The indiscriminate dumping of municipal solid waste in Malawi, particularly at Lunzu dumpsite in Blantyre, has raised significant environmental concerns due to the potential contamination of surrounding soils and water sources by heavy metals (HMs). This study assessed the concentrations, spatial distribution, and ecological risks of selected heavy metals, cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and cobalt (Co) in soil and groundwater around the dumpsite. Samples were collected at varying distances (0-250 m radius from the dumpsite) during both dry and wet seasons and analyzed using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). In soil, the highest concentrations were recorded at the dumpsite center during the dry season: Cd at 3.08 mg/kg, Cu at 316.18 mg/kg, and Pb at 80.00 mg/kg, exceeding the WHO and EU permissible limits. In the wet season, metal concentrations were lower but still elevated, with Cd at 2.77 mg/kg, Zn at 635.22 mg/kg, and Pb at 72.00 mg/kg. In water samples, the maximum concentrations during the dry season were Cd at 0.02 mg/L, Pb at 0.14 mg/L, and Fe at 1.56 mg/L, which exceeded WHO drinking water standards, particularly for cadmium and lead. Correlation analysis revealed strong positive relationships among most metals and soil organic carbon (SOC), suggesting common pollution sources and the role of organic matter in metal retention. Water samples also revealed elevated concentrations of cadmium and lead, with levels surpassing WHO, EU, and Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) guidelines, posing serious health risks to nearby communities. Contamination assessment indices like the contamination factor (CF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), and potential ecological risk index (PERI) consistently identified cadmium and mercury as the most ecologically hazardous metals. The spatial trend showed a decline in metal concentrations with increasing distance from the dumpsite, confirming the dumpsite as the primary contamination source.

Oil spill can be extremely hazardous and environmentally threatening, and therefore needs to be contained and cleaned up as soon as possible. These serious environmental consequences have long been recognized and considerable research and technological development has been carried out to develop appropriate remediation techniques. Most of the sorbents in use for cleanup technologies are synthetic, non-biodegradable and imported. There is need to develop natural sorbents which are biodegradable, cost effective and readily available in line with agricultural wastes Luffa aegyptiaca sponge were functionalized by acetylation to increase their hydrophobic properties and oil sorption capacities. Structural modification from acetylation of Luffa aegyptiaca sponge was analyzed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The effect of time and catalysts (KBr and KI) on the acetylation process was examined to optimize conditions. Sorption behaviours was studied using kinetic models, including first, Hill second, Pseudo-second and Intra-particle diffusion models. Isotherm models such as Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm model were also used to analyze the crude oil sorption behaviour. The results reveal that the acetylation significantly enhanced the hydrophobic properties of the materials. The kinetic studies of all the samples demonstrated that acetylation process adhered to pseudo-second order kinetics model with high R2 values. In the crude oil sorption analysis, the values of the coefficient of determination indicated that the Freundlich isotherm model has a better correlation, by implying that the adsorption from acetylation is heterogeneous and multi-layered. The FTIR spectra confirmed successful acetylation through the presence of characteristic functional groups. The SEM analysis of the acetylated sample revealed significant changes in surface morphology, with increased porosity and roughness compared to the raw samples. The findings demonstrated that the acetylated materials could serve as effective, natural sorbents for oil spill remediation, offering a sustainable and cost effective alternatives to synthetic sorbents.

The impact of environmental pollution on human health has become a consensus. Based on the provincial panel data of China from 2002 to 2017, this paper analyzes the impact of industrial wastes on human health. With respect to human health, average annual frequency of physician visits per capita (AAFPV) is used as a measure for the short-term human health; all-cause mortality is used to illustrate the long-term human health. The results show that in the short term, with the level of industrial smoke dust increasing every 1 percentage, AAFPV would increase by 0.24 percentage. This effect is significant in East China and West China. Central China is affected by industrial waste water, with a rate of increasing AAFPV by 0.12 percent for every 1 percent increase of chemical oxygen demand per unit area. In the long term, water pollution is the main influencing factor of all-cause mortality.

The main objective of this research is to analyse and compare the photochemical ozone production coming from one neighbourhood initially located in Belgium. Which the same neighbourhood design is applied in150 countries, by applying four parameters adapted to each country such as: energy mix, local climate, building materials and occupants’ mobility. In addition, this research evaluates the induced environmental costs of the neighbourhood over a life cycle of 100 years in some regions located on the five continents, and examines the effect of photovoltaic panel on the photochemical ozone concentration. This environmental impact was evaluated by the Pleiades ACV simulation software under four phases (construction, use, renovation, and demolition), before being translated into environmental costs. The results show that in the case of sustainable neighbourhoods, the photochemical ozone production is 14.3% higher in the Low than High income countries. Photovoltaic panel has a significant effect on the photochemical ozone production, indeed, it allows to reduce up to 8.6% of this one. By 2030, if each of the 150 studied countries, increases up to 30% the renewable energy rate in its own energy mix, to the current examples of countries such as: Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Costa Rica, DRC, Nepal, Tajikistan ..., so, Photochemical Ozone Production will decrease from 32% to 45% depending on the region. An average of 56% of photochemical ozone potential (POP) is produced during the operational phase of the neighbourhood.