPH). The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and SEM–EDXSt. The effects of pH, dose of adsorbent and shaking time on adsorption capacity were investigated. The kinetics and equilibrium of adsorption of the metal ions were thoroughly studied. Results: SEM showed that the size of the nanoparticles was 20 to 35 nm. The maximum adsorption capacity for Hg(II) was 164.0 mg g-1 for an adsorbent dose of 0.04 g at pH 7.0, 25°C and the initial metal concentration was 25 mg L-1,which was greater than for most adsorbents previously examined for Hg(II) adsorption. Adsorption experimental data showed good correlation with the pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir isotherm model. Conclusion: The results indicated that the DNPH@SDS@Fe3O4 nanoparticles are an efficient adsorbent for removal of heavy metal from wastewater.   http://ehemj.com/article-1-220-en.pdf 2017-02-01 183 189 10.15171/EHEM.2016.18 Adsorption Mercury Magnetite nanoparticles Wastewater Kinetics Soheil Sobhanardakani* s_sobhan@iauh.ac.ir 1 Department of the Environment, College of Basic Sciences, Hamedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan, Iran AUTHOR Raziyeh Zandipak 2 Young Researchers & Elite Club, Hamedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan, Iran AUTHOR Lobat Taghavi 3 Department of the Environmental Pollution, College of Environment and Energy, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE Investigation of formaldehyde removal from synthetic contaminated air by using human hair  Background: Human hair can be used as an inexpensive and accessible adsorbent to remove a variety of pollutants from air. Although several studies have been done on removal of formaldehyde from wastewater by human hair, to date no study has investigated using hair to remove formaldehyde from air. Therefore, the aim of this study was to remove formaldehyde from synthetic contaminated air by a reactor packed with human hair. Methods: Air contaminated with formaldehyde was introduced into a cylindrical reactor packed with human hair at the initial concentration of 8500 mg/L. Formaldehyde concentration was measured in the influent and effluent of the reactor to indicate formaldehyde removal efficiency. Other measurements of parameters effective on formaldehyde removal were taken including amount of human hair and environmental temperature. Results: Results of this study revealed that each gram of human hair was able to remove 0.13 to 0.49 g of formaldehyde from air. Human hair adsorbed 98% of formaldehyde from synthetic contaminated air under 20˚C. These results demonstrate that increased temperature had a negative effect on formaldehyde removal. Conclusion: Results of this study show that human hair can be applied as a simple and inexpensive adsorbent to remove formaldehyde from industrial air exhaust. In addition, results of these tests can be considered as a small step to promote better air quality. http://ehemj.com/article-1-232-en.pdf 2017-02-26 191 196 10.15171/EHEM.2016.19 Formaldehyde Human hair Adsorption process Air treatment Amirreza Talaiekhozani atalaie@jami.ac.ir 1 Department of Civil Engineering, Jami Institute of Technology, Isfahan, Iran AUTHOR Mohammad Reza Talaei 2 Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran AUTHOR Mehdi Yazdan 3 Department of Chemical Engineering, Jami Institute of Technology, Isfahan, Iran AUTHOR Seyed Masoud Mir 4 Department of Chemical Engineering, Jami Institute of Technology, Isfahan, Iran AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE Investigation of type and density of bio-aerosols in air samples from educational hospital wards of Kerman city, 2014 Background: Bio-aerosols in the air of hospital wards have an important role in the development of infections. It is important to make quantitative and qualitative estimations of microorganisms in the air of these wards as an index for environmental hygiene applicable to different hospital wards. The aim of the study was to investigate degrees of diversity and density of bio-aerosols in the education hospitals of Kerman city. Methods: This study applied a descriptive-cross-sectional methodology in the second half of 2014 in the education hospitals of Kerman city, with bed capacity of over 300. As many as 200 samples were collected from the air in different wards of each hospital using the standard method of the National Occupational Health and Safety Institute. Following collection, samples were placed in an incubator for 48 hours and then bio-aerosol detections were made for and resulting data reported as colonies/m3. Results: Results indicated that maximum and minimum degrees of bacterial density were observed in operation rooms and in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Shafa hospital. Furthermore, comparison showed that the operating room at Afzalipour hospital had the lowest level of fungal contamination, while ICU at Bahonar hospital had the highest level of fungal contamination. The emitted fungi of Aspergillus and Penicillium along with the bacteria, staphylococci and Acinetobacter had greater frequencies. The means of bacterial density and fungal density were not equal across the studied hospitals and significant statistical, difference was observed between means of bacterial and fungal density (P ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: Amounts of bacterial and fungal density were greater than those proposed in the American Industrial Health State Conference in 73.3% of the wards in the educational hospitals of Kerman city sampled in this study. Therefore it is suggested that implementation of some, necessary measures for continuous monitoring, promotion of hygienic disinfection standards, and ventilation systems are taken more seriously by stipulating regulations to control this important issue in the country’s hospitals.   http://ehemj.com/article-1-227-en.pdf 2017-02-14 197 202 10.15171/EHEM.2016.20 Bacteria Fungal Bio-aerosol Hospital Kerman Mohammad Malakootian m.malakootian@yahoo.com 1 Environmental Health Engineering Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran AUTHOR Majid Amiri Gharghani 2 Environmental Health Engineering, Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE Regeneration and treatment of sulfidic spent caustic using analytic hierarchy process  Background: Sulfur compounds must be removed from petroleum because they contribute to environmental pollution. A strong alkaline solution such as caustic soda is used to remove these compounds. This spent caustic has high values for chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration, pH and total sulfur. In this study, the regeneration and treatment methodology of sulfidic spent caustic was investigated by applying the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Methods: The evaluation index system developed was based on group decision-improved AHP. Expert Choice software was used to simplify decision-making when choosing a practical method and prioritizing treatment of spent caustic. Cost, environmental considerations, availability and scale-up were chosen as criteria and wet air oxidation and biological and catalytic methods were selected as alternative methods. The treatment and regeneration of spent caustic was carried out in a batch bubble column reactor loaded with IVKAZ catalyst and the effluent was treated in a precipitation-stirred tank reactor. Results: Evaluation indicated that cost ranked first among criteria at 40.9%. The results showed that the proposed process produced about 13% (wt) of caustic, 50 g/L of COD and 36 g/L of S2-. Conclusion: The results indicate that the catalytic method was more effective (0.45) than wet air oxidation and the biological method. This process regenerated more than 85% of initial caustic and the economy of the process improved by the recycling of the stream of caustic. http://ehemj.com/article-1-228-en.pdf 2017-02-14 203 208 10.15171/EHEM.2016.21 Catalytic oxidation Wastewater treatment Recovery Expert Choice Asadollah Karimi 1 Environmental Engineering Research Center, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran AUTHOR Esmaeil Fatehifar fatehifar@sut.ac.ir 2 Environmental Engineering Research Center, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran AUTHOR Reza Alizadeh 3 Environmental Engineering Research Center, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran AUTHOR Iraj Ahadzadeh 4 Faculty of Chemistry, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran AUTHOR
REVIEW_ARTICLE Qualitative analysis of Orzooiyeh plain groundwater resources using GIS techniques Background: Unsustainable development of human societies, especially in arid and semi-arid areas, is one of the most important environmental hazards that require preservation of groundwater resources, and permanent study of qualitative and quantitative changes through sampling. Accordingly, this research attempts to assess and analyze the spatial variation of quantitative and qualitative indicators of Orzooiyeh groundwater resources in the Kerman province by using the geographic information system (GIS). Methods: This study attempts to survey the spatial analysis of these indexes using GIS techniques besides the evaluation of the groundwater resources quality in the study area. For this purpose, data quality indicators and statistics such as electrical conductivity, pH, sulphate, residual total dissolved solids (TDS), sodium, calcium; magnesium and chlorine of 28 selected wells sampled by the Kerman regional water organization were used. Results: A comparison of the present research results with standard of Industrial Research of Iran and also the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that, among the measured indices, the electrical conductivity and TDS in the chosen samples are higher than the national standard of Iran and of the WHO but other indices are more favourable. Conclusion: Results showed that the electrical conductivity index of 64.3% of the samples have an optimal level, 71.4% have the limit of Iran national standard and only 3.6% of them have the WHO standard. The TDS index, too, did not reach national standards in any of the samples and in 82.1% of the samples this index was on the national standard limit. As per this index, only 32.1% of the samples were in the WHO standards. http://ehemj.com/article-1-182-en.pdf 2017-02-19 209 215 10.15171/EHEM.2016.21 Spatial analysis Water resources Quality indices Orzooiyeh Mohsen pourkhosravani pourkhosravani@uk.ac.ir 1 Department of Geography, Shahid ‎Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE Prediction and modeling of fluoride concentrations in groundwater resources using an artificial neural network: a case study in Khaf  Background: One issue of concern in water supply is the quality of water. Measuring the qualitative parameters of water is time-consuming and costly. Predicting these parameters using various models leads to a reduction in related expenses and the presentation of overall and comprehensive statistics for water resource management. Methods: The present study used an artificial neural network (ANN) to simulate fluoride concentrations in groundwater resources in Khaf and surrounding villages based on the physical and chemical properties of the water. ANN modeling was applied with regard to diverse inputs. Results: The MLP1 model with eight inputs of parameters such as root mean square error (RMSE) and correlation coefficient of actual and predicted outputs exhibited the best results. The lowest fluoride concentration (0.15 mg L-1) was found in Sad village, and the highest concentration (3.59 mg L-1) was found in Mahabad village. Based on World Health Organization (WHO) standards, 56.6% of the villages are in the desirable range, 33.3% of them had fluoride concentrations below standard levels, and 10% had higher than standard concentrations of fluoride. Conclusion: The simulation results from the testing stage for MLP1 as well as the high conformity between experimental and predicted data indicated that this model with its high confidence coefficient can be used to predict fluoride concentrations in groundwater resources. http://ehemj.com/article-1-224-en.pdf 2017-02-12 217 224 10.15171/EHEM.2016.23 Water quality Artificial neural network model Fluoride Groundwater Ali Akbar Mohammadi 1 Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran AUTHOR Mansour Ghaderpoori 2 Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health and Nutrition, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran AUTHOR Mahmood Yousefi 3 Students Research Committee, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran AUTHOR Malihe Rahmatipoor 4 Students Research Committee, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran AUTHOR Safoora Javan safoora_javan@yahoo.com 5 Students Research Committee, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE The effects of the natural coagulant Moringa oleifera and alum in wastewater treatment at the Bandar Abbas Oil Refinery  Background: The refining process generates large volumes of wastewater containing a variety of chemical contaminants. The use of natural substitutes in treating wastewater which have fewer harmful effects is considered an effective step towards protecting the environment and sustaining the development of these industries. This study focused on the use of Moringa oleifera and alum at the Wastewater Unit at Bandar Abbas Refinery. Methods: This study was performed in 2014 in a laboratory using jar apparatus. These experiments were conducted in batch system and effective parameters including pH, coagulant dose and contact time were investigated on the wastewater obtained from Bandar Abbas Oil Refinery. Results: The jar test experiment showed that M. oleifera at 70 mg/L, optimum temperature, pH, and mixing speed could remove 38.60% of chemical oxygen demand (COD), 63.70% of turbidity, and 62.05% of total suspended solids (TSS). Also, alum at 40 mg/L removed COD, turbidity, and TSS by 51.72%, 92.16%, and 85.26% respectively from the refinery wastewater. Moreover, when M. oleifera and alum was used together with a 2:1 dosage ratio (alum at 80 mg/L and M. oleifera at 70 mg/L), they will remove COD, turbidity, and TSS by up to 50.41%, 86.14%, and 81.52% respectively. Conclusion: The use of M. oleifera as a natural coagulant is important in treating refinery wastewater not only from an environmental but also an economic point of view. http://ehemj.com/article-1-221-en.pdf 2017-02-06 225 230 10.15171/EHEM.2016.24 Moringa oleifera Alum Bandar Abbas Refinery Industrial wastewater Mohsen Dehghani Dehghani933@gmail.com 1 Department of the Environmental Engineering, Islamic Azad University Bandar Abbas Branch, Bandar Abbas, Iran. AUTHOR Mohammad Hossein Alizadeh 2 Islamic Azad University Bandar Abbas Branch, Bandar Abbas, Iran AUTHOR