- Ahwaz, Khuzestan, Iran, Islamic Republic of
- I am university professor.edit
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The main aim of this research was to study the biodegradation of Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) using aerobic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) at a pilot-Scale. The reactor was made of a 3 mm-thick glass cylinder with an internal... more
The main aim of this research was to study the biodegradation of Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) using aerobic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) at a pilot-Scale. The reactor was made of a 3 mm-thick glass cylinder with an internal diameter of 12 cm and height of 60 cm. SBR operated in five phases. The first phase was filling the reactor for about 10 min. the second phase was the main reactor for biological treatment of petroleum wastewater about 21.55 h. The third phase was the sedimentation (1 h). The fourth phase was decanting from the reactor for about 10 min. The last phase consisted of idle for about 45 min. The experiments showed that the mixed microbial mass is able to degrade high concentration of methanol up to 250 mg/l, and concentration of MTBE up to 70 mg/l for a 24 h cycle. However, the mixed microbial mass is not able to degrade MTBE with concentration more than 70 mg/l. Microorganisms were generally isolated from Fajr petrochemical wastewater treatment plant. Analysi...
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Fermentation of ethanol as a product of sugarcane agro-industry causes the discharge of large amounts of a liquid waste called vinasse into the environment. In this study, co-composting followed by vermicomposting process of the mixtures... more
Fermentation of ethanol as a product of sugarcane agro-industry causes the discharge of large amounts of a liquid waste called vinasse into the environment. In this study, co-composting followed by vermicomposting process of the mixtures of vinasse, cow manure, and chopped bagasse was performed for 60days using earthworms of Eisenia fetida species. The results showed that the trend of changes in C/N was decreasing. The pH of the final fertilizer was in alkaline range (8.1-8.4). The total potassium decreased during the process, ranging from 0.062 to 0.15%, while the total phosphorus increased and its values ranged from 0.06 to 0.10%. The germination index (GI) for all samples was 100%, while the cellular respiration maturity index was<2mg C-CO2g(-1) organic carbon day(-1), confirming a very stable compost. The results of this study indicate that the compost obtained from the co-composting-vermicomposting process could be used as a sound soil amendment.
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Herein, activated carbon impregnated iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4/AC) were synthesized to determine their potentials for the adsorption of nonylphenol (NP) in aqueous solution with different experimental variables, namely the pH of the... more
Herein, activated carbon impregnated iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4/AC) were synthesized to determine their potentials for the adsorption of nonylphenol (NP) in aqueous solution with different experimental variables, namely the pH of the solution, contact time, adsorbent dosage and the initial NP concentration. Additionally, an artificial neural network system was used to find the relative importance of each of the aforementioned input variables on NP adsorption efficiency. Experimental findings indicated that the optimum solution pH for NP adsorption was 3.0. The equilibrium time of the adsorption process was 30 min. According to the results of isotherm and kinetic studies, among all applied models, the Liu and pseudo-first-order models showed the best fit with the experimental data. The pH of the solution, compared to other input variables, had the maximum impacts on NP adsorption efficiency. Under optimum conditions, the adsorption percentage decreased insignificantly from 99.6 ...
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In this work, we present the result of an electric coagulation process with iron and aluminum electrodes for removal of chemical and biological oxygen demand (COD and BOD) from grey water in different car washes of Ahvaz, Iran. Nowadays,... more
In this work, we present the result of an electric coagulation process with iron and aluminum electrodes for removal of chemical and biological oxygen demand (COD and BOD) from grey water in different car washes of Ahvaz, Iran. Nowadays, one of the important dangerous that can contaminate water resources for drinking, agriculture and industrial is Car wash effluent [1,2]. In this study, initial COD and BOD concentration, pH of the solution, voltage power and reaction time was investigated. The concentration level of remaining COD and BOD in samples was measured, using DR/5000 UV-vis HACH spectrophotometer [3,4]. The effects of contact time, initial pH, electrical potential and voltage data on removal of COD and BOD were presented. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out using Special Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 16).
Air pollution contains a complex mixture of poisonous compounds including particulate matter (PM) which has wide spectrum of adverse health effects. The main purpose of this study was to estimate the potential health impacts or benefits... more
Air pollution contains a complex mixture of poisonous compounds including particulate matter (PM) which has wide spectrum of adverse health effects. The main purpose of this study was to estimate the potential health impacts or benefits due to any changes in annual PM10 level in four major megacities of Iran. The required data of PM10 for AirQ software was collected from air quality monitoring stations in four megacities of Iran. The preprocessing was carried out using macro coding in excel environment. The relationship between different presumptive scenarios and health impacts was determined. We also assessed the health benefits of reducing PM10 to WHO Air Quality Guidelines (WHO-AQGs) and National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQSs) levels with regard to the rate of mortality and morbidity in studied cities. We found that the 10 μg/m(3) increase in annual PM10 concentration is responsible for seven (95% CI 6-8) cases increase in total number of deaths per 2 × 10(5) person. We also found that 10.7, 7.2, 5.7, and 5.3% of total death is attributable to short-term exposure to air pollution for Ahvaz, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Tehran, respectively. We found that by attaining the WHO's proposed value for PM10, the potential health benefits of 89, 84, 79, and 78% were obtained in Ahvaz, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Tehran, respectively. The results also indicated that 27, 10, 3, and 1% of health impacts were attributed to dust storm days for Ahvaz, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Tehran, respectively.
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Children are the vulnerable group at risk of adverse health effects related to air pollution due to dust storm in Ahvaz. The purpose of this study was to compare the values of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) and lung functions as... more
Children are the vulnerable group at risk of adverse health effects related to air pollution due to dust storm in Ahvaz. The purpose of this study was to compare the values of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) and lung functions as parameters of adverse health effects of particulate matter (PM) in dusty and normal (non-dusty) days in elementary schoolchildren. The study was conducted among elementary school students in Ahvaz. The healthy elementary schoolchildren (N = 105) were selected from different districts for FENO and lung function sampling during the dusty and normal days. The values of PM10 and PM2.5 during dusty days were higher than during normal days. Mean values of FENO during the normal and dusty days were 14.23 and 20.3 ppb, respectively, and the difference between these values was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Lung function results showed a statistically significant difference between the mean values of forced vital capacity during the dusty and normal days (p < 0.05). The results revealed a significant difference both in the values of inflammatory biomarker and in the lung function tests in dusty and normal days. Based on our results, fractional exhaled nitric oxide could be a useful short-term biomarker of particulate pollution effect coupled with spirometry.
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In this study, a new zinc chloride (ZnCl2) impregnated activated carbon (Zn-AC) was prepared from oak charcoals as low-cost material and used as adsorbent for tetracycline (TC) adsorption. The Zn-AC was characterized using field... more
In this study, a new zinc chloride (ZnCl2) impregnated activated carbon (Zn-AC) was prepared from oak charcoals as low-cost material and used as adsorbent for tetracycline (TC) adsorption. The Zn-AC was characterized using field emission-scanning electron microscope, powder X-ray diffraction, and CHNS-O analyses. Specific surface area of the adsorbent was also measured using the Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) isotherm model. The TC adsorption onto the Zn-AC was investigated as a function of solution pH, adsorbent dosage, and inorganic cations (Li(+), K(+), Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Ni(2+), and Fe(3+)) and anions (HCO3(-), NO3(-) and SO4(2-)) that could interfere in the adsorption of TC. The adsorbate solution pH had no considerable effect on TC adsorption. The adsorption of TC onto the adsorbent was relatively fast and reached the equilibrium after about 120 min. The results showed that all studied cations and anions decreased TC adsorption onto the Zn-AC, but this decrease in TC adsorptio...
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ABSTRACT This investigation is about fluoride removal from synthetic drinking water (10 mg L−1 F− in 0.5 g L−1 Na2SO4 and 1.5 mg L−1 ClO− at pH 7.7 and conductivity 410 μS cm−1), by electrocoagulation (EC) using aluminum as the... more
ABSTRACT This investigation is about fluoride removal from synthetic drinking water (10 mg L−1 F− in 0.5 g L−1 Na2SO4 and 1.5 mg L−1 ClO− at pH 7.7 and conductivity 410 μS cm−1), by electrocoagulation (EC) using aluminum as the sacrificial anode in a continuous filter press reactor coupled to a flocculator and clarifier (sludge settler). The influence of current density (j) and linear flow velocity in the EC reactor (ur) on the fluoride removal efficiency was analyzed. The EC tests that satisfy the WHO norm for fluoride (CF ⩽ 1.5 mg L−1) were obtained at 0.91 ⩽ ur ⩽ 1.82 cm s−1 and 5 ⩽ j ⩽ 7 mA cm−2, giving aluminum doses between 19.28 ⩽ CAl(III) ⩽ 52.67 mg L−1. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Analysis of X-rays (EDA-X) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses were performed to confirm the presence of fluoride in the flocs. The best EC tests in terms of energy consumption was obtained at 5 mA cm−2, with a mean linear flow velocity in the EC reactor of 1.82 cm s−1, which gives an energy consumption of 0.37 kW h m−3, during the removal of fluoride from 10 to 1 mg L−1. EC at j > 7 mA cm−2 did not improve the EC process any further owing to massive generation of electrolytic gases which promote the breaking of the flocs.
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Peganum harmala L., known as Harmal or African, Syrian Rue, Espand (in Iranian culture), and Ozallaik (in Turkey), is a perennial herbaceous glabrous plant, which offers many antimicrobial activities in indoor air. In this regard, in the... more
Peganum harmala L., known as Harmal or African, Syrian Rue, Espand (in Iranian culture), and Ozallaik (in Turkey), is a perennial herbaceous glabrous plant, which offers many antimicrobial activities in indoor air. In this regard, in the present study, we aimed at evaluating the disinfectant effects of Peganum harmala L. (PHL) seed smoke on microbial load in air. For this reason, the effects of four doses of PHL seeds (5, 10, 15, and 20 g) and various sampling times in the range of 0–30 min were examined on its antibacterial and antifungal effects. The experiments were conducted at two different areas including a classroom located at the health faculty of Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences and a residential area with a similar volume of 60 m3. Tryptic soy agar (TSA) was applied as a specific bacterial culture medium, and sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) was used as a specific fungal culture medium. The concentration of bacteria and fungi in the indoor air of the residential area decreased by 71.4 and 94.7%, respectively. In the educational area, the concentration of bacteria and fungi decreased by 92.8 and 88.9%, respectively. In conclusion, the PHL smoke showed antibacterial and antifungal effects, which may be due to its alkaloids harmine properties, while it causes an increase in the concentration of particles in the air of indoor environments. Therefore, it can be used as an indoor air disinfectant for decreasing the load of bacteria and viruses in a closed space.
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Aims: This study was conducted to assess health-effects of exposure particulate matter (PM 10 ) in Ahvaz city (located in South-Western Iran), during 2009. Materials and Methods: The adverse health effects of PM 10 were calculated by... more
Aims: This study was conducted to assess health-effects of exposure particulate matter (PM 10 ) in Ahvaz city (located in South-Western Iran), during 2009. Materials and Methods: The adverse health effects of PM 10 were calculated by relative risk (RR) and baseline incidence related to health end point PM 10 . A specialized model, the air quality health impact assessment tool (AirQ2.2.3), was used to assess the potential impacts of PM 10 exposure on human health in Ahvaz city during 2009. PM 10 data was taken from Ahvaz Department of Environment. These data were in volumetric base. Health effects are being related to the mass of pollutants inhaled and should convert on the gravimetric basis. Conversion between volumetric and gravimetric units (correction of temperature and pressure), coding, processing (averaging), and filtering are implemented for solving such problem. Results: The results revealed that approximately 3% of total numbers of deaths and respiratory mortality happened ...
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Introduction: Inadequate air quality is one of the environmental hazards factors imposing a significant number of deaths and complications of diseases on society. Therefore, it is highly important to determine the extent of its effects on... more
Introduction: Inadequate air quality is one of the environmental hazards factors imposing a significant number of deaths and complications of diseases on society. Therefore, it is highly important to determine the extent of its effects on health in communities. This study sought to assessment the concentration and additional short- and long-term mortality attributed to Particulate Matter less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Ozone (O ) were observed in Ahwaz from 2012 to 2018 using AirQ+. Materials and methods: Daily and hourly concentrations of PM2.5, ozone and NO2 were obtained from Department of Environment in Ahvaz. Then, the mean concentration of 2.5 PM2.5 for 24 h, the mean concentration of NO2 for 1 h and the maximum concentration of O3 for 8 h daily were calculated using Excel 2010. Finally, to calculate the annual sum of maximum daily 8-h ozone means over 35 ppb (SOMO35) index, concentrations above 35 were collected and entered into the software. Results: Th...
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Harmful effects of antibiotics on the human body are disturbing intestinal balance and gastrointestinal disorders. The aims of this study were to detect the Oxytetracycline (OTC) in the effluent of Wastewater Treatment Plants (WTPs) of... more
Harmful effects of antibiotics on the human body are disturbing intestinal balance and gastrointestinal disorders. The aims of this study were to detect the Oxytetracycline (OTC) in the effluent of Wastewater Treatment Plants (WTPs) of Golestan, Abuzar and Taleghani hospitals of Ahvaz, Iran; also, the evaluation of the efficiency of treatment plants for removal of OTC. This study was a cross sectional study. Samples were collected from influent and effluent of the hospitals WTPs in summer, autumn and winter. 42 samples were collected in composite form in all week days. Samples were extracted for Oxytetracycline by passing through SPE column. Ethanol and extracted OTC have been dried with nitrogen gas. Then, OTC inoculated 2 ml methanol and analyzed by HPLC. Highest Oxytetracycline concentration was observed in Taleghani hospital WTP in the summer (0.372 mg/L). The maximum removal of percentage was in the summer (97%). Lowest Oxytetracycline concentration was observed in the winter i...
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Background and purpose: Presence of heavy metals in water resources is of great concerns due to adverse effects on human health. The aims of this study were to evaluate the efficiency of coagulation process using Polyaluminum Silicate... more
Background and purpose: Presence of heavy metals in water resources is of great concerns due to adverse effects on human health. The aims of this study were to evaluate the efficiency of coagulation process using Polyaluminum Silicate Chloride (PASiC) in removal of hexavalent chromium and Cadmium from aqueous solutions and comparing that to the standards. Materials and methods: Experiments were carried out by Jar test using PASiC coagulant. The applied pH range in this study was 4 to 11, and different PASiC dosage (15 to 187.5 mg/l), heavy metal concentrations (5 to 100 mg/l), and settling times (10 to 90 minutes) were investigated. All experiments were repeated three times for accuracy and precision. Results: The optimum conditions for chromium removal was in PASiC dose of 150 mg/l, pH= 5, and settling time= 45 minutes, which decreased the chromium concentration (from 10 mg/l initial concentration) to 3.118 ± 0.29 mg/l and this was more than the standard levels of wastewater discha...
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The sugar cane industry produces significant amounts of cane trash and bagasse. Inappropriate disposal of agro-wastes can lead to environmental problems. Converting wastes such as cane trash and bagasse (Bg) to a fertilizer and... more
The sugar cane industry produces significant amounts of cane trash and bagasse. Inappropriate disposal of agro-wastes can lead to environmental problems. Converting wastes such as cane trash and bagasse (Bg) to a fertilizer and conditioner is the aim of sustainable waste management in sugar cane industry. Cow dung (CD), kitchen waste (KW), and sewage sludge (SS) were mixed with bagasse as amendment in different proportions: Bg:CD (1:1), Bg:CD (1:2), Bg:SS (1:1), Bg:SS (1:2), Bg:KW (1:1) and Bg:KW (1:2) in triplicate treatment with Eisenia fetida . Chemical analysis of the samples showed a significant decrease in total organic carbon (TOC) (20%-54%), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) (9.5%-39.7%) and C:N ratio (12%-31.2%), while total potassium (31.4%-54%) and available phosphorus (32%-55%) contents increased during vermicomposting. A significant difference was observed among weight and number of worms in control with other treatments at the end of vermicomposting. According to obtained ...
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Background and purpose: Mycotoxins are a group of toxic compounds produced by several species of fungi and aflatoxins are the most important toxins. M1 and M2 which are derivatives of aflatoxin B1 and B2 are resistant against thermal... more
Background and purpose: Mycotoxins are a group of toxic compounds produced by several species of fungi and aflatoxins are the most important toxins. M1 and M2 which are derivatives of aflatoxin B1 and B2 are resistant against thermal changes, such as pasteurization, sterilization and autoclave and their concentration will not decrease. They are transmitted to humans by milk and milk products and threaten the health of human and society. The aim of this study was to determine aflatoxin M1 in buffaloes milk in Ahvaz and Karoon, Iran using ELIZA method. Materials and methods: In a cross-sectional study, 60 milk samples were randomly collected from two farms with large number of buffalos, in autumn. ELISA method was used to evaluate of aflatoxins the samples. Results: The average level of aflatoxin M1 in two selected locations was (155.91 ng/l) which was more than standard level in Iran and the Codex Alimentarius. Conclusion: According to this research, there was a strong relationship b...
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Background and Objective: Mycotoxins are a group of relatively resistant toxic metabolites. The most important mycotoxins are aflatoxins (B1 and B2, G1 and G2), which originate from contaminated animal feed. Dairy cattle transmit... more
Background and Objective: Mycotoxins are a group of relatively resistant toxic metabolites. The most important mycotoxins are aflatoxins (B1 and B2, G1 and G2), which originate from contaminated animal feed. Dairy cattle transmit aflatoxins B1 and B2 through milk in form of aflatoxins M1 and M2, and endanger the human health. Traditional buffalo farms play an important role in the supply of dairy products in Khuzestan Province. In addition, the province has suitable conditions for the growth of various types of fungi. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the amount of aflatoxins in buffalo feed samples collected from two main suppliers of milk in the province (Ahvaz and Karun). Methods: Overall, 60 samples were collected during the 3 months of autumn 2014. Samples were analyzed by the sensitive and fast method of competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The concentration of aflatoxin ranged from 0.77 to 64.85 μg/Kg. In addition, the concentration of aflatoxin in 2...
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Environmental Technologies Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. Abadan School of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran. Student Research... more
Environmental Technologies Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. Abadan School of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran. Student Research Committee, Environmental Technologies Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
Background and objectives: Air pollution has been widely considered as an important factor in causing heart disease, respiratory disease, and death. This study sought to determine the relationship between short-term exposure to air... more
Background and objectives: Air pollution has been widely considered as an important factor in causing heart disease, respiratory disease, and death. This study sought to determine the relationship between short-term exposure to air pollutants and hospital admissions, cardiovascular and respiratory deaths and total mortality rate in Shahrekord, Iran.Procedure: This is a time series and ecological research. We collected data on hospital admissions and cardiovascular mortality and total mortality from 2012 to 2018. The study used the quasi-Poisson regression combined with linear distributed lag models, adjusted for trend, seasonality, temperature, relative humidity, weekdays and holidays.Results: Our results show a direct and significant statistical relationship between: O3 exposure in lag4 for total mortality, PM10 exposure in lag1 for total mortality and in lag4 and lag1 for respiratory death, PM2.5 exposure for total cardiovascular admissions in lag5, respiratory mortality in lag4, ...
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Background: Food-borne pathogens are one of the most important problems in less developed and developed countries. Commercial refrigerators are a potential source of fungal contamination that causes food spoilage, food-borne intestinal... more
Background: Food-borne pathogens are one of the most important problems in less developed and developed countries. Commercial refrigerators are a potential source of fungal contamination that causes food spoilage, food-borne intestinal infectious diseases or mycotoxin diseases. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution of psychotropic fungi in food storage refrigerators (n = 50) with temperatures above and below 0ºC at selected restaurants (n = 25) located in the city of Ahvaz, Iran. Methods: Samples were collected from the surfaces of the refrigerators by using sterile swab sticks pre-moistened with sterile distilled water, and then each collected sample was plated out on Sabouraud dextrose agar medium. Finally, all fungi were counted and identified based on macroscopic and microscopic characteristics. Results: According to our results, 100% of the sample refrigerators showed fungal contamination. Cladosporium sp. (42.34%) and Mucor sp. (0.06%) had the...