Iranian Journal of

Backgrounds and Objectives: Landfill site selection is an important action in integrated solid waste management process. Difference criteria should be paid attention in site selection, so using of special methods are necessary to assimilate the criteria. In this research, GIS software and Analytical Hierarchy Process were used.
Materials and Methods: First of all, maps were built in considering to economical, social and environmental factors, in next step, each layer, was graded. Low grade showed non coordination or less coordination and high grade showed more coordination.
Results: Assimilate of graded map in AHP process, separates area into unsuitable, suitable and very
suitable parts.
Conclusion: Very suitable parts can have high priority in decision making and also suitable parts can have high priority for development projects in future.

Background and Objectives: Over the last three decades environmental pollutions became a more noticeable problem in all around of the world. In many countries, noise pollution as a basic problem has a great importance.Development of the city, increasing of industrial centers, increasing vehicles, other annoying noise resources and also little information about the noise pollution of Tabriz city, has led to the doing of this research.
Materials and Methods: Sampling and measuring of noise pressure levels was done 180 times According to the EPA standards, measuring was done simultaneously in two stations(commercial-residential areas), three times a day (morning 7:30 -9:30 am, midday 12:30-14:30 pm and night 19:00-21:00 pm) and 30 days in month. 
Results: Sound pressure level in both stations was higher than the standards and the highest average level with 71.4 db was recorded in Raste-koche station at midday. Also lowest calculated average value with 68.5 db was measured in Golbad station at the morning time that is 8.5 db higher than the standards.
Conclusion: Average measured sound pressure level in two stations was higher than the standards. The results show that Tabriz has a noise pollution in commercial and residential - commercial areas. It is suggested that other noise pollution resources identified and the proper management actions for its reduction be done.

Background and Objectives: Electro-Fenton process has been widely applied for dye removal from aqueous solution lately. Fenton's reagent is formed in the electrolysis medium through the simultaneous electrochemical reduction of O₂ and Fe³⁺ to H₂O₂ and Fe²⁺ respectively on the cathode surface. In this paper, COD reduction potential and decolorization of real textile wastewater were evaluated by electrochemically generated Fenton reagent process. This wastewater mainly contains non-biodegradable acidic dyes, which are highly resistant against conventional oxidizing agents.
Materials and Methods: Electro-Fenton process was carried out in an open and undivided cell in order to evaluate the removal of color and COD from real textile wastewater using graphite felt (cathode) and Pt plate (anode) at room temperature. The effects of current density, flow rate of air, electrolysis time, initial pH, and ferrous ion concentration were investigated for real textile wastewater.
Results: The results showed that the optimal experimental conditions obtained in electrochemical studies were as follows: current density=4.8 mA cm-2, pH=3, flow rate of air=1.5L/min, Fe²⁺=3mM and reaction time=160 min. Under these conditions, COD removal and decolorization achieved were 63% and 77.2% respectively.
Conclusion: According to the results achieved, electro-Fenton process can be used as a pretreatment for degradation of colored wastewater and refractory pollutants. Moreover, this feasible technology improves biodegradability of the textile wastewater.

Background and objectives: Perchloroethylene (PCE) is categorized as contaminant of concern because of its adverse health effects and persistence in drinking water resources. Permeable reactive barrier with zero valent iron (ZVI-PRB) is a passive zone in which chlorinated ethenes are degraded in situ through the chemical reduction mechanism. The objective of the present investigation was optimization and modelling of ZVI-PRB technology for the elimination of PCE from the aqueous environment using response surface methodology. Materials and methods: In order to simulate ZVI-PRB, a column filled with silica sand and ZVI was used. effects of three variables including pH, column height or barrier thickness and flow on reductive dechlorination efficiency were assessed. Design of experiment, modelling, and data analysis were carried out using response surface method. Results: The dechlorination efficiency was about 93% under optimum conditions (pH=5, 26 cm column height and 2 mL/min flow rate). The ascending trend of pH along the column revealed that the reductive condition was dominant within the column. The R² value of 0.98 also indicated good fitness of the experimental results and model predictions. Conclusion: Based on the results, ZVI-PRB technology has high efficiency in dechlorination of PCE. Likewise, regarding to no need of energy consumption, abundance of iron, no production of harmful by-products and cost-effectiveness, ZVI-PRB is propounded as a stable, green, and environmental friendly technology in groundwater remediation.

Background and objectives: In the outbreak of infectious diseases, the on time epidemiological, environmental, and laboratorial investigations result in rapid diagnosis of cause and source of the outbreaks and decrease the diseases spread and public health loss. Following the outbreak of gastroenteritis in Pardis Town in January 2014, this research was conducted to identify the cause, source, and route of transmission of the outbreak.

Materials and methods: First, the descriptive epidemiological study was conducted using checklist and the stool samples were prepared and analyzed. The drinking water quality in Pardis during and before the outbreak was obtained from National Environmental Health Network. The community water supply system consisting of watershed, water resources, pipelines, storage reservoirs, disinfection systems, and distribution network were inspected and sampling and detection of thermotolerant coliforms and norovirus in water samples were performed according to the Standard Methods.

Results: There were 6,027 patients with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, cramps, mild diarrhea, and mild fever. The distribution of the disease in all age groups, gender, ethnicity, and location was uniform. Out of nine stool specimens, molecular testing of norovirus in six samples was positive. Hazards identified in the water supply system consisted of a water pipe fracture occurred two days before the outbreak, illegal connection of landscape irrigation system to the drinking water supply network, the use of unprotected Fellman wells as the resource of water supply, and discharge of domestic wastewater into the water resource upstream of the Fellman wells. The water samples taken from the Fellman wells had fecal contamination (11 out of 12 samples), but because of weakness and limited experience in identifying norovirus in water samples, norovirus was not detected in the raw water samples.

Conclusion: This study showed that the pathogen came from a single source. Clinical symptoms, epidemiological evidence, the results of analysis of human stool samples,  fecal contamination of raw water samples and norovirus resistance to the standard amounts of  free residual chlorine in water indicated that the outbreak caused by consumption of contaminated drinking water (discharge of domestic wastewater to water supply system). In order to prevent similar outbreak, resolving the observed bugs in the water supply system and implementation of water safety plan is recommended.