Organic waste management is an important concern for both industries and communities. Proper management is crucial for various reasons, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting sustainability, and improving public health. Composted manure is a valuable source of nutrients and organic matter that can be used as a soil amendment in agriculture. Some important benefits of using composted manure in agriculture include: improves soil fertility, enhances soil structure, reduces soil erosion, suppresses plant diseases, and reduces reliance on synthetic fertilizers. Composted manure represents one of the most effective methods of organic waste valorization. Its macronutrients and micronutrients content can increase plant yield, without any reported negative or toxic effects on the soil and plants at various application rates. However, improper use of farmyard manure can have negative effects on the environment, such as air pollution from greenhouse gas emissions, soil acidification, and contamination of surface water and groundwater by nitrates and phosphates. The properties of the soil, including aeration, density, porosity, pH, water retention capacity, etc., can be improved by the structure and composition of manure. The slow-release source of nutrients provided by the nutrient content of compost can determine proper plants growth. However, it is crucial to use compost in moderation and regularly test soil to prevent excessive nutrient application, which can have adverse effects on plants and the environment.

In the present study, heavy metal concentrations (Cu, Zn, Pb, As) from former industrial areas were analyzed in soil and the plant species Phragmites Australis (common reed), a plant species found in shallow river banks. The objectives of the study were to determine the accumulation, translocation, and enrichment capacity of soils and plants (root, stem, leaf, and flower) with heavy metals, and to evaluate the potential of the plant species Phragmites Australis (common reed) in the phytoremediation of heavy-metal-polluted soils. The sediments and plants investigated were particularly rich in heavy metals such as Cu, Zn, Pb, and As, and Pb and Zn concentrations were determined to be of phytotoxic level. The highest transfer coefficient of heavy metals from the soil to the root of the plant species Phragmites Australis (common reed) was for the metals Cu and Zn. The transfer of heavy metals from the root of the plant species Phragmites Australis (common reed) to the aerial part of the plant was lowest for Cu. A very low enrichment factor value was recorded for the metal As. The mobility of heavy metals was generally higher from the sediment to the plant roots, with the order of the average transfer coefficient values being Cu > Zn > Pb > As for all three areas analyzed. The translocation of heavy metals from the root to the upper aerial part of the plant was in the form of As > Pb > Zn > Cu in the plant species Phragmites australis (common reed). According to the average values obtained for the three coefficients, the accumulation, translocation, and enrichment capacity of heavy metals in soil and the plant species Phragmites Australis (common reed), it can be stated that the plant species Phragmites Australis (common reed) is very suitable for use in the process of soil remediation by phytoremediation.

Effective groundwater management is crucial under the current climatic conditions, addressing both qualitative and quantitative aspects. An important step in delineating groundwater potential zones involves remote sensing (RS) data and geographic information systems (GISs), facilitating resource assessment, and the implementation of suitable field data management. This study introduces the delineation of potential groundwater zones using seven layers and the Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) method. Satty’s Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed to rank the seven selected parameters, contributing to the advancement of groundwater research and resource assessment. All seven thematic layers (Rainfall, Geology, Land Use/Land Cover, Drainage Density, Elevation, Slope, and Soil) were prepared and analyzed to delineate groundwater potential zones. The resulting groundwater potential zone map was categorized into four classes, Very Good, Good, Moderate, and Poor, covering areas of 81.53 km² (45.1%), 56.36 km² (31.2%), 19.54 km² (10.8%), and 23.17 km² (12.8%) of the total area, respectively. The accuracy of the output was validated by comparing it with information on groundwater prospects in the area, and the overall accuracy of the method was approximately 72%. High-yield boreholes were drilled and concentrated in the Very Good groundwater potential zones, while low-yield ones were developed in the Poor areas.

This paper presents a detailed kinematic analysis of a double-toggle jaw crusher used for the primary crushing of hard and bulky materials. The study introduces an innovative mathematical modeling method for the motion of the mechanism’s components, eliminating the need for traditional decomposition into structural groups. General equations are developed to determine the positions, linear velocities, and angular displacements of the moving elements, providing a solid foundation for equipment design and study. The generated mathematical model was validated using real-world dimensions of an SMD-117-type jaw crusher and by comparison with simulation results obtained from Mathcad, Linkage, Roberts Animator, and GIM software. The results demonstrated a high degree of agreement between the calculated and simulated trajectories and linear velocities. The analysis of angular displacements and linear velocities confirmed the cyclic nature of the mechanism’s motion, characterized by sinusoidal variations and low oscillations, which are relevant for assessing variable loads. Through its rigorous approach and multi-source validation, the research makes a significant contribution to the development of more efficient, durable, and adaptable jaw crushers for modern industrial requirements.

This article presents research on how household waste is collected. An online survey, with 348 participants, from the Romanian region of Bacau, was conducted from October 2018 to May 2019. The online questionnaire included a set of over 40 questions, some with the aim of identifying the nature of the people participating, but most of the questions being designed to determine the collection methods for household waste. The major goal of the current study, as previously stated, was to determine the primary way of collecting household garbage from the public, while also learning various details about the participants, including their residence location, gender, age, and level of education. Referring to the means used for collecting household waste, the following items were noted: trash cans, cardboard boxes, dumpsters, and raffia bags. As a result of the study carried out, the following conclusions were drawn: it was noticed that 70 percent of those who participated in the survey came from urban areas; a larger percentage of female respondents took part in the survey (128 from 348); the majority of respondents were aged 18–29 (182); 178 respondents had a higher education level; collection of household waste in garbage bags represented 62.9 percent of the total collection methods. Following statistical processing of the data, and an overview of the main ways in which household waste was collected, a number of connections were found between the characteristics of the respondents and their household waste collection. What is noteworthy is that the characteristics of the respondents could be grouped into cumulative factors that played an important role in household waste collection: the first group formed by level of education and location of the respondents, and the second group formed by age and gender of the respondents.

Using treated wastewater for irrigation is a good solution for conserving water, but it is also in part responsible for groundwater and water surface pollution by heavy metals, especially copper and cadmium. The soil can be a barrier to retaining these pollutants and protecting the water resource. This study presents an assessment of the adsorption of copper and cadmium by two agricultural soils from Tunisia and Romania to evaluate the risk of water pollution. At first, the two soils were characterized with a scanning electron microscope and different physico-chemical analyses. Before adsorption, the elemental analysis performed with an SEM showed a very low amount of cadmium and copper in both soils (0.01%). The Tunisian soil was considered clayey soil, and the Romanian soil was sandy clayey soil. All experimental kinetics and isotherms were well correlated (R² > 0.9) with the pseudo-first-order kinetic model and the modified and extended Redlich–Peterson binary adsorption model. For an initial concentration of both pollutants of 0.1 mmol·L⁻¹, the amounts retained and the adsorption percentage of copper and cadmium by the two soils indicate that the Romanian soil (q_Cu = 0.87 μmol·g⁻¹; % Cu = 98%; q_Cd = 0.88 μmol·L⁻¹; % Cd = 99%) retained both pollutants better than the Tunisian soil (q_Cu = 0.65 μmol·g⁻¹, %Cu = 83%; q_Cd = 0.73 μmol·g⁻¹; %Cd = 93%). Copper presents the greatest risk of water resource pollution, especially in Tunisia. The SEM confirmed the soil adsorption of Cu and Cd and estimated that the retention mechanisms of these two heavy metals are mainly related to the amount of phosphorus, chloride, sulfur and carbon by complexation and precipitation reactions.