BACKGROUND Extensive human activities and unplanned land uses have put groundwater resources of Shiraz plain at a high risk of nitrate pollution, causing several environmental and human health issues. To address these issues, water resources managers utilize groundwater vulnerability assessment and determination of protection. This study aimed to prepare the vulnerability maps of Shiraz aquifer...

Nitrate and nitrite are toxicants that have become increasingly significant environmental chemicals. Increase in environmental distribution of nitrogenous compounds, especially in surface and ground water, has been attributed to the intensive use of nitrate as agricultural fertilizers and to increasing amounts of nitrogenous wastes produced by municipalities, industries, and feedlots. The purpo...

A highly effective biological fertilizer (bio-fertilizer) can be produced cheaply in countries that have a source of a suitable type of zeolitic rock (tuff). Such rocks occur worldwide in areas of past or current volcanism. In the event of explosive volcanic activity huge volumes of silicic glass and other debris are projected into the atmosphere. Reaching high altitude the fine material is sep...

Sublethal effects of toxicants can upset normal behavioural responses to predators, leading to increased predation. For example, sensory capabilities can be impaired by toxicants, leading to difficulty in detecting predators or other threats. Alteration of locomotor abilities by pollutants can also explain the difficulty of tadpoles to escape from predators. Here we assess the effects of a nitr...

Gaza coastal aquifer (GCA) is the major source of fresh water for the 1.5 million residents of Gaza Strip, Palestine. The aquifer is under deteriorating quality conditions mainly due to the excessive application of fertilizers. The intrinsic vulnerability of GCA to contamination was assessed using the well-known DRASTIC method. Detailed analysis of the intrinsic vulnerability map of GCA was car...

Organic farming avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers and promises food production with minimal environmental impact, however this farming practice does not often result in the same productivity as conventional farming. In recent years, biochar has received increasing attention as an agricultural amendment and by coating it with minerals to form biochar-mineral complex (BMC) carbon retention ...

Background The presence of nitrate is one of the factors limiting the quality of groundwater resources, particularly in arid and semi-arid climates. Therefore, the knowledge about the distribution of nitrate in groundwater and its source has an effective role in protecting health. The study aimed to optimize an interpolation method to predict the nitrate concentration and assessment of aquifer ...

Excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers has increased nitrate concentrations in groundwater, which poses a health hazard from nitrate-contaminated drinking water and contributes to eutrophication. Nitrate removal systems been carefully studied; However, new, low-cost solutions are urgently needed. Clay terracotta minerals commonly used environmental applications due their non-toxicity, global ava...