Renewable solar energy storage facilities are attracting scientists’ attention since they can overcome the key issues affecting the shortage of energy. A nanofluid phase change material (PCM) is introduced as a new sort of PCM is settled by suspending small proportions of nanoparticles in melting paraffin. ZnO/α-Fe₂O₃ nanocrystals were prepared by a simple co-precipitation route and ultrasonically dispersed in the paraffin to be a nanofluid-PCM. The behaviors of the ZnO/α-Fe₂O₃ nanocrystals were verified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and the average particle size and the morphology of the nanoparticles were explored by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). For the object of industrial ecology concept, aluminum-based waste derived from water-works plants alum sludge (AS) is dried and augmented with the ZnO/α-Fe₂O₃ nanocrystals as a source of multimetals such as aluminum to the composite, and it is named AS-ZnO/α-Fe₂O₃. The melting and freezing cycles were checked to evaluate the PCM at different weight proportions of AS-ZnO/α-Fe₂O₃ nanocrystals, which confirmed that their presence enhanced the heat transfer rate of paraffin. The nanofluids with AS-ZnO/α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles revealed good stability in melting paraffin. Additionally, the melting and freezing cycles of nanofluid-PCM (PCM- ZnO/α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles) were significantly superior upon supplementing ZnO/α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles. Nanofluid-PCM contained the AS-ZnO/α-Fe₂O₃ nanocrystals in the range of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt%. The results showed that 1.0 wt% AS-ZnO/α-Fe₂O₃ nanocrystals contained in the nanofluid-PCM could enhance the performance with 93% with a heat gained reached 47 kJ.

Bovine cysticercosis is categorized as a serious parasitic zoonotic infestation. The infection is mainly caused by the tapeworm Taenia saginata, which infects cattle and humans. The larval stage, Cysticercus bovis (C. bovis), is found in the skeletal and cardiac muscles of infected cattle. Despite its potential public health concern, few studies have been conducted on cardiac cysticercosis in Upper Egypt. This study investigates the prevalence, epidemiology, and impact of cardiac cysticercosis in Upper Egypt, emphasizing how histopathological changes in cardiac muscle and physiological parameters might be associated with the infection. From December 2022 to October 2023, a total of 941 animals from Assiut province, Upper Egypt, were slaughtered and their cardiac muscles were examined for the presence of C. bovis. Cysts were classified as viable or degenerated through macroscopic inspection. The overall prevalence of C. bovis infected hearts made up 10.8% of the total examined. The highest prevalence rate was in the summer season followed by spring; winter had the lowest infections. The histopathological examination of infected tissues revealed immune cell infiltration around Cysticercus-infected areas. Additionally, Bax immunostaining demonstrated the apoptotic effect of cysticercosis. Regarding the measured physiological parameters, there were non-significant changes in plasma levels of total protein and albumin in cattle infected with cysticercosis compared with control animals. Moreover, there was a significant decrease in total antioxidant capacity (TAC) combined with a significant increase in lipid peroxide (Malondialdehyde) (MDA), troponin T, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in infected animals. The present work documented a set of epidemiological and pathological findings, revealing that C. bovis is a potentially harmful parasite and can cause significant health problems in both cattle and humans.

Runoff from agricultural irrigation is contaminated and loaded with pesticides. Frequent toxic levels of pesticide detection in the ecosystem motivate scientists and engineers to diminish agro-chemicals flowing into the environment. Constructed wetland, CWs, treatments are a sustainable methodology of special interest since it possess a symbiosis value. Flytek (FT) pesticide use has increased at an unprecedented rate for crop production as well as an increase in runoff loaded with Flytek. This study introduces the use of constructed wetlands based on an alum- sludge substrate for the purpose of Flytek (FT) removal performance. The system is based on an adsorption column and a sludge cake coupled with gravel acting as a carrier in order to be an adsorption bed and filtration system for Flytek removal. The structure, morphology and characteristics of the adsorption bed material “alum sludge” were characterized using X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Additionally, Fourier-Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was explored. The experimental results revealed that a vertical flow constructed wetland is significant in eliminating the Flytek pesticide. However, the amount and height of sludge in a wetlands column affects its removal efficiency with the optimal removal (96%) being linked to the presence of sludge in 80%. Moreover, temperature, pH and the FT load showed a significant effect in removals, with the optimal operating conditions being recorded at 7.2 pH, 26 °C and 100 ppm of FT. The kinetic modeling is also investigated to validate the practical life applications and designs, and the results verified the reaction follows the pseudo 2nd-order reaction kinetic model according to the correlation coefficient factor. Furthermore, according to the isotherm model results the scheme follows the Freundlich isotherm model. Such preliminarily data of a gravel-alum-sludge-adsorption-column scheme is a good indicator in developing a constructed wetland facility being a good candidate for controlling agriculture effluent streams.

Agro-industrial discharge contains acetimidothioic acid, which is commercially named “Lanox 90” and is a widely applied insecticide in greenhouses, and the result is wastewater loaded with this insecticide. Treating such wastewater is a must to reduce the environmental impact as well as to facilitate the opportunity for water recycling. Thus, the present work introduced Montmorillonite (MMT) clay as a novel Fenton reaction source to treat wastewater loaded with Lanox 90 insecticide as a benign sustainable strategy. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) supported with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to characterize the MMT sample. Response surface methodology based on Box–Behnken analysis was selected to optimize the parametric circumstances. The optimized parameters of the proposed technique were obtained at a pH of 2.6 with the addition of 0.8 and 854 mg/L of MMT and H₂O₂, respectively, to attain the highest predicted Lanox 90 removal rate of 97%. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine the statistical data and displayed a significant quadratic model. Ultimately, the results reveal that the oxidation system is exothermic and has a non-spontaneous nature, and the reaction kinetics are categorized according to the second-order reaction kinetic rate. The results of the current study indicate the importance of MMT for treating wastewater. These results confirm the possibility of using oxidation technique as a suitable candidate for greenhouse effluent management to enhance the efficiency of water recycling for smart irrigation.

In the current investigation, elements extracted from Saccharum officinarum were identified as exporters of Fenton catalysts. Saccharum officinarum was soaked in an alkali prior to acidic treatment and then subjected to pyrolysis for elemental recovery. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) augmented with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to identify the prepared catalyst. The material was combined with hydrogen peroxide, which led to Fenton’s reaction. Then, the modified Fenton system was applied to eliminate the textile dye, named Bismarck Brown Azo dye, contaminating the aqueous effluent. Response surface methodological model (RSM) analysis was used to identify the most effective operational parameters, and the model set the optimized values as 39 and 401 mg/L for Saccharum officinarum and H₂O₂ doses, respectively, at pH 2.9. The maximum Bismarck Brown Azo dye removal achieved was 85%. Increasing the temperature to 60 °C improved the dye oxidation efficiency. However, the dye treatment efficacy was reduced when the dye loading increased. Additionally, the kinetic rate order was investigated and the system was fitted to second-order rate reaction kinetics. The thermodynamic variables show that the reaction is endothermic and non-spontaneous.

The attention of the research community is focused not only on waste elimination, but also on waste valorization. The natural marine biopolymer gel substance chitosan, which can be derived from the waste substances of marine life, is a polymer-matrix-based nanocomposite. Chitosan attracts special attention due to its potential applications, especially in wastewater treatment. In this regard, magnetite-incorporated chitosan powders of nanometer scale were synthesized by a simple co-precipitation method to attain the dual functions of chitosan gel and magnetite. The synthesized magnetite-incorporated chitosan nanopowders were verified using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, a vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images, which showed that the synthesized magnetite-incorporated chitosan was nanosized. The superior application of such a material to offset the deterioration of the environment caused by insecticides is attained through a photocatalytic reaction. The experimental results verified the function of magnetite-incorporated chitosan, since it increased the composite-specific surface area, resulting in high methomyl molecule oxidation. Methomyl oxidation reached almost complete insecticide removal (99%) within only one hour of irradiance time. The optimal operational conditions were investigated, and the maximal removal rate occurred when the aqueous solution was at an acidic pH of 3.0. The reaction was affected by differing hydrogen peroxide and catalyst doses, and the optimized reagent was recorded at the levels of 40 and 400 mg/L of catalyst and hydrogen peroxide, respectively. Also, catalyst reusability was attained, confirming its sustainability, since it could be used for successive cycles. From the current investigation, it is proposed that magnetite–chitosan nanoparticles could serve as a promising photocatalyst for the elimination of insecticides from wastewater in a green manner.