Environmental Chemistry

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) and other environmental epidemiology methods are valuable public health tools aimed to yield relevant epidemiological information for a community. This information includes lifestyle and dietary behaviors, general population health, and exposure to contaminants. There has been a significant increase in WBE’s popularity due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. From January 2021 to May 2023, I analyzed SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) RNA in wastewater from dormitories on George Mason University’s Fairfax campus.

The exploration of oil in ultra-deep waters (offshore) is crucial due to the high demand for this resource. However, challenges, like the complex task of drilling through salt layers and stringent environmental concerns persist. Drilling fluid plays a fundamental role in the well drilling process, aiding in drill cooling, gravel transportation, and other functions. Although water-based fluids are preferable environmentally, they tend to be less efficient and degrade under high pressures and temperatures.

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in textile production and, consequently, in the generation of waste. In Brazil alone, approximately 175,000 tons of this type of waste are generated, of which only 36,000 tons are reused. In this context, this work aimed to use textile waste as a base for conversion into conductive materials, adding value to a discarded material.

Contaminant metals represent a significant threat to global water systems, with severe implications for human health. Treatment technologies utilizing porous materials embedded with nanomaterials offer a promising approach for the effective removal of these contaminants. In this study, charcoal was produced from yerba mate sticks, a form of industrial waste.

In this work, a response surface methodology (RSM) was used to attain optimal conditions for polyphenols extraction from Yerba Mate (YM, South-America infusion) using water as solvent under ultrasound. The following parameters were varied: mass of YM/volume of water (YM/W), pH, temperature, and time. This study helps to developing an eco-friendly and cost-effective experimental design, reducing the production of wastes, and using a very fast water-based method for the extraction.

This study aimed to evaluate sugarcane bagasse as a precursor for the synthesis of magnetic carbonaceous material (MC) produced at 230 °C via hydrothermal carbonization, followed by an activation process with KOH (1:2 and 1:4; m:m) at 700 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere (MAC). The study assessed the structure, texture, and adsorption capacity of MC and MAC for the dye methylene blue (MB). FTIR analysis was performed to investigate the structural properties, while BET and BJH analyses were conducted to determine the specific surface area and pore volume.