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IMAGE: An enveloped virus, Φ6 (left), clumps together and becomes damaged by conventional iron coagulation (right). Scale bar, 100 nm. view more
Credit: Adapted from
2021, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c07697
Enveloped viruses have been detected in raw sewage and sludge, but scientists still don t fully understand the fate and infectivity of these viruses during water purification at treatment plants. Now, researchers reporting in ACS
Environmental Science & Technology have discovered that a standard water treatment technique, called iron (III) coagulation, and its electrically driven counterpart, iron (0) electrocoagulation, can efficiently remove and inactivate a model enveloped virus.
Enveloped viruses have an outer coating of lipids and proteins that helps protect their genetic material. Typically, disrupting this coat inactivates the virus. Until now, most studies have investigated only disinfection by chlorine or ultraviolet light as a means to control env
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IMAGE: Vikas Khanna, Wellington C. Carl Faculty Fellow and associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Pitt s Swanson School of Engineering view more
Credit: University of Pittsburgh
The economic value of insect pollinators was $34 billion in the U.S. in 2012, much higher than previously thought, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State University. The team also found that areas that are economically most reliant on insect pollinators are the same areas where pollinator habitat and forage quality are poor. Pollinators like bees play an extremely important role in agriculture, explained senior author Vikas Khanna, Wellington C. Carl Faculty Fellow and associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Pitt s Swanson School of Engineering. The insects that pollinate farmers crops underpin our ecosystem biodiversity and function, human nutrition, and even economic welfare.
Less than two days of water quality sampling at local beaches may be all that’s needed to reduce illnesses among millions of beachgoers every year due to contaminated water, according to new Stanford research. The study, published in
Environmental Science & Technology, presents a modeling framework that dependably predicts water quality at beaches after only a day or two of frequent water sampling. The approach, tested in California, could be used to keep tabs on otherwise unmonitored coastal areas, which is key to protecting the well-being of beachgoers and thriving ocean economies worldwide.
Stanford researcher Ryan Searcy collects water samples from a tide pool at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, in Moss Beach, California. (Image credit: Meghan Shea)
Photo by Manman Dejeto / Greenpeace
As the country struggles against the pandemic, the solution to combat COVID-19 seems to be the use of plastic and other disposable materials. Jeepneys, tricycles, buses and trains use plastic dividers to promote physical distancing among passengers; and since August 15, The Department of Transportation has mandated the populace to wear along with face masks face shields, usually made from plastic, when taking public transportation. Adding to the plastic burden is the deluge of food take outs and merchandise deliveries, deemed the safer option than dining out or going to malls during the pandemic.
Inside a jeepney in Bulacan (photo by PM Caisip)
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IMAGE: Stanford researcher Ryan Searcy collects water samples from a tide pool at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, in Moss Beach, California. view more
Credit: Meghan Shea
Less than two days of water quality sampling at local beaches may be all that s needed to reduce illnesses among millions of beachgoers every year due to contaminated water, according to new Stanford research. The study, published in
Environmental Science & Technology, presents a modeling framework that dependably predicts water quality at beaches after only a day or two of frequent water sampling. The approach, tested in California, could be used to keep tabs on otherwise unmonitored coastal areas, which is key to protecting the well-being of beachgoers and thriving ocean economies worldwide.