Andrew Hursthouse

Verified

Andrew verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

Learn more

Verified

Andrew verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

Learn more

• PhD
• Professor at University of the West of Scotland

The accelerated growth of the electrical and electronic equipment market is a major driver behind increasing e-waste volumes worldwide. Although e-waste contains valuable resources, most remain unrecycled or improperly managed. Recycling efforts primarily focus on recovering metals, while plastic constituents remain overlooked. Furthermore, current...

Estuaries are critical components in the environmental risk assessment of anthropogenic contamination. They funnel the emissions from upstream terrestrial catchments and are often within historically established population and industrial centers. They are sensitive and biodiverse and increasingly acknowledged be subject to increasing risks and haza...

The increasing e-waste volumes represent a great challenge in the current waste management landscape, primarily due to the massive production and turnover of electronic devices and the complexity of their components and constituents. Traditional strategies for e-waste treatment focus on metal recovery through costly, energetically intensive, and en...

The metal Gadolinium (Gd) is a member of the lanthanide (Ln) group and is recognized as an emerging pollutant due to its widespread application in modern technology. Its acute toxicity depends on its free ion concentrations (Gd3 +), which is directly related to chemical speciation. The Biotic Ligand Model (BLM) is a valuable tool for risk assessmen...

Universities have a critical role to play in increasing awareness of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Here’s how to do it https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/bridging-sdg-awareness-gap

Rare earth elements (REE) are recognized as emerging pollutants due to their widespread use in modern society (e.g., in the production of electronics, renewable energy technologies, and advanced medical devices) which leads to anthropogenically elevated concentrations in the environment with potential consequences for ecosystem health. This article...

Nitrogen pollution is a global issue impacting ecosystems, climate change, human health, and the economy. The challenge to reduce nitrogen pollution as a priority highlights the wastewater treatment system an important point of control. Coagulation, a common water treatment process, has a positive impact on the overall treatment process but often s...

Sb-resistant strains can detoxify antimony through metabolic mechanisms such as oxidation and affect the migration, transformation, and ultimate fate of antimony in the environment. In this study, a strain of Sb-resistant fungi, Rhodotorula glutinis sp. Strain J5, was isolated from Xikuangshan mine and its growth characteristics, gene expression di...

In this paper, the application of artificial intelligence, especially neural networks, in the field of water treatment is comprehensively reviewed, with emphasis on water quality prediction and chemical dosage optimization. It begins with an overview of machine learning and deep learning concepts relevant to water treatment. Key advances and challe...

Microplastics are omnipresent in aquatic environments and can act as vectors to carry other pollutants, modifying their pathway through the systems. In this study, the differences in the adsorption capacity and mechanism for Cr(VI) sorption with polyethylene (PE, a conventional microplastic) and polylactic acid (PLA, a biodegradable microplastic) w...

Effective elimination of heavy metals from complex wastewater is of great significance for industrial wastewater treatment. Herein, bimetallic adsorbent Fe3O4-CeO2 was prepared, and H2O2 was added to enhance Sb(V) adsorption by Fe3O4-CeO2 in complex wastewater of Sb(V) and aniline aerofloat (AAF) for the first time. Fe3O4-CeO2 showed good adsorptio...

Emerging from the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is time to ground ourselves and retrospectively assess the recent achievements of SEGH over the past years. This editorial serves as a comprehensive report on the progress made in comparison to the aspirations and goals set by the society's board in 2019 (Watts et al., Environ Geochem Health 42:...

The release of lanthanides (Ln) into the environment has increased in recent decades due to their expanding applications in society. Studying their toxicity in aquatic ecosystems is urgent and challenging, with contradictory evidence presented in the literature. This study compared the biodistribution of La and Gd in Daphnia magna exposed to sub-ch...

Selenium (Se) is an essential element for aquatic organisms as well as humans. It can be toxic to organisms depending on its concentration and chemical speciation; thus, considerable efforts have been made to unravel the biogeochemical cycling of Se in aquatic systems. Mathematical models provide an important tool to better understand the fate of S...

Countries with emerging legislation on the waste electrical and electric equipment (WEEE), but limited infrastructure, may find in other, more robust, systems the tools to develop adaptable and socioeconomically viable management schemes. Additives found in the plastics in electronic goods, such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs), are components...

Background : This paper examines the suitability of extant governance frameworks at an international level for addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is a creeping crisis for global health security. Methods : Our study begins by evaluating the place of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals...

Millions of tonnes of green waste are produced annually in the UK. Composting usually extends to more than two months as well as producing greenhouse gases that can affect the environment if not optimised. We proposed a potential approach to use the algal extract from Ascophyllum nodosum as a compost accelerator. Seaweed-based treatments offer an e...

While our awareness of the toxicity of rare earth elements to aquatic organisms increases, our understanding of their direct interaction and accumulation remains limited. This study describes the acute toxicity of lanthanum (La) and gadolinium (Gd) in Daphnia magna neonates and discusses potential modes of action on the basis of the respective patt...

Conventional methods for water and wastewater treatment are energy-intensive, notably at the stage of coagulation–flocculation, calling for new strategies to predict pollutant reduction because the amount of energy consumed is related to how much of the pollutant is treated. Here we developed a model, named Bio-logic, inspired by ecosystems, where...

The University of the West of Scotland (UWS) researchers discovered a relationship between loud road traffic and air pollution and an increased incidence of hypertension, a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. https://theprint.in/health/combined-road-noise-air-pollution-raises-blood-pressure-research/1538409/

In sediment environments, manganese (Mn) minerals have high dissolved organic matter (DOM) affinities, and could regulate the changes of DOM constituents and reactivity by fractionation. However, the effects of DOM fractionation by Mn minerals on the contaminant behaviors remain unclear. Herein, the transformations of mineral phases, DOM properties...

We propose a novel integrated model for the recovery of tantalum from tantalum-rich waste using a combination of hydrometallurgical and bio-metallurgical processes. To this end, leaching experiments with heterotrophs (Pseudomonas putida, Bacillus subtilis and Penicillium simplicissimum) were carried out. The heterotrophic fungal strain leached mang...

A sustainable approach to the small-scale treatment of portable toilet and septic tank waste is in need in order to minimize the associated public health and environmental risks. Treatment of human wastes is highly regulated by legislation in many countries given the high content of organic components and pathogens. In conventional wastewater treat...

There is evidence that hypertensive heart disease is attributed to environmental noise and air pollution in European regions. Epidemiological studies have also demonstrated the potential role of road traffic air–noise pollution in adverse health outcomes, including car- diovascular diseases such as hypertension. Despite the local implementation of...

There is evidence that hypertensive heart disease is attributed to environmental noise and air pollution in European regions. Epidemiological studies have also demonstrated the potential role of road traffic air–noise pollution in adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension. Despite the local implementation of th...

There is growing evidence linking exposure to air pollution and traffic noise with hyper-tension. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of registered hypertension cases and hypertension rate with exposure to air pollution and road noise. In this cross-sectional study, we linked the information from the NHS Scotland database of 776,5...

There is mounting evidence that exposure to air pollution and noise from transportation are linked to the risk of hypertension. Most studies have only looked at relationships between single exposures. To examine links between combined exposure to road traffic, air pollution, and road noise. A Casella CEL-63x instrument was used to monitor traffic n...

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) are a source of both hazardous and valuable materials that must be segregated for treatment. Previous studies addressing the use of handheld X-Ray fluorescence (h-XRF) as a sorting tool for WEEE plastics through the identification of hazardous components include plastics from mixed WEEE streams, proc...

Waste electrical and electronic equipment has become a thing of great challenge in the city of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and globally. Informal recyclers appear to be the key actors in this recycling sector in the location, but they lack the right skills and knowledge. This study sheds light on the consequences of informal recycling in the mobile tel...

Human health and wellbeing are intimately linked to the state of the environment [...]

Almost all home aquaria contain substrate, either as intentional enrichment or for aesthetic purposes. For fishes, benefits of structural enrichment have been well considered, particularly in research and aquaculture settings. However, our understanding of the impacts of tank substrate as enrichment is limited. While substrate can induce foraging i...

Mining activities usually caused soil polluted by potential toxic elements (PTEs). This paper used the analysis of correlation, variance, and power analysis to clarify the relationship and migration characteristic of 90 samples in 30 sampling points at the depths of 30, 100, and 200 cm. The results showed in the weakly alkaline red loam, pH had no...

China is currently facing great challenges in preventing land from further contamination by industrial activity. We evaluated the current state of business activity supporting the prevention and control of soil pollution through good waste management practice to restrict further soil contamination. The study focused on understanding drivers to impr...

The increasing quantities of polluted waters are calling for advanced purification methods. Flocculation is an essential component of the water purification process, yet flocculation is commonly not optimal due to our poor understanding of the flocculation process. In particular, there is little knowledge on the mechanisms ruling the migration of p...

We compared chemical and microbial leaching for multi-metal extraction from printed circuit boards (PCBs) and tantalum capacitor scrap. A mixed consortium of acidophiles and heterotrophic fungal strains were used in the experiments and compared to chemical leaching using specific acids (sulfuric, citric and oxalic acids). Under optimum conditions,...

Aims Rare earth elements (REEs) and normalized REE patterns determined in plant and soil samples represent powerful tools to trace biogeochemical processes during weathering, soil genesis and processes in the rhizosphere, and thus publications reporting REE concentrations and normalized REE patterns in soil systems and plants are rapidly increasing...

Filtration is one of the important technologies for separating suspended particles. Under the condition of gravity compression, the filtration density can be increased and the separation effect of suspended particles can be improved. Considering the complex composition and the difficulty in degrading dye in industrial wastewater, a gravity compress...

In this discussion, we highlight that the terms sorption and adsorption are often confused and misused in many articles. Even if one thought their formal definition is well known, this does not appear to be the case. We recommend encouragement to adopt the word adsorption only when fully supported by appropriate data and using the sorption terminol...

In this discussion, we highlight that the terms sorption and adsorption are often confused and misused in many articles. Even if one thought their formal definition is well known, this does not appear to be the case.We recommend encouragement to adopt the word adsorption only when fully supported by appropriate data and using the sorption terminolo...

Background : This paper examines the suitability of extant governance frameworks at an international level for addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is a creeping crisis for global health security. Methods : Our study begins by evaluating the place of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals...

Black-odorous waters are an increasingly common phenomenon characterized by excessive levels of nutrients, the formation of metal sufide precipitates, volatile sulfurous compounds, low dissolved oxygen and high chemical oxygen demand. Black-odorous waters frequently occur in lake and river systems where inputs have restricted circulation. The key r...

The global COVID‐19 pandemic has exacerbated existing health, social, and economic challenges and threatened progress towards achieving the UN sustainable development goals. We discuss lessons learned from the COVID‐19 pandemic for global policymaking for health security governance, with a particular focus on antimicrobial resistance. We identify O...

The Miocene Zhujiang Formation is the key horizon for oil and gas exploration in the Pearl River Mouth basin of northern South China Sea. With the help of core observation, seismic attributes and various analytical data, the sedimentary facies marks, distribution of sedimentary facies and depositional model of forced regression in the Miocene Zhuji...

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) management in Port Harcourt, an oil-producing city in Nigeria, has become an environmental challenge for the location. WEEE recycling is predominantly managed by informal recyclers, who lack the skills to perform risk-free recycling, hence raising health risks to individuals in associated communities...

When the SEGH international board released a short editorial paper back in 2019, we described an aim to increase the membership offering, whilst improving the diversity of input regionally, by scientific discipline and to ensure greater and more regular contact across the regions from 2020 onwards. Wider aspirations described in 2019 (Watts et al....

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) presents the dual characteristic of containing both hazardous substances and valuable recoverable materials. Mainly found in WEEE plastics, brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are a component of particular interest. Several actions have been taken worldwide to regulate their use and disposal, however,...

Informal recycling has been a source of challenges to a mobile telephone network (MTN) phone village in Rumukurushi, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and several locations in developing countries. In order to bring a lasting solution to the menace of informal recycling in this location, the study proposed a new waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEE...

Our indoor microbiome consists of a wide range of microbial taxa. Whilst many of these microbes are benign, some are beneficial, some harmful, yet our knowledge of the spatial heterogeneity of bacterial assemblages in our residential environment remains limited. To investigate the existence of a common core house dust bacterial microbiome we select...

The 2017 ban on the waste import and new policies for the waste management sector in mainland China had wide-spread impact. After decades of poor environmental and public health impacts from the sector, a study is needed which focuses on policies updates and waste management. This provides a direction for the survival of local waste management indu...

A comment on “For NGOs, article-processing charges sap conservation funds” by Wood et al.

Xikuangshan antimony mine in Lengshuijiang, China, has been developed for many years, and stormwater runoff contains high levels of potentially toxic elements (PTEs). The aims were to find the sources of PTEs by statistical analysis and local spatial distribution of industrial activity and simulate transport process of PTEs in the soil to evaluate...

Urban allotment gardens (AGs) provide a unique combination of productive and recreational spaces for the inhabitants of European cities. Although the reasons behind the decision to have a plot, as well as the mode of use and gardening practices, are well recognised in the literature, these issues are mainly considered in relation to particular case...

The paper presents a review of carbon management in relation to UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), forms part of a wider study on the ongoing reliance on fossil fuels in Scotland 's public sector with focus on Universities and Local Government Authorities. It compares the CF (carbon footprint), emission sources, and the fossil fuel contributi...

AimsRare earth elements (REEs) and normalized REE patterns determined in plant and soil samples represent powerful tools to trace biogeochemical processes during weathering, soil genesis and processes in the rhizosphere, and thus publications reporting rare earth elements and normalized REE patterns in soil systems and plants are rapidly increasing...

Antimony (Sb) is a priority pollutant in many countries and regions due to its chronic toxicity and potential carcinogenicity. Elevated concentrations of Sb in the environmental originating from mining and other anthropogenic sources are of particular global concern, so the prevention and control of the source of pollution and environment remediati...

The box and flux model is a mathematical tool used to describe and forecast the major and trace elements perturbations of the Earth biogeochemical cycles. This mathematical tool describes the biogeochemical cycles, using kinetics of first, second and even third order. The theory and history of the box and flux modeling are shortly revised and discu...

In this study, we analyzed 53 topsoil samples from the Xikuangshan South Mine in Hunan Province to investigate the distribution characteristics of pH and the concentrations of selected metals to determine the controlling factors and identify their sources. Kriging interpolation, correlation analysis, principal component analysis, the index of the g...

The concentration of hydrolyzed coagulant ion species is a key factor in determining drinking water treatment efficiency. Direct correlation of water treatment efficiency with changes in species during coagulation has not been addressed. We investigated the correlation under different hydraulic conditions and water treatment efficiencies including...

To evaluate the potential of sepiolite-based materials to resolve environmental pollution problems, a study is needed which looks at the whole life cycle of material application, including the residual value of material classified as waste from the exploitation of sepiolite deposits in the region or from its processing and purification. This would...

More than 50% of the UK coastline is situated in Scotland under legislative jurisdiction; therefore, there is a great opportunity for regionally focused economic development by the rational use of sustainable marine bio-sources. We review the importance of seaweeds in general, and more specifically, wrack brown seaweeds which are washed from the se...

Nile Delta represents 63% of Egypt’s fertile agricultural land. Unfortunately, food chain contamination with potentially toxic elements (PTEs) was recorded along Cairo- Alexandria Highway within Nile Delta. This paper aims to identify pollution sources of PTEs (Cd, Pb, Co, Ni, Zn, Cu, Cr, and Mn), using multivariate statistics. Generally, the studi...

Metal organic framework (MOF) nanoparticles are recognized for their effective removal of metal ions from aqueous systems. However, the application of nanoparticles in a powder form as synthesized is not practical and recovery is not easy. We prepared a recyclable magnetic MOF nanoparticle phase and used a widely available waste biomass to generate...

Environmental pollution caused by excessive Sb(III) in the water environment is a global issue. We investigated the effect of processing parameters, their interaction and mechanistic details for the removal of Sb(III) using an iron salt-modified biosorbent (Fe(III)-modified Proteus cibarius (FMPAs)). Our study evaluated the optimisation of the adso...

Millions of tonnes of green waste are produced annually in the UK. The process of composting usually extends to more than two months as well producing greenhouse gases which affect the environment. We proposed a potential approach to use algal extract from Ascophyllum nodosum as a compost accelerator. Seaweed-based treatments offer an economical an...

The development and utilization of magnetic nanoadsorption materials with large adsorption capacity and easy separation are the research hotspot nowadays. In this study, nanosheet-assembled maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) magnetic microspheres were successfully synthesized by an environmental friendly, quick, and simple method, for enhanced Sb(III) removal fro...

An investigation of environmental geochemistry of shale rock, soil and water in parts of Abakaliki, southern Benue Trough , Nigeria was carried out in order to evaluate the impact of shale bedrock in the soil and water environment. Shale rock, soil and water samples were collected from ten (10) locations within the study area and were analysed for...

The present editorial 2020 continues the series of status reports in Environmental Earth Sciences (EES) in previous years 2017 and 2019 (Kolditz et al. in Environ Earth Sci 77: 8, 2018, Kolditz et al. in Environ Earth Sci 79: 11, 2020). The year 2020 coming to an end was heavily influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic affecting all areas of life includ...

The use of the term “heavy metal” is regularly questioned by the scientific community. Here, we followed the evolution (1970–2020) in the number of published papers including this term in their title. Thus, we can evidence a continuous, albeit sometimes stabilizing, increase especially in environmental journals. After several other warning opinions...

Nature is full of various nanomaterials and nanostructures that have inspired and helped human life and civilization in the advancement of science and technology. Among these materials are clays, which are abundantly found in rocks and earth structures. The mineral montmorillonite, known as a clay nanoparticle, is the major phase in bentonite. This...

Concerns regarding global food security, direct or indirect land use change from bioenergy production require a better understanding of the alternative landbanks that may exist. The potential of ‘marginal’ land, whether for food or fuel production, has been the subject of much previous research but is currently compromised by the lack of a clear, g...

The external geometry, internal architecture and sedimentary evolution processes of the deep-water channel system in Zhujiang Formation in the Midwest of Baiyun Sag have been revealed in detail according to the integrated analysis of 3D seismic data and a large number of drilling and logging data sets. In addition, the controlling effect of sedimen...

Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in manganese ore areas are prevalent in rainwater runoff and pose a major threat to human health. In this study, field investigation and geostatistical analysis methods of positive matrix factorization (PMF) and geographic information systems (GIS) were used to systematically study the pollution in rainwater runoff...

Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy (EEMs) has become a very popular technique in characterization of aquatic dissolved organic matter (DOM) coupled with a parallel factor (PARAFAC) model, denoted as (EEMs-PARAFAC). This research addresses the poorly researched relationship correlation between dissolved ions and fluorescence in a n...

The release of metals from a mine tailings pond to groundwater is an important pathway to assess the environmental impact of mining residues and implications for wider environmental risk. We research on the impact of manganese ore area in Heling Town, Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, central China. The focus is to assess the migration of manganese (M...